Remember the video of the Christian missionaries provocatively trying to get Jews in the old city of Jerusalem to believe in Jesus? The video was used to bash Jews and Israel, to somehow show us all as intolerant of other faiths even though 1) the boys abusing and hitting the missionaries were just that, young boys 2) the missionaries were doing this on the Jewish Sabbath, interrupting the peace and quiet with their microphones (not that this excused the boys’ actions).
Those sharing the video seemed to have an agenda to demonize Jews and the Jewish states, a view reinforced by the facts they edited the video, painted the missionaries as mere tourists, and did not share video of Muslims also verbally abusing them.
After I posted video of Muslims verbally abusing the missionaries, some Israel-haters responded by claiming that there was no double standard, it was just that the Jewish boys physically assaulted the missionaries while the Muslims kept it to mere verbal abuse.
But in a recent interview with Christian website All Israel News, Sarah Willis, the main missionary of the viral video, has admitted that she has been physically assaulted also by Muslims in Israel, as well as by people in the UK:
Willis explained that it isn’t only religious Jews who react aggressively to her preaching, as Arabs have reacted badly as well.
“I shared the gospel in Nazareth and I had a guy try to hit me… and he threw a glass bottle at us,” she said.
Willis said she preaches in a similar manner in her home country of England and has received significant backlash there as well.
Meanwhile, the founder of the same Christian website also published a piece about the incident, titled Preaching the Gospel through a bullhorn in Jerusalem’s Jewish Quarter on Shabbat isn’t love or wisdom:
I have never met Sarah Willis, a British woman who describes herself as a Christian.
Nor had I ever heard of her until her recent videos went viral.
Perhaps she and her missionary colleagues mean well.
Then again, perhaps they want to feel – and look – “persecuted” so that they can get 13 million views or more on different social media accounts.
Not knowing them, I cannot judge their motives.
But having watched their videos, I can address their methods.
Preaching the Gospel message through a bullhorn in Jerusalem’s Jewish Quarter is not operating in love or wisdom.
Nor is videotaping yourself infuriating Jewish people on their only quiet day of rest.
Nor is posting such videos on social media knowing that you will further infuriate Jewish people in Israel and around the world.
Nor is posting such videos that will infuriate Gentiles against Israel and the Jewish people.
This is not being loving and wise.
It’s unkind and self-seeking.
“We’re not trying to disrespect anybody. Quite the opposite. We love them [Israeli Jews],” Miss Willis told an ALL ISRAEL NEWS reporter.
She also says that she has been coming to Israel for some years now out of a desire to share her beliefs with the Jewish people.
Really?
Why then is she being so rude and disrespectful?
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Is it illegal in Israel to share the Gospel with people 18 and over?
No, it’s not.
Contrary to some media reports, Israeli law protects everyone’s freedom of religion and freedom of speech.
That’s one of the strengths of Israeli democracy.
But just because something is legal doesn’t make it useful, effective or kind.
