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Jews For Jews
Rabbi helps BBYO teens understand
conversion tactics.
Shari Cohen
Special to the Jewish News
W
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52
March 30 2006
hen Rabbi Michael
Skobac asked a group
of 75 Michigan Region
B'nai B'rith Youth Organization mem-
bers how many had experienced
someone trying
to convert them,
approximately 30
percent raised their
hands. According
to Rabbi Skobac,
education director of
the Toronto branch
of Jews for Judaism,
the number is even
higher in some parts
of the country.
Jews for Judaism is
an international orga-
nization that coun-
teracts Jews for Jesus Rabbi Skobac
and similar Christian
- conversion efforts targeting the Jewish
community. The rabbi said there are
300 "Hebrew Christian" or messianic
Jewish congregations in the U.S. and
Canada that attempt to attract Jewish
converts, sometimes through "hybrid"
religious services with Jewish symbols
and customs.
Most of the teenagers participating
in BBYO's Jewish Heritage Night on
March 12 at Adat Shalom Synagogue
were unfamiliar with the motivation
behind evangelical Christianity. Rabbi
Skobac explained, "It's their duty to
get us into heaven. If you accept Jesus,
you'll go.to heaven; otherwise, accord,
ing to them, you'll go to hell." •
Jews are a particular target for
Christian missionaries because
"they see us as the chosen people.
Christians believe that Jews have to
believe in the Messiah in order for
him to come back and bring peace to
the world:' said Rabbi Skobac.
"Jews for Jesus is a movement
of people who unfortunately never
knew that much about Judaism," said
Rabbi Skobac. He pointed out that
Buddhism in North America has
many Jewish adherents, who welcome
its focus on meditation. To Rabbi
Skobac, Jews who turn to other reli-
gions have experienced a "spiritual
vacuum."
BBYO members participated in
typical scenarios posed by evangeli-
cal Christians. Several teens correctly
pointed out that biblical passages
could be taken out of context, dikort-
ing their meaning,And that miracles
attributed to Jesus are
;-; subject to interpretation.
Rabbi Skobac suggested
a number of responses
to typical evangelical
overtures and pointed out
that not all Christians are
interested in converting
Jews.
BBYO's Jewish Heritage
Nights are held several
times a year to engage
Jewish teens in discussion
of contemporary Jewish
issues. The March pro-
gram was co-sponsored by
Young Judea, the Zionist
youth group of Hadassah. Stacey
Oberman of West Bloomfield is B'nai
B'rith Girls (BBG) Jewish Heritage
Night chairperson and Mitch Adler of
Farmington Hills is the AZA chair. ❑
AZA, BBG Program
Jewish eighth:11th graders are
invited to a B'nai B'rith Youth
Organization kickoff program for
Marx AZA and Genesis BBG on
Sunday, April 2, at the Oak Park
JCC.
From 2 to 4 p.m., Jewish teens
will enjoy dodgeball, arts and
crafts, mixers, and other activi-
ties while learning about BBYO
from members of.Marx and
Genesis. Michigan Region BBYO
chapter members will answer
questions.
An informational meeting will
be held for parents from 2 to
3 p.m. in Room 143 B while the
teens gather in Room 125.
For information, call Stacey
Wolf at BBYO, (248) 788-0700.