Germans blessing Jews

A new generation of German Christians says God is giving their country another chance with the Jews.

...The immigration of tens of thousands of Jews to Germany is enabling churches to love them by providing for their needs, Mitch Glaser of New York-based Chosen People Ministries' told Religion Today.

...Germany is a seemingly unlikely destination for Jews. More than 60,000 Russian and east European Jews have arrived in the past decade, swelling the tiny Jewish population there past 80,000 and making it the fastest-growing Jewish community in the world, according to Reuters.

...The German government is rolling out the welcome mat for the Jews. It offers housing assistance, food assistance, education, and other benefits in an attempt to rebuild a vibrant Jewish community, Glaser said. German and international leaders say the rebirth of the Jewish community there is vital to overcoming the stain of the Holocaust, according to Reuters.

...German churches are providing clothes, food, and other necessities to residents of refugee camps, and some churches are helping with housing, schooling, and child care, Reuters reports.

..."Many German Christians say God is giving them another chance to love the Jews, rather than hurt them," Glaser said. One minister told him that Germany has suffered under a curse for harming the Jews, "but now we have a chance to bless them."

...Germany's churches were largely silent during the Holocaust, Adolph Hitler's attempt to systematically exterminate the Jewish people. Jews in Russia, Poland, the Baltic states, Hungary, Romania, Austria, France, the Netherlands, and Greece were forcibly deported to concentration camps and massacred. More than 6 million died, most from 1941-1945, according to Time Almanac 2000.

...Guilt had prevented German Christians from telling Jews about Jesus Christ, Glaser said. "Many have relatives who were Nazis and felt they had lost the right to evangelize Jews." Now they believe it's time to atone for the past by "reaching the Jewish people with love."

..."There is a new boldness to preach [about] Christ among Jews in Germany," Glaser said. Christian leaders are determined to put the shame of the Holocaust behind and begin telling Jews "with sensitivity and understanding" that Jesus is the Messiah, he said. That may offend some Jews, but "the worst form of anti-Semitism is withholding the gospel from them," he said.

...More than 700 Christians gathered in Berlin June 2-4 to discuss Jewish evangelism. Evangelical leaders discussed the history of Jewish evangelism, God's work among the Jewish people in Germany, and ways to tell them about Jesus, said Glaser, who spoke at the conference. A major topic was the need for reconciliation between German Christians and Jews.

...Russian Jews are more open to the gospel than are those from other parts of the world, Glaser said. Decades of atheistic communism have tended to separate them from their heritage and reduce the objections to Jesus that those in Israel or Western nations have. However, most still see Christianity as a hostile religion because of Russia's persecution of Jews, he said.

...Christians can overcome prejudices by showing love, Glaser said. "They have to show their Jewish friends that they respect the Jewish faith. Centuries-old hostilities can be destroyed by love, prayer, and living an authentic Christian lifestyle."

...Among the Chosen People Ministries workers are Vlad Pikman and his wife, who left their home in Ukraine to help the refugees. The Pikmans and other workers distributed Bibles at the refugee centers and started study groups, Glaser said. Two Messianic Jewish synagogues have been started through the outreaches. About 150 worship at a Berlin synagogue and a congregation has been started in Dusseldorf, Glaser said.

...Chosen People Ministries helps Christians learn to speak to Jews about the gospel. It was founded in 1894 in Brooklyn by Leopold Cohn, an Orthodox rabbi who accepted Jesus as the Jewish Messiah, and told others that "to believe in [Jesus] was Jewish faith, real Jewish faith."

...Ministry workers are active in eight nations, including Australia, Canada, Germany, Israel, and the United States, Glaser said. About 35 workers will conduct a two-week outreach on the streets of New York in July and teams will travel to Israel for two weeks later this year.

Source: Religion Today - June 21, 2000

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