Messy messianism
That a well-respected, trendy Tel Aviv coffee bar should be a hangout for adherents of “Messianic Judaism” does not faze me in the least. I’ve never found the movement – even when it was called “Jews for Jesus” – in any way threatening or foreboding. They engage in activities that, for the most part, rely on glitzy marketing slogans and context-less references to Tanach, and prey on the weak and insecure. Nothing that could be even remotely referred to as earth-shaking.
The shop, by the way, is no darkly guarded secret. That it is closely associated with the Christian outreach program Dugit is well documented, and I doubt it would take very long for a customer to figure out that the bar has an agenda other than good coffee. So, if the shop’s barista or staff initiate a casual discussion on spiritual matters over a macchiato or decaf latte, no big deal, really. Those living or working on or around Frishman Street are unlikely to have the vulnerable profile Dugit latches on to, and as long as children and impressionable teens are kept away, Café HaOgen is doing no harm. Besides, why needlessly cause any ill feeling with the Christian Evangelists, who have proven to be both friends and benefactors to our country. I’m sure they appreciate that Israel provides some slack as far as spreading the “good word” goes. By now they also know that the Torah and Jewish culture provides ample protection against glib tongued proselytes.
It stands to reason, though, that other such cells may be spread throughout the country, and while it’s unlikely that conspiracies to hijack the Jewish soul are being plotted in back rooms and basements, their presence in more residential, middle-class locations might be problematic. Or would it? Perhaps The Jerusalem Post would be interested in conducting and reporting on what could be an intriguing social experiment:
Go to a predominantly secular neighborhood and discretely spread a rumor that a Beit Chabad will soon be opening in a nearby shopping plaza. Five minutes will not go by, I bet, before shrieks of horror that the neighborhood is being infested with religious fanatics and dire warnings will be transmitted through WhatsApp and what not that the Rebbe’s disciples are coming to brainwash their children.
Now, once the uproar dies down, spread a second rumor that a center for Messianic Judaism will shortly be operating out of a local community center. My guess is that this time the response will be one of delight and pride that their neighborhood is ready to embrace multicultural perspectives and that their children will learn the importance of pluralism.
This mixed-up way of thinking is the weakness that organizations like Dugit look for. And undoubtedly the reason why they believe that it’s only a matter of time before the rest of us see the light.
BARRY NEWMAN
Ginot Shomron