jews in the d
House
Call
with
Dr. Ruben
IS IT THE “FLU” OR THE “FLU”?
ŶƐǁĞƌ͗DĂŶLJƉĞŽƉůĞŽŌĞŶƵƐƚŚĞǁŽƌĚ͞&ůƵ͟ƚŽĚĞƐĐƌŝďĞŵŝůĚƌĞƐƉŝƌĂƚŽƌLJ
ŝŶĨĞĐƟŽŶƐŽƌŐĂƐƚƌŽŝŶƚĞƐƟŶĂůŝŶĨĞĐƟŽŶƐƚŚĂƚĂƌĞĂƐƐŽĐŝĂƚĞĚǁŝƚŚŶĂƵƐĞĂ͕
ǀŽŵŝƟŶŐĂŶĚĚŝĂƌƌŚĞĂ͕ŚŽǁĞǀĞƌ͕ŽŶůLJŽŶĞǀŝƌƵƐĚĞƐĞƌǀĞƐƚŚĞŶĂŵĞ͞&ůƵ͟ĂŶĚ
ƚŚĂƚ͛ƐƚŚĞ/ŶŇƵĞŶnjĂǀŝƌƵƐ͘
dŚŝƐŇƵŝƐŚĞƌĂůĚĞĚďLJƚŚĞĂďƌƵƉƚŽŶƐĞƚŽĨĐŚŝůůƐ͕ŝŶƚĞŶƐĞŵƵƐĐůĞĂĐŚĞƐ͕ŚŝŐŚ
ĨĞǀĞƌƐĂďŽǀĞϭϬϭ͘ϱ͕ŝŶƚĞŶƐĞĐŽƵŐŚŝŶŐΘŝƚĐĂŶůĂƐƚϳĚĂLJƐ͘/ƚŽŶůLJĂīĞĐƚƐƚŚĞ
ƌĞƐƉŝƌĂƚŽƌLJƚƌĂĐƚƐŽŝĨƐƚŽŵĂĐŚƐLJŵƉƚŽŵƐĂƌĞƉƌĞƐĞŶƚ͕/ŶŇƵĞŶnjĂĐĂŶďĞĞdžĐůƵĚĞĚ͘
ŽŶƚƌĂƐƚƚŚĂƚĂŶƵƉƉĞƌƌĞƐƉŝƌĂƚŽƌLJƚƌĂĐƚŝŶĨĞĐƟŽŶ͗ƐLJŵƉƚŽŵƐĂƌĞƵƐƵĂůůLJŐƌĂĚƵĂů͕
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their jobs.
/ŶŇƵĞŶnjĂĐĂŶďĞƉƌĞǀĞŶƚĞĚďLJǀĂĐĐŝŶĞΘƚƌĞĂƚĞĚǁŝƚŚŵĞĚŝĐŝŶĞŝĨŐŝǀĞŶŝŶƚŚĞ
ĮƌƐƚϮϰͲϰϴŚŽƵƌƐŽĨƚŚĞŝůůŶĞƐƐ͘/ƚĐĂŶďĞĚĞĂĚůLJŝŶƚŚĞĞdžƚƌĞŵĞĞůĚĞƌůLJΘŝŶǀĞƌLJ
LJŽƵŶŐĐŚŝůĚƌĞŶůĞƐƐƚŚĂŶϮLJĞĂƌƐŽĨĂŐĞ͘
/ŶĨĂĐƚ͕ŝĨLJŽƵŚĂǀĞĞǀĞƌĞdžƉĞƌŝĞŶĐĞĚƌĞĂůŝŶŇƵĞŶnjĂ͞&ůƵ͕͟LJŽƵĂƌĞĮƌƐƚŝŶůŝŶĞĨŽƌ
LJŽƵƌŇƵƐŚŽƚŝŶƚŚĞĨĂůůĂŶĚŶĞǀĞƌĨŽƌŐĞƚƚŽŐĞƚǀĂĐĐŝŶĂƚĞĚ͊
continued from page 20
And, why has the Jewish commu-
nity been so upset that a so-called
messianic “rabbi” offered a prayer
at that political rally?
Throughout the centuries, Jewish
people were subject to intense
missionary activity by the Catholic
Church and various Protestant
groups. Many Jews left Judaism and
converted to Christianity, either
by force or voluntarily. In early
20th-century America, attempts to
convert Jews to Christianity were
common, but often unsuccessful.
In the 1970s, a new organization
sponsored by Protestants was
formed called “Jews for Jesus.”
Other smaller groups, calling them-
selves “Messianic Jews,” followed.
Members of “Jews for Jesus” are
encouraged to consider themselves
to be “completed Jews.” Some mem-
bers are born Jews who accepted
Jesus as their lord, while others
were not born Jewish but consid-
er themselves to now be Jewish.
Essentially, this group’s mission is
to convert Jews to Christianity.
Historically, Jews who converted
to Christianity were often inter-
ested in staying far away from
being identified with Judaism.
However, “Messianic Jews” stress
their Jewishness and demand to be
recognized as Jews by the Jewish
community. The members of “Jews
for Jesus” or any other messianic
“Jewish” group who were legiti-
mately Jewish at first would now
be considered apostate Jews, the
term used for one who has taken
the definitive step of professing and
joining another religion.
An “apostate” is the term the
Jewish community would apply to
Loren Jacobs, the individual who
delivered the prayer at the rally
featuring Mike Pence (it was orig-
inally an invocation and then he
was called back on stage to offer
a memorial prayer for the victims
of the synagogue massacre in
Pittsburgh).
Some have questioned why the
Jewish community was so offend-
ed by Jacobs being asked to offer
a prayer. Some in the Christian
community were confused as to
why the Jewish community couldn’t
treat Jacobs’ words in an ecumeni-
cal fashion.
The issue for many in the Jewish
community is that Jacobs self-iden-
tifies as a Jewish rabbi, which is
offensive to Jews because he has
chosen to become an apostate,
recognizing Jesus as his lord and
savior.
The fact that Loren Jacobs was
introduced as a rabbi and Jewish
leader was an affront to the Jewish
community. It was unacceptable
and insensitive. Had a non-Jewish
faith leader been asked to deliver a
memorial prayer for the Jewish vic-
tims who were murdered while in
prayer, that would have been accept-
able. Although, the ideal situation
would have been to have a rabbi
deliver the prayer or a variety of
faith leaders offer prayer as has been
the case in many of the memorial
vigils around the world. ■
Rabbi Jason Miller is a local educator and
entrepreneur. Follow him on Twitter at @
RabbiJason.
Chanu-Con Festival Nov. 18
ϮϯϬϬ,ĂŐŐĞƌƚLJZĚ^ƵŝƚĞϭϭϵϬ͕tĞƐƚůŽŽŵĮĞůĚ͕D/ϰϴϯϮϯ
ϮϰϴͳϲϮϰͳϵϴϬϬ
&ŽƌŵŽƌĞŝŶĨŽƌŵĂƟŽŶ͕ǀŝƐŝƚŽƵƌĐŽŶƚĂĐƚƉĂŐĞĂƚ
ŚƩƉƐ͗ͬͬĞŶĐŽŵƉĂƐƐŚĞĂůƚŚĐĂƌĞ͘ĐŽŵͬĐŽŶƚĂĐƚ
Video Consults now available with Dr. Ruben on WHATSAPP 248-672-9775
Bruce Ruben, M.D. is the Founder and Medical Director of
ŶĐŽŵƉĂƐƐ,ĞĂůƚŚĂƌĞΘtŽƵŶĚDĞĚŝĐŝŶĞ͕DŝĐŚŝŐĂŶΖƐƉƌĞŵŝĞƌŽƵƚƉĂƟĞŶƚ
/ŶĨĞĐƟŽƵƐŝƐĞĂƐĞĂŶĚtŽƵŶĚĂƌĞĞŶƚĞƌ͘
22
November 8 • 2018
jn
Congregation Beth Shalom will
host its third annual Chanu-Con, a
community-wide Chanukah festi-
val, from 1-5 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 18,
at the Oak Park synagogue.
Look for 25 fun vendors with gift
ideas, many children’s activities,
live music and magic, a tin can
raffle, and Vaad and Star-K kosher
lunch and snack options.
Free admission. Non-perishable
food donations to event part-
ner, Yad Ezra, including latke
mixes, are welcome.
Sponsors include Cohen Lerner &
Rabinovitz Attorneys, Camp Young
Judaea Midwest, Quality Kosher
Catering and Kravings Detroit, Star
Trax Event Productions, Lincoln Rx
Pharmacy, Adrienne Berlin Designs
and the JN.
For details, contact Beth Rodgers
at bethlrodgers@gmail.com.
Sponsorships, vendor tables, raffle
prize contributions and any other
donations are still being accepted. ■