Jews for Judaism, established by Rabbi Bentzion Kravitz in 1985, is an international organization designed to counter Christian missionaries whose evangelistic efforts are directed toward Jews. They aim to help Jews strengthen and rediscover their Judaism. It is the largest counter-missionary organization in existence. It provides counseling services, education, and outreach programs to all Jewish denominations.
The organization attempts to counter the efforts of "Jews for Jesus" and other Messianic missionary organizations which believe Jesus to be God and one part of a Trinity, and attempt to proselytize Jews, claiming to be a legitimate form of Judaism, but considered by most Christians and Jews to be a form of Christianity. "Jews for Judaism" maintains that these Christian groups that attempt to convert Jews specifically target unaffiliated, unobservant, old and young Jews, as well as specifically the Russian Jewish immigrant community.
The name Jews for Judaism was developed from Jews for Jesus, one of the principal missionary organizations it was founded to counteract. One of its prominent early members, Larry Levey, was a Jewish convert to Christianity who then converted back to Judaism and led the Baltimore office of Jews for Judaism for a number of years. In addition to its activities in response to Christian missionaries, Jews for Judaism has also been noted for its critiques of the Kabbalah Centre.
Read more about Jews For Judaism: Offices, Be-True, Jews For Judaism Forums
Famous quotes containing the words jews and/or judaism:
“No doubt Jews are most obnoxious creatures. Any competent historian or psychoanalyst can bring a mass of incontrovertible evidence to prove that it would have been better for the world if the Jews had never existed. But I, as an Irishman, can, with patriotic relish, demonstrate the same of the English. Also of the Irish.... We all live in glass houses. Is it wise to throw stones at the Jews? Is it wise to throw stones at all?”
—George Bernard Shaw (1856–1950)
“Christianity is the religion of melancholy and hypochondria. Islam, on the other hand, promotes apathy, and Judaism instills its adherents with a certain choleric vehemence, the heathen Greeks may well be called happy optimists.”
—Franz Grillparzer (1791–1872)