2.4.4 External Social-Structural Interaction
Some members of the type ℸ (daleth) congregation were Messianic Jews when they came to Israel. Some had contact with the leader even before they entered the country. Others became Messianic after their arrival in Israel and then joined a congregation. Once they arrive, they find that Israel has a different culture than they were used to, a new way of doing things. However, with the help of others they start to adjust quickly. Finding employment for immigrants receives top priority. The outer economic pressure creates a melting pot for any group that solve problems together. Members work together as a team to share the workload, without written job descriptions.
One officially recognised function in the type ℸ (daleth) group was the „shop manager”. A young Russian Jew managed the congregation's storehouse, or warehouse, with mostly textiles, for needy people. A few ladies voluntarily helped him to carry out the task. While the members of the congregation may be the first to take advantage of the service, it is by far not only for them. Interestingly, Israeli authorities supply the group with means of humanitarian aid. They have themselves no infrastructure to distribute it to people who really need it. Other Jewish groups in that area seem unable or unwilling to bother with this kind of work on a voluntary basis. Besides this humanitarian aid institution, the congregation has other functions installed. For the group this becomes a legitimation and renders additional opportunities for evangelization. It shows a positive, cooperative relationship with official authority institutions and makes them trustworthy, at least to those who receive help and to those who supply means. The problem the congregation has with its environment appears thus not to be political, but religious.
The congregation has organizational links abroad, probably most of them with the United States and Russia. The appearance is one of North American Messianic Jewishness, a branch that is very active in Russia. Type ℸ (daleth) receives funds and goods from abroad for distribution between them and others. Immigrants who have problems with administrative paperwork can make an appointment with people from the congregation who will help them passing through formalities. Others who ask for material help can receive what is available. The congregation gives goods to anyone, disregarding the persons” world-view. The group also operates a food bank. These efforts are understood as „Ministry of Joseph” (31/97), inspired by the Joseph of Genesis. Once people get on their feet, they get encouraged again to help others. With great care the manager trained a team of volunteers for that purpose. Since the opening of the help centre, this team helped hundreds of people from America, Ethiopia, Hungary, Kazakhstan, Russia, Ukraine and Uzbekistan. The operation got also
some opportunity now to give our Messianic teaching in Russian and Ukrainian language for the United States. There is a big community of Russian immigrants. These people tell me „it's pentecostal, it's traditional”. It means to them a lot. „Because we do not understand Hebrew, we do not understand Scriptures”. And they ask, „please, come and teach us”. But we do not know how that should go. Probably now it is time that the Messianic vision goes to church, because the church needs some fresh water, fresh inspiration. ... We think that now the church understands these places from Scripture. And Messianic Jews understand especially Romans 11. That Paul ... tells, if Jews receive Messiah, it can be more, like life from the dead. The church needsMessianic teaching (31/97).
It's a very extraordinary moment we are living in, in a sense, because the church is opening up to its ancient Jewish roots. And there are again now indigenous Jewish believers, whom God is working. Not that we know everything. We are also learning ourselves, but there is a very fresh exchange. And we feel that is part of what we are here for. It is not only to reach people in our own country of Israel and to bring immigrants in. But also, to serve and to give back to the church. And I think Yeshua is very pleased with this whole exchange (30/97).
They do not want to burden their relationship with gentile believers, Christian churches and organizations with inner-Jewish issues. Christians may feel attracted to the exotic of a synagogal expression, if their own expression became too empty and familiar to them. Type ℸ (daleth) representatives would emphasise that there are „no second class citizens in the Kingdom of God”. Whether this refers to Jewishness or charismatic practice may at times be ambiguous. However, it appears that Israeli Messianic leaders are well aware of their need for help from Christian constituencies.
We really appreciate brothers [Christians, ed.] ..., because Isaiah tells us, it's going to be a partnership. It's not just maybe be a matter of Jewish believers in Israel, or anywhere else. ... Chapter forty nine, chapter sixty one would be ... the two strongest passages. There are other points through there, where I feel that he is speaking very definitely that there is a partnership at the end of the age (30/97).
They perceive the relationship with the church as predicted by the Old Testament. The mode of relationship they depict as a „partnership”, showing equality. Yet the claims of the leaders of the movement go further and challenge ancient Christian domination and self understanding.
While it is the Jewish believers who express the fundamental unity between Jewish and gentile believers in Jesus, it is also the Jewish believers who are conscious that they are endowed with a Jewish heritage and that they constitute the centre of the church (Kjær-Hansen 1996:12).
Messianic Jews know they are a minority, but they are not content with marginality. In the beginning of church history Jewish believers were the central and the thriving force of the movement. Messianic Jews aspire this role for tomorrow, if not already for today. The future must show whether the churches, even the evangelical ones, who appear most similar, at least regarding basic perceptions of the supernatural, will surrender to such claim of centrality. The twofold task for the partnership includes humanitarian aid and evangelism. Labour was as welcome as financial and material help. In ideological matters, I did not get the impression that contributions of „gentile believers” were equally welcome. Practicality obviously limits the aspired ideal of „equal citizens”. Gentile believers are considered to still not understand and treat Jewish issues „correctly”, but mutual influence occurs.
Already in the early seventies, the charismatic movement had produced a wealth of songs, with melodies that allowed evolving and maintaining strong emotions. These emotions were also expressed in bodily movements, like raising from chairs, lifting up hands and faces to depict the inner attitude and mood. Many of these songs were also meant for dance. „Youth With a Mission” soon published songbooks that showed pictures of dancing members, and graphics that explained the sequence of bodily motion in a group (JmeM 1977, 1980). Some pictures and graphics refer to biblical Jewish ideas, values and terminology, like „land”, „Ruach”, which means wind and spirit. The photos of dancing people, mostly young women, appear also taken during performances on the street. It could be an interesting study to trace the mutual influence regarding spiritual dancing between the charismatic and the Messianic Jewish movement. My assumption is that the charismatic dancing inspired the Messianic, and that the Messianic redefined, enhanced and reshaped it jewishly (Silberling 1995). Today, Messianic Jewish round dances appear more a Jewish expression of worship and less a Christian one (Weiner 1961: 143). Hasidic Jews also dance at various occasions, sometimes very fast, even wild, as spiritual expression. Dances get also communicated and exchanged internationally.
Christians and Messianic Jews have since long joined to write and publish books. So they express and communicate their views of each other, and help the broader community on both sides to understand both in relationship to another. The relationship with some ultra-Orthodox extremists appears less fortunate than the relationship with churches. The extremists” preference to „speak” by means of fire renders paper, i. e. tracts and books, a doubtful communication carrier. On October 21, 1997, in the middle of the night, they threw a fire bomb into one type ℸ (daleth) synagogue. This happened only two days before Simchat Torah, „the final conclusion of the feast of tabernacles” (30/97). Yet the fire alarms went off right away and within minutes the fire brigade and believers were on the site and tried to save what they could. Most fortunate, the Torah, the real treasure of the synagogue, remained unharmed. Consequently, the feast of Simacht Torah, the joy of Torah, was celebrated with more joy than ever. When I visited this type ℸ (daleth) congregation, I still saw much of the damage the fire had caused. Though there was no proof, authorities and believers perceived that religious extremists threw the firebomb. Phone books and many other things were blackened beyond use. The inner side of the roof was still black, and smoke damage was visible everywhere. The fire melted the congregation's computer to a heap of plastic and metal. Yet the assault also melted the believers together, more than they had been already. It strengthened the sense of providence and protection granted by the supernatural. After the celebration, repair work continued. The bomb released a flood of sympathy from all sides, both Jews and Christians, inside and outside Israel.
It was reported that one lady lamented in shock that, „they burned our synagogues in Russia. Who would have expected that even Israeli Jews would also burn synagogues? Where else shall we go?” Such an attack appeared to question the meaning of Tikkun, the restoration of Judaism, and the returning of Jews from antisemitic nations to Israel. If synagogues, the most important Jewish institution, get burned purposely in the Jewish nation itself, what sense does it make to return from non-Jewish, antisemitic nations? Practically, the difference seems to disappear. However, the attack apparently achieved the opposite of what was intended. After the attack the group seemed materially, psychologically, socially and spiritually stronger than before. When I visited them, they negotiated already to obtain an even larger building nearby. The extremists' assault could not damage the spirit of the Messianic Jewish congregation. Rather the opposite occurred. Besides, the attack appeared only to reinforce a public disapproval of the inappropriateness of extreme groups and actions. Still, the believers felt that the burning of a non-Messianic synagogue had released more upheaval in the national and international media. Because of the assault, some wondered if some elements of the American Messianic Jewish way of life would be less fortunate in Israel, as too loud and provocative. They suggest developing more sensitive and quiet ways of expressing the Gospel to their neighbourhoods.
The relationships among type ℸ (daleth) Messianic Jewish congregations and organizations vary. Common conferences and activities with others take place. Within type ℸ (daleth), the sense of belonging together becomes experienced along a double line, the expression of synagogal Jewishness and charismaticism. Congregations and organizations of type ℶ (beth) can share the charismatic experience, but will show less appreciation for explicit synagogal expressions. Type ℷ (gimel) representatives can appreciate the expression of synagogal Jewishness, but reject the charismatic appearance. Regarding synagogal Jewishness, type ℷ (gimel) may question the honesty and depth of the Jewish appearance of type ℸ (daleth) groups. They will criticise a superficial, outward veneer of Jewish appearance, and demand that Jewishness be genuine, not faked, or used as an evangelistic gimmick. Type ℵ (aleph) congregations may be most unhappy with type ℸ (daleth), as it maybe can appreciate neither the synagogal nor the charismatic trace. They may perceive that both contradict the „creeds” of traditional Christianity and Scripture.
Type ℸ (daleth) groups relate external social-structural interaction to the supernatural. Two modes of communication are regarded as essential for this realm. First, the ability to present Jesus from within rabbinic literature. While Christians may avoid or even shun it, Messianic Jews strife to prove from it to their fellow Jews that Jesus is Messiah. This appears inspired by examples from the New Testament (Acts 9:22, 18:24-28). Simply knowing the literature is insufficient. It also requires to know the methods of argumentation and hermeneutics. Second, they aspire to communicate the supernatural „experientially”, not only by verbal and cognitive means.
Especially in Israel there is a need for being able to express from the prophetic scriptures about Messiah, that this was promised to our people, and to understand even from rabbinic literature. But ultimately, without the witness of the Spirit of God, the shining of the light into somebodies heart, they are not gonna get it. And in the way that the Gospel was proclaimed in the first century, with signs and wonders following, I believe, that has to happen again. Not out of some weird emotionality, a seeking after an experience to feel good. But rather to demonstrate, as Yeshua himself demonstrated ... with the guy coming down through the roof. He said: „This is so that you would know that God, that the son of man also has power to forgive sin on earth” (30/97). 36Marc 2:10. )