Messianic Jews Can’t Marry In Israel As Jews Because They Are Considered Christians
Image by Getty Images
By Sam Kestenbaum August 31, 2017
An Israeli couple calling themselves Messianic Jews was barred from marrying in a Jewish religious ceremony in Israel because they are considered Christians, a rabbinical court ruled.
It was the first time an Israeli rabbinical court was forced to grapple with the issue of the status of Jews who believe in Jesus as the Messiah, according to Haaretz.
In response to questions from the Tel Aviv Rabbinical Court, the couple replied that they “believe that Jesus is God,” that they believe in the New Testament, and said that they were baptized in the name of “the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit” the Israeli website NRG reported. The couple also said that they wanted the Jewish people to accept Christianity.
The court ruled that the couple could only marry in a Jewish ceremony if they declare “they have completely given up their Christian beliefs, including their belonging to a Messianic Jewish community and missionary activities.” If this were to happen, “the court will discuss their matter anew.”
There are a growing number of Messianic congregations and institutes in Israel. For example, the Jews for Jesus organization has a center in Tel Aviv and Chosen People Ministries has centers in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv and congregations in Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Ashkelon, Ashdod and Ariel.
Email Sam Kestenbaum at kestenbaum@forward.com and follow him on Twitter at @skestenbaum
A message from our CEO & publisher Rachel Fishman Feddersen
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.
At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse..
Readers like you make it all possible. Support our work by becoming a Forward Member and connect with our journalism and your community.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
