Supreme Court rules Messianic believers must be granted citizenship rights in many cases.
For decades, Israel has made it next to impossible for immigrant Messianic Jews, who affirm belief in Jesus as Messiah, to become citizens of Israel. Often, if Messianic believers disclosed their faith in 'Yeshua,' the name they use for Jesus, government authorities would reject their citizenship application.
But last week, the Supreme Court of Israel, ruled on a case involved 12 Messianic Jews who sued the government Ministry of the Interior for their legal 'right of return' (and then to become citizens of Israel).
The court in its ruling said:
The parties have submitted to us the following notification:
“In their notification dated 13.04.08 the Respondents declared, that the fact that a person is a “Messianic Jew” has no bearing on an application according to Sec. 7 of the Law of Citizenship, as well as an application according to Sec. 4(A)(a) of the Law of Return (as long as the person applying according the abovementioned section of the Law of Return is not considered to be Jewish, as described in section 4B of the Law of Return).
The Respondents declare that in accordance with their notification they will process the applications of all Petitioners as soon as possible, as well as the application of Alvetina Zibareva, and Valentina Zibareva who requested to join the petition on 01.04.08 to the extent that their request is similar.
Due to these circumstances the representatives of the Petitioners requested to remove the petition without a ruling regarding court costs.
The Petition is removed by consent as aforesaid.
One blogger explains the ruling this way:
I received a communication today that clarifies the settlement reached yesterday in Israel...
The ruling would not cover all Messianic Jews, but would cover many of them: If a person was not a Jew previously (religious definition) but is a descendant of Jews, then they can make aliyah (citizenship) without discrimination for their current faith in Yeshua.
According to CBN:
"This is yet another battle won in our war to establish equality in Israel for the Messianic Jewish community just like every other legitimate stream of faith within the Jewish world," said Calev Myers, founder and chief counsel of the Jerusalem Institute of Justice.
Messianic belivers in Israel were wondering whether the recent bomb attack on Ami Ortiz, the son of Messianic pastor, had any influence on the court's ruling. Ortiz was severely injured in the incident and is expected to be in recovery for months to come.
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Posted by Tim Morgan on April 21, 2008 5:32PM
Comments
Jews are indeed unique people.They are the only people I know of who define themselves by one or all of the following: nationality, culture, birth and religion.Interestingly enough, one can be completely and unapologetically seular and still be considered a Jew by one of the other definitions.This being the case, I can see no reason to exclude someone who believes in Messiah. In fact, why should a person be discriminated against because they have a contrary view of Messiah, when they are Jews who neither believe in (nor probably even care about) Messiah?The State of Israel at this time in its history needs all of its true Sons and Daughters. Why it would want to exclude some of its sincere believing children when so many it embraces are not believers at all is something the excluders need to clearly explain.
Posted by: Steve Skeete at April 23, 2008
I was very young when I was adopted, but there is a particular physical feature I possess which I have read is an indicator of being of Jewish origin. So it is with that faint glimmer of hope that news such as this is of particular interest. I really want to see the Holy Land one day, and this just seems to bring it a bit closer. Thank you.
Posted by: RonB51 at April 25, 2008
What a wonderful victory is wrought when God's children stand up and be counted. I am sad that there has been such a struggle for Jews believing in Yeshua. But it is not new. All the Disciples of the new testament are told that if one identifies with Yeshua they will invoke the harsh treatment that purposes to dispel both His followers and His servants. Yet in this struggle the presence of God comforts and leads His children to a glorious victory.
Posted by: Anthony at April 26, 2008
Praise the God of ABRAHAM, ISAAC AND jACOB
Posted by: richard bogatch at April 26, 2008
Over at Jewcy, Roi Ben-Yehuda has written an excellent article defending the rights of MJ's in Israel. He writes:
Take for example Law of Return as it applies to Jewish-born Messianics. The notion that a Jew who accepts Jesus as the Jewish Messiah loses his/her right to make Aliyah is in complete contradiction with the purpose and logic of the law. It is bad enough to deny citizenship to a Jew who willfully converts to another religion (as the 1970 amendment to the law stipulates). It is something else all together to deny it to a Jew whose self-identity remains Jewish. Surely, antisemites do not care wither or not a Jew believes Jesus was the Messiah, or whether he/she is a Jew who converted to another faith. And from the perspective of the Law of Return, shouldn't the ubiquitous gaze of the antisemite be the deciding factor of whether or not someone is Jewish?
http://www.jewcy.com/post/messianic_jews
Posted by: Gaby at May 5, 2008
In line with comments about the citizenship of secular "Jews" in Israel, the question arises: do the Israelis who embrace Buddhism, forms of Hinduism or participate in any of the several "New Age" festivals held every year in Israel thereby forfeit their citizenship since they have in essence denied their Hebrew spirifual foundations? The O.T. prophets were quite clear in denouncing "Baalism" -- what makes the embrace of an eastern spiritual philosphy or religion (baesed on the embrace of sundry false gods) any different? Yet to my knowledge Israel does not declare such people as "no longer Jews". It is logical then that Messsianics merit an equal claim to Israeli citizenship. Now, having said that, may I implore the Messianic community to embrace Palestinian Christians, and work with them for peace with justice for all peoples who "belong to the land" (as Father Elias Chacour wrote.) The ministry of Musalaha is an example of Arab Christians reaching out to Messianics towards reconciliation and peacebuilding.
Posted by: John Berg at May 11, 2008
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