No Hananya Naftali, I Am Not A Hater

Pro-Israel advocate Hananya Naftali has responded to my post taking him to task for what I saw as him trying to get Jews to become Christians.

I have my own response to this.

I am not part of any “group of people” – I looked into your views deeper when I saw you say you were Jewish in your last video, after many videos suggesting you were Christian. I am capable of thinking for myself and challenging those things I find problematic – just like you would probably characterize yourself.

In particular, it was this I found problematic:

Now you just stated unequivocally you are not out to make Jews into Christians. I am really glad to hear it. That was not at all clear from the video, which I felt, suggested that is exactly what you were trying to do, albeit subtly. I also found offensive the comments that seemed to be almost blaming Jewish reluctance to accept Jesus on our persecution.

I also certainly never suggested you do all your pro-Israel work to convert Jews. True, I suspected you might be partially motivated by this, but I also made clear I admire your passion for Israel, and appreciate the work you are doing in this regard. So to suggest I claimed all your pro-Israel advocacy is fake is disingenuous.

As is your characterization of me as a hater. Read my post again. There was nothing hateful in it. I adopted a rather gentle tone. I empathized with you for feeling you might be treated unfairly in the army for being Christian. Anyone familiar with my blog will know if I hate something or someone, they will certainly know about it!

As to the commenters of his who suggested my post was the result of jealousy, sorry to disappoint you, but I am really happy with what I have been able to achieve with Israellycool and I always welcome allies who do pro-Israel advocacy.

5 thoughts on “No Hananya Naftali, I Am Not A Hater”

  1. I could find a comment to most arguments in the words of Sholem Aleichem. He’s right. He’s also right.
    This guy is a fantastic voice for Israel. Young, charismatic, well spoken, leads by example. He seems very genuine in expressing his perspective both as a Jew and as a Christian. He may not intend to convert Jews, but he does state that he believes in “living as a Christian”, i.e. leading by example. I think it’s a fair assumption that in telling people about the good that he derives from his Christian faith, that he would hope to inspire others. I think he genuinely believes that’s not the same as setting out to convert. From a religious Jewish perspective, this is not a good thing. It should be noted, however, that there is nothing at all illegal about it in Israel. It should also be noted, that there are many many Jews in Israel, (and outside) who advocate atheism much more forcefully and unapologetically. It is also a handy reminder that Jews are first and foremost a nation. At the end of the day, it’s one of these things that’s a fact of life in Israel. The IDF is one of the most powerful factors of the uniqueness of the Israeli society. Young people, kids really, from all walks of life, putting literally everything (religion, culture, politics) aside and relying on each other to protect each other’s lives and defend their country.

    1. ” I think he genuinely believes that’s not the same as setting out to convert.”

      Whether he genuinely believes this or not is besides the point.
      What matters is the truth.

      Belief in Jesus is Christian. Thus, trying to get someone to believe in Jesus is an act of proselytizing. Full stop.

  2. I believe he is being disingenuous.
    He is telling us now he is not trying to convert Jews to Christianity.
    He is telling us now that he is not a “Messianic Jew”.

    Yet the linked video description he is called a “Messianic Israeli YouTuber” and that he “seeks the best way to share jesus with fellow soldiers”.

    So, what is it? Is he saying that that YouTube channel’s description of who he is and what he is trying to do is incorrect? It was posted last Feb. Did he correct them during that time?

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