Open Letter To Lori Shandle-Fox

I was reading "As A Southern Jew..." and wondering why you complain when you know that the computer class is at a church. What really upset me though is that you make the case seem like Jacob's getting mixed messages.

On the one hand, you wanted to, frankly, be an antimissionary within a church. If, for instance, Jews For Jesus were at a technology camp at a JCC, I'd get the "Stop it!...Stop it NOW!" But at a church? You went as far as entertaining the idea of frankly doing something borderline close to what Donin and Christiani did. On the other hand, you made Jacob feel like you'd be mad at him for living out the values with which he is being raised. Jacob will certainly have a hard-enough time living the South if he keeps getting mixed messages from within his own family.

By the way, he'll also have a hard time if he learns that projection is acceptable. For example, you said that you thought that you heard something other than, "Do you want juice?" Maybe a sentiment about people whom you don't want to be around is manifesting itself in your thoughts and actions in ugly ways. As Jayne said, don't take Jacob to places where Jesus will be brought up if you don't want to hear about Jesus; and I add, don't hang around Christians if you don't want them around.

I also hasten to add that sending children mixed messages and teaching children "Hate thy neighbor and project thy hatred on thy neighbor" are not Jewish values—and certainly not, contrary to what Donin and Christiani taught, ones that Jesus taught, regardless of what one makes of him.

Re A "Times Of Israel" Article On Crossing A Synagogue And The Jewish Community—Including Jewish Christians

As a Jewish Christian (Messianic Jew), I know that this is not what Jewish or gentile Christians are—or anyone else is—supposed to do. In the article, the "Times Of Israel" wrote the following:

"In August two Jewish girls were caught in Petah Tikva while spraying crosses on a local syngagogue [sic.]. The two girls, aged 13 and 15 were apprehended by police at the site and taken in for questioning."

I sincerely hope that—on the one hand—Jewish Christians did not do this, and that—on the other hand—Jews who hate Messianic Jews and other Christians did not this, either. Either way, to make Christians look bad in the name of a Jewish man known as Jesus of Nazareth—whatever one thinks of him—is shameful alone—after all, this does not help Jewish-Christian (including Jewish Christian-Jewish) relations.

By the way, I'm pretty sure that Shimon Peres worked to bridge intra- and inter- faith divides; and remember that Christianity was a Jewish sect, and that all of those who profess to be Christians—including Arabs in the West Bank and the Arab Quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem whom profess to be Christians—claim to follow a Jewish man as the Jewish Messiah—no matter what with denominations of Christianity they affiliate themselves.

Thus, whoever did this committed a chillul HaShem and a chillul hazikron shel Shimon Peres.