Note: I have deliberated long and hard whether to publish this post because it calls out (again) an effective pro-Israel advocate whose advocacy work I respect. But I feel compelled to post this because of my concerns.
I also want to stress up front that I am very appreciative of our Christian friends and supporters. This post is not aimed against them, but rather those people who I believe are trying to convert Jews to Christianity. And I have nothing against Christianity – it is just not for Jews!
I have already written twice before about pro-Israel advocate Hananya Naftali – once to take him to task for what I saw as dishonesty and trying to get Jews to become Christians, and again in response to a video in which he pretty much called me a hater for pointing this out.
But I feel the need to post again on this subject because I have since discovered that he also writes for a site called Kehila News Israel, affiliated with this ministry, and whose mission includes spreading the truth about Israel..
Because the Truth needs to be proclaimed!
The online battle for truth about Israel is fierce. The stakes are high. Much of the media is biased. Lies and distortions abound. Don’t you feel as if the world is blinded when it comes to Israel and the Middle East? Would you like to hear the real story about what’s happening in Israel? Directly from believers in the Land of Israel? Even among Christians, Israel related verses and prophecies are misinterpreted.Kehila News Israel is more than just a news site. Our mission is to change the way the world views Israel, one reader at a time. Truth needs to be proclaimed!
(Much like Hananya does effectively)
But also..
Yeshua Needs to be proclaimed!
Israel needs Yeshua. Gentiles need Yeshua. The whole world needs Yeshua, and Yeshua alone. Kehila News brings you the news through the eyes of Messianic Jewish believers: How is biblical prophecy being fulfilled in these very days? Where are we in the prophetic timeline? How is the Iran deal connected to all this?Kehila News Israel’s goal is to change the way Israel views Yeshua (Jesus). Lies and distortion also abound in this area.
So clearly the site is affiliated with the Messianic Jewish community.
Not only that, but his posts on the site indicate his own affiliation with this movement.
For instance:
I recently attended a conference for Messianic soldiers. I heard Jonathan share his testimony and was amazed to hear how God healed him
And here he interviews his friend Joshua Aaron, an international Messianic worship leader, minister and director of Hallel Ministries International.
But if you recall, Hananya claimed he was not part of Messianic Judaism.
Why the need to lie about it?
Note how he also claimed both his parents are Jewish and he’s just a normal Israeli guy who made his own decision to follow Jesus.
But this post of his indicates his father is what they call a “believer.”
I decided to share my dad’s testimony of when we lived in Northern Samaria. I was too young to understand how God worked through my dad, Israel, specifically among Muslim Arabs! God has heart for all mankind, including Muslims. And my dad was a tool in His hands.
—
Now, you must know that the people in Jenin are very special! I noticed that they take high interest in what the person in front of them believes. So usually the first questions I was asked were, ‘Where are you from?’, and ‘What do you believe in?’. This was a very common question in Jenin. Their questions opened opportunities for me to share my faith. So I started to talk about Jesus, and said to them that I’m Jewish and I believe in Jesus Christ.
They were very surprised and asked if I am Jewish or Christian. I answered that for me, Jesus is not a religion, it’s a TRUTH. My stories about being Jewish and believing in Jesus quickly spread in Jenin, which then had a population around 60,000, most of whom were Muslims.
The rumors spread so quickly that when I was walking in the center of the city, people would stop me and ask if I believe in Jesus.
‘Yes!’ I said.
And they replied, “Is there a chance you could get us the New Testament in Arabic so that we could read about this Jesus you believe in?”
I have never seen such thirst to hear about Jesus in any place I have ever visited. I started to talk with a certain organization that was specialized in sharing the gospel in Arabic, and they sent me copes of Arabic Bibles and leaflets about Jesus. I gave out everything they sent me, to anyone who wanted to hear about my faith, including the Palestinian policemen.
In other words, it seems Hananya has just followed his father in to the family business.
And remember when he claimed he was not trying to convert Jews to Christianity?
I am still having a hard time believing this, given Hananya does not seem to have been entirely honest with his other claims. Plus writing things like this about a believer in Jesus who serves in the IDF does not exactly instill me with confidence about his sincerity in this regard:
Thank you Benjamin for being such an encouragement to Kehila News Israel readers. I pray that you could touch more hearts in the IDF!
Remember, this is what the Messianic movement believes.
They are not about just about “living their lives as normal guys” – their core belief is Jesus will not come back unless the Jews accept him as their savior.
Here we have a very charismatic young man passionately defending Israel. He has established a not insignificant following. I could imagine this would include some young people who might even idolize him and even want to emulate him. That concerns me.
