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92 Friday, September 12, 1980

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THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS

We wish our family and friends a
very healthy, happy and proSperous
New Year

SAUL and FRANCES ABLECOP

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MR. and MRS. MAX BRUMER

wish all their friends and relatives
a happy and healthy New Year

We wish our family and friends a
very healthy, happy and prosperous
New Year

SHIRLEY and LOU COHEN & RONALD

11Zrvizri rItle rue,5

MR. and MRS. JOSEPH FRANK

wish all their friends and relatives
a happy and healthy New Year

We wish our family and friends a
very healthy, happy and prosperous
New Year

SEYMOUR, SYLVIA, LYNN, JIM & MICHAEL FURMAN

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rov5

PAT, NICK, ALENA & LISA KOURKOULIOTIS

wish all their friends and relatives
a happy and healthy New Year

We wish our family and friends a
very healthy. happy and prosperous
New Year

MR. and MRS. HERBERT MARGOLIS & FAMILY

We wish our family and friends a
very healthy, happy and prosperous
New Year

MAGENE and SAM RICHMAN

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rutr5

DR. LEO and ROSLYN SHIPKO & FAMILY

wish all their friends and relatives
a happy and healthy New Year

MILT and DEE FISHMAN & FAMILY

would like to wish all our family
and friends a healthy and happy
New Year

MR. and MRS. HAL GREEN &' FAMILY

Wishes Their Family and Friends

A Happy & Healthy
New Year

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rt3v5

MR. and MRS.
FRANK RADZINSKI & FAMILY

would like to wish all our family
and friends a healthy and happy
New Year

Waiting for the Messiah

By GORDON FREEMAN

(Editor's note: Rabbi
Freeman, of Cong. Bnai
Shalom of Walnut Creek,
Calif., is a post-doctoral
fellow and visiting
scholar-in-residence in
the Department of Politi-
cal Science at the Univer-
sity of California, Ber-
keley. This article , ap-
peared in the Jewish
Spectator.)
Many people are so eager
for the coming of the Mes-
siah that they perceive his
arrival, and thus want to
share their "good news."
Throughout history Jews
have been challenged by
Messianic movements that
have all ended in failure.
There is no agreement
among Jewish authorities
concerning the conditions
required for the coming of
the Messiah. Some say that
first the world must be at
peace.
Others hold to the reverse
view: the Messiah will come
when the world is about to
destroy itself; he will pro-
vide the final opportunity
for repentance. Failing in
that, he will lead the faith-
ful to salvation. Alterna-
tively, he will restore the
Jewish people to political
independence.
The popular view has it
that the Messiah will be a
scion of the House of
David, announced by
Elijah, the prophet.
Others have it that the
Messiah will have a pre-
cusor from the House of
Joseph. Some teach that
there might be a succes-
sion of Messiahs.
There have been many
Messianic claimants,
visionaries and, also, char-
latans. But all are agreed
that the Messiah is human,
not divine.
All authentic Jewish
sources, including the Bible
(Deuteronomy 18:22), warn
against Messianic preten-
ders, even if they perform
miracles because, as
Maimonides sums it up, the
days of the Messiah will be
no different from this mun-
dane sphere, except that the
Jewish people will be re-
stored to independence in
its land.
The mass of missionary
material directed at Jews is
stupendous, and attempts to
convert us are not of recent
origin. What should we say
to those that seek to convert
us, and why do their effors
fail?
Saadia Gaon stressed
the uniqueness of the
Sinaitic revelation as re-
velation to an entire
people. One may doubt
its historicity, but the ex-
pereicne of a unique
event cannot be doubted
— the experi e nce of the
covenant.
Christianity appropri-
ated the Jewish Bible as its
own and claimed to be the
New Israel of God. But the
original Israel is still alive!
Another argument
against Jewish claims to the
eternity of the covenant is
the appeal to history: the
destruction of the Temple
and the exile are taken as

proofs that the Jews are re-
jected by God as punish-
ment for their refusal to ac-
cept Jesus as savior and
Messiah. But the rise of the
state of Israel and the
dramatic defeat of its
enemies refute the
theologies of "The New Is-
rael of God" and of "The
New Covenant."
The founders of the new
cults often press Messianic
claims. Jewish Messianic
pretenders, too, flourished
in critical times.

Jews, expert in survi-
val under the most ad-
verse conditions, should
draw on their historical
experience so as to at-
tempt remedies for dif-
ficult contemporary
problems. They should
emphasize that the suc-
cess of Messianic move-
ments is due to the lack of
ego-strength of individu-
als unable to cope with
cultural breakdown.

It is emotional rather
than cognitive needs that
Mesianic movements and
cults fulfill. The emotional
warmth in the security of
the group is so important to
many people that they are
willing to renounce freedom
for this security.
Teenagers are a favorite
target of Messianic mis-
sionaries because the most
important value of teena-
gers is group loyalty.
Jewish teenagers are in-
timidated and impressed by
the biblical "knowledge" of
those of their peers who
"prove" New Testament
claims by quoting Scrip-
tures.
But disproving these mis-
interpretations does not
protect against the influ-
ence of the Christian cults.
What is needed are support
groups where feelings can
be shared, a sense of belong-
ing developed and an ac-
cepting environment
created.
To be sure, there must be
explanations why Christian
interpretations of Scripture
are distorting the real
meaning of the Hebrew Bi-
ble. For one thing, the
Christian claim that the
Messiah has come is prema-
ture because the world is
still filled with violence and
evil.
For Jews, salvation
means the fulfillment of
the covenant promises.
This implies that we our-
selves must become re-
deemers. Just as creation
is continual ("He renews
the act of creation every
day" — Siddur) and reve-
lation is continual (the
study of Torah, as con-
cretized in the Talmudic
dictum that oral and
written Torah were given
at Sinai), so salvation is
potentially continual.
Salvation is our responsi-
bility; we must not leave it
for someone else — not even
God — to accomplish it on
our behalf.
What then of the Mes-
siah? Some suggest that it is
symbolic of our salvational
efforts. Every person is
potentially a Messiah. Per-

haps that is the reason for
Elijah's chair at circumci-
sions: the one who is to an-
nounce the Messiah is in-
vited to come and declare
the possible Messianic role
of the newborn with whom
our hope is being reborn.

WE WISH OUR FRIENDS
AND RELATIVES A
HAPPY. HEALTHY

NEW YEAR
MR. and MRS.
JOSEPH RUTMAN & FAMILY

To be angry is to reven ge
the faults of others on our-
selves.
— Pope

WE WISH OUR FRIENDS
AND RELATIVES A
HAPPY. HEALTHY

NEW YEAR
ARON and JANE SALZBERG

WE WISH OUR FRIENDS
AND RELATIVES A
HAPPY. HEALTHY

NEW YEAR
MR. and MRS.
PAUL SHERIZEN & FAMILY

We wish our family and friends a
very healthy, happy and prosperous
New Year

ZEE and RAY BERNSTEIN & FAMILY

We wish our family and friends a
very healthy, happy and prosperous
New Year

MR. and MRS. JOSEPH DEITCH

We wish our family and friends a
very healthy, happy and prosperous
New Year

MRS. JENNIE FISCHER & LILLIAN FISCHER

We wish our family and friends a
very healthy, happy and prosperous
New Year

MAX and ELSIE JAFFE

We wish our family and friends a
very healthy, happy and prosperous
New Year

PEARL KATKOWSKY & FAMILY

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MR. and MRS. SIMON LEFKOWITZ & HARVEY

wish all their friends and relatives —
a happy and healthy New Year

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MR. and MRS. BENDET LEWKOWICZ

wish all their friends and relatives
a happy and healthy New Year

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row5

LOUIS and MARY LUMBERG

wish all their friends and relatives
a happy and healthy New Year

We wish our family and friends a
very healthy, happy and prosperous
New Year

ARNIE and SANDY OLEINICK
MARCIE, JEFF & DEBBIE

We wish our family and friends a
very healthy, happy and prosperous
New Year

ABRAM and FRANCES OLIWEK

We wish our family and friends a
very healthy, happy and prosperous
New Year

MR. and MRS. MARVIN PERLIN
MITCH, STEVE and ANDREW

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