View source for Jews for Jesus

{{Short description|Abrahamic missionary organization}}
{{Infobox organization
| name                     = Jews for Jesus
| native_name_lang         = eng
| image                    = Jews for Jesus logo.svg{{!}}class=skin-invert
| image_size               = 150px
| formation                = {{start date and age|df=yes|1970}} (as Hineni Ministries).
{{start date and age|df=yes|1973}} (as Jews for Jesus)
| founder                  = [[Moishe Rosen]]
| type                     = [[Non-profit organization|Non-profit]]
| status                   = 
| purpose                  = Religious proselytization
| headquarters             = [[San Francisco]], [[California]], U.S.
| leader_title             = Executive Director
| leader_name              = [[Aaron Abramson]]
| website                  = https://jewsforjesus.org/
| formerly                 = Hineni Ministries
}}
{{Messianic Judaism}}

'''Jews for Jesus''' is an international [[Christian mission]]ary organization headquartered in [[San Francisco]], California, that is affiliated with the [[Messianic Judaism|Messianic Jewish]] religious movement. The group is known for its [[Proselytization and counter-proselytization of Jews|proselytism of Jews]]<ref>{{Cite news |last=Haag |first=Matthew |date=2018-10-30 |title=How a 'Jews for Jesus' Moment Backfired for Mike Pence (Published 2018) |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/30/us/mike-pence-rabbi-jacobs.html |access-date=2021-03-12 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last1=Jacob |first1=Jeff |date=5 November 2018 |title=Are 'Jews for Jesus' Jewish? – The Boston Globe (opinion) |url=https://www.bostonglobe.com/opinion/2018/11/05/are-jews-for-jesus-jewish/f3RTVrAkzTKMhICSAvbaHJ/story.html |access-date=2021-03-12 |website=The Boston Globe |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Burton |first=Tara Isabella |date=2018-10-31 |title=Messianic Jews and Jews for Jesus, explained |url=https://www.vox.com/2018/10/31/18042506/jew-for-jesus-messianic-jews-loren-jacobs-mike-pence |access-date=2021-03-12 |website=Vox |language=en}}</ref> and promotes the belief that [[Jesus]] is the [[Messiah in Christianity|Christ]] and the [[Son of God (Christianity)|Son of God]].<ref name="thearda.com">{{Cite web |title=Movements {{!}} Messianic Judaism {{!}} Timeline {{!}} The Association of Religion Data Archives |url=https://www.thearda.com/timeline/movements/movement_49.asp |access-date=2021-02-24 |website=www.thearda.com |archive-date=2021-07-15 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210715103208/https://www.thearda.com/timeline/movements/movement_49.asp |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name=":02">{{Cite web |title=Who We Are |url=https://jewsforjesus.org/about/who-we-are/ |website=Jews for Jesus}}</ref> It was founded in 1970 by [[Moishe Rosen]] as '''Hineni Ministries''' before being incorporated under its current name in 1973.

There are no [[Judaism|Jewish]] religious authorities{{clarification needed|date=September 2023}} that consider Jews for Jesus to be a Jewish organization, mainly because the founder is an ordained [[Baptist]] minister. Rabbinical authorities<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|title=Jews for Jesus|url=http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jews-for-jesus|access-date=2018-04-23|website=www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org|language=en}}</ref> point out that there is only one mention of the [[Old Testament]] (the [[Hebrew Bible|Tanakh]] to Jews) in its "Statement of Faith".<ref name=":0" /> Additionally, the [[Supreme Court of Israel]] determined that Messianic Jews are not actually Jews as belief in Jesus as the Messiah is not a Jewish value.<ref name=":0" /> Instead, most Jews view Jesus either as a good Jewish teacher or as a [[false prophet]], but most certainly a failed messiah claimant.<ref>{{cite book |last=Levine |first=Amy-Jill |author-link=Amy-Jill Levine |date=2006 |title=The misunderstood Jew : the Church and the Scandal of the Jewish Jesus |url=https://archive.org/details/misunderstoodjew00levi |location=San Francisco |publisher=Harper-Collins |isbn=978-0-060-78966-4}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=What Do Jews Believe About Jesus?|url=https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/what-do-jews-believe-about-jesus/|access-date=2021-03-09|website=My Jewish Learning|language=en-US}}</ref>

== History ==
Jews for Jesus was founded by [[Moishe Rosen]], a Jewish convert to Christianity who later went on to become a [[Baptists|Baptist]] minister of the [[Hebrew Christian movement|Hebrew Christian]] movement and a former member of the [[American Board of Missions to the Jews]] (ABMJ). The organization was formed in 1970 under the name "Hineni Ministries" as a subsidiary group of the ABMJ.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Harris-Shapiro|first=Carol|title=Messianic Judaism: A rabbi's journey through religious change in America|publisher=Beacon Press|year=1999|isbn=9780807010402|pages=25}}</ref> In 1973, Rosen left ABMJ and incorporated his ministry as a [[501(c)(3) organization|501(c)(3)]] non-profit organization<ref>{{cite book|author=Carol Harris-Shapiro|url=https://archive.org/details/messianicjudaism0000harr|title=Messianic Judaism: A rabbi's journey through religious change in America|publisher=Beacon Press|year=1999|isbn=9780807010402|page=[https://archive.org/details/messianicjudaism0000harr/page/25 25]|url-access=registration}}</ref> under the name "Jews for Jesus". Originally, "Jews for Jesus" was one of the organization's several slogans, but after the media began to call the group "Jews for Jesus", the organization adopted the name.

Rosen and members began conducting community outreach on streets and college campuses of [[San Francisco]], California. In the following years, branches were established in [[New York City|New York]], [[Chicago]], and [[Boston]]. In 1978, the Jews for Jesus headquarters relocated to its current location in San Francisco. In 1981, the organization expanded internationally.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/Retiring-Jews-for-Jesus-Leader-Nurtures-a-Growing-2978253.php|title=Retiring Jews for Jesus Leader Nurtures a Growing Faith|date=1996-06-15|website=SFChronicle.com|language=en-US|access-date=2020-04-29}}</ref> According to the organization, as of 2021 it maintains offices in 13 countries and 15 cities around the world.<ref>{{Cite web|title=About Jews for Jesus|url=https://jewsforjesus.org/about|access-date=2021-03-05|website=jewsforjesus.org|language=en}}</ref>

Rosen remained Executive Director until 1996, when he stepped down to work full-time as a staff [[missionary]].<ref name=":1" /> He was replaced by [[David Brickner]], who held the position until May 2024.<ref name=":1">{{cite web|url=https://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2014/12/hanukkah-with-the-jews-for-jesus/383780/|title=Hanukkah With the Jews for Jesus|first=Emma|last=Green|website=[[The Atlantic]] |date=2014-12-23}}</ref> [https://jewsforjesus.org/our-leaders/aaron-abramson-ceo Aaron Abramson] is the current Executive Director and CEO of Jews for Jesus.<ref>{{cite news |last=Ben-Nun |first=Sarah |date=August 31, 2024 |title=Jews for Jesus CEO to 'Post': I see us as brothers and sisters, not enemies |url=https://www.jpost.com/christianworld/article-817035 |work=Jerusalem Post |access-date=September 4, 2024}} </ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Elia-Shalev |first=Asaf |date=June 3, 2024 |title=With a New Leader and Revamped Strategy, It’s a Second Coming for Jews for Jesus |url=https://www.jta.org/2024/06/03/united-states/with-a-new-leader-and-revamped-strategy-its-a-second-coming-for-jews-for-jesus |work=Jewish Telegraphic Agency |access-date=April 21, 2025}}</ref>

== Beliefs ==
[[File:Jews for Jesus New York by David Shankbone.JPG|thumb|right|The New York City office of Jews for Jesus]]
[[File:The_Jews_For_Jesus_Office,_Kentish_Town_-_London.jpg|thumb|right|The [[London]] office of Jews for Jesus]]
Jews for Jesus claims to [[Syncretism|syncretize]] [[Jewish culture|Jewish heritage]] and [[Christianity|Christian faith]] into spiritual harmony. They believe faith in Jesus is a viable expression of Jewish life.<ref>{{Cite web|title=About Jews for Jesus|url=https://jewsforjesus.org/about|access-date=2021-03-08|website=jewsforjesus.org|language=en}}</ref>

The organization summarizes its beliefs in a [[statement of faith]]:<ref>[http://www.jewsforjesus.org/about/statementoffaith Statement of Faith] (Jews for Jesus) written January 1, 2005</ref>
* The [[Old Testament]] and the [[New Testament]] are [[Biblical inspiration|divinely inspired]], without [[Biblical inerrancy|error]], and are the final authority in all matters of faith and life. Traditional [[rabbinic literature|Jewish literature]] is in no way binding upon life or faith but of value only where it is supported by or conformable to the Word of God.
* There is one sovereign God, existing in [[Trinity|three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit]]. They believe that this concept is rooted in Judaism.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://jewsforjesus.org/publications/issues/issues-v10-n08/a-look-at-the-trinity-from-a-messianic-jewish-perspective/|title=A Look at the Trinity From a Messianic Jewish Perspective|website=Jews for Jesus|date=3 July 1996 }}</ref>
* Mankind was created in the [[image of God]], but due to sin has been separated from God.
* Jesus is the [[Messiah]] and died for the sin of mankind as a [[substitutionary sacrifice]]. All who believe in Him have salvation.
* The Church is an [[Election in Christianity|elect]] people in accordance with the New Covenant, comprising both Jews and Gentiles who acknowledge Jesus as Messiah and Redeemer.
* Jesus will [[second Coming|return personally]] in order to consummate the prophesied purposes concerning His kingdom.
* The bodily [[Universal resurrection|resurrection]] of the just and the unjust, the everlasting [[Heaven|blessedness]] of the saved and the everlasting [[Christian views on Hell|conscious punishment]] of the lost.

== Operations ==
Jews for Jesus is a registered [[501(c)(3) organization|501(c)(3)]] organization that employs approximately 250 staff worldwide. Its headquarters are located in San Francisco, California, and operates offices in New York City, Los Angeles, Toronto, Sydney, Johannesburg, London, Berlin, Paris, Budapest, Tel Aviv, Kyiv, Odesa, Moscow, and Jerusalem.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://jewsforjesus.org/find-locations|title=Find Locations|website=Jews for Jesus}}</ref>

Once well-known for their distribution of hand-drawn religious tracts, today Jews for Jesus conducts community engagement through other means. Examples of their outreach methods include Jewish holiday events, Bible studies, service projects, internet evangelism, and multi-purpose spaces such as the Moishe Rosen Center in Tel Aviv and the Upside Down Cafe in Los Angeles.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.jewsforjesus.org/about/what-we-do|title=What We Do – About Jews for Jesus – Jews for Jesus}}</ref>

=== Funding and organization ===
They are a charter member of the [[Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.ecfa.org/|title=ECFA|website=www.ecfa.org}}</ref> and of MissioNexus.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://missionexus.org/|title=Missio Nexus|website=missionexus.org}}</ref> Donations are tax deductible. An independent auditing firm, Eckhoff Accountancy, conducts the organization's annual audit.{{Citation needed|date=March 2024}} According to the [[Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability]], the group's total revenue in [[Financial year|FY]] 2021 was US$37,431,707 and its total expenses was $25,888,924. Expense breakdown was  $20,744,089 for programs, $2,039,434 for administration, and $3,105,401 for fundraising.<ref name="ECFA">{{cite web |title=Jews for Jesus (Charter Member Profile) - ECFA.org |url=https://www.ecfa.org/MemberProfile.aspx?ID=6322 |website=Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability |access-date=23 March 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230601150029/https://www.ecfa.org/MemberProfile.aspx?ID=6322 |archive-date=1 June 2023}}</ref>

Jews for Jesus is governed by international boards of directors in the United States, Canada, South Africa, Australia, Israel, and Europe. The CEO is advised by an executive leadership team consisting of seven members.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://jewsforjesus.org/about/finances/|title=Finances|website=Jews for Jesus}}</ref>

== Public perception ==

=== Jewish ===
Jews for Jesus has a contentious relationship with the Jewish community, and their methods have generated controversy. All Jewish authorities, as well as the governing bodies of the [[State of Israel]], hold the view that [[Messianic Judaism]], the religious movement with which Jews for Jesus is affiliated, is not a sect of [[Judaism]] but a form of [[Evangelicalism|Evangelical Christianity.]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.vox.com/2018/10/31/18042506/jew-for-jesus-messianic-jews-loren-jacobs-mike-pence|title=Messianic Jews and Jews for Jesus, explained|last=Burton|first=Tara Isabella|date=2018-10-31|website=Vox|language=en|access-date=2020-04-30}}</ref> Additionally, [[Gentile]]s who convert to Messianic Judaism are not recognized as Jewish by any Jewish movement.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/messianic-judaism/|title=Who Are Messianic "Jews"?|website=My Jewish Learning|language=en-US|access-date=2020-04-30}}</ref> However, Jews for Jesus says they "cannot support any efforts by Gentile believers to convert to any type of Judaism."<ref>{{Cite web|title=I'm a Gentile Christian. Should I Keep the Torah?|url=https://jewsforjesus.org/blog/im-a-gentile-christian-should-i-keep-the-torah|access-date=2021-03-08|website=jewsforjesus.org|date=14 September 2020 |language=en}}</ref>

Belief in Jesus as [[deity]], [[Son of God]], or even a non-divine [[Christ]]/[[Messiah]] or [[prophet]] (as in [[Islam]]), is held as incompatible with Judaism by most [[Jewish religious movements]].<ref name=CCAJ9>"For most American Jews, it is acceptable to blend some degree of foreign spiritual elements with Judaism. The one exception is Christianity, which is perceived to be incompatible with any form of Jewishness. Jews for Jesus and other Messianic Jewish groups are thus seen as antithetical to Judaism and are completely rejected by the majority of Jews". (Kaplan, Dana Evan. ''The Cambridge Companion to American Judaism'', Cambridge University Press, August 15, 2005, p. 9).
</ref><ref name="incompat">A belief in the divinity of Jesus is incompatible with Judaism:
* "The point is this: that the whole Christology of the Church — the whole complex of doctrines about the Son of God who died on the Cross to save humanity from sin and death — is incompatible with Judaism, and indeed in discontinuity with the Hebraism that preceded it." Rayner, John D. ''A Jewish Understanding of the World'', Berghahn Books, 1998, p. 187. {{ISBN|1-57181-974-6}}
* "It has always been recognized, for instance, after the rise of Christianity and Islam, that these two religions are incompatible with Judaism and that no Jew can consistently embrace them while remaining an adherent of Judaism." Neusner, Jacob & Avery-Peck, Alan Jeffery. ''The Blackwell Reader in Judaism'', Blackwell Publishing, 2001, p. 8. {{ISBN|0-631-20738-4}}
* "Aside from its belief in Jesus as the Messiah, Christianity has altered many of the most fundamental concepts of Judaism." [[Aryeh Kaplan|Kaplan, Aryeh]]. ''The Aryeh Kaplan Anthology: Volume 1, Illuminating Expositions on Jewish Thought and Practice'', Mesorah Publication, 1991, p. 264. {{ISBN|0-89906-866-9}}
* "[The] doctrine of Christ was and will remain alien to Jewish religious thought." Wylen, Stephen M. ''Settings of Silver: An Introduction to Judaism'', Paulist Press, 2000, p. 75. {{ISBN|0-8091-3960-X}}
* "For a Jew, however, any form of shituf is tantamount to idolatry in the fullest sense of the word. There is then no way that a Jew can ever accept Jesus as a deity, mediator or savior (messiah), or even as a prophet, without betraying Judaism. To call oneself, therefore, a 'Hebrew-Christian,' a 'Jew for Jesus,' or in the latest version a 'messianic Jew,' is an oxymoron. Just as one cannot be a 'Christian Buddhist,' or a 'Christian for Krishna,' one cannot be a 'Jew for Jesus.'" Schochet, Rabbi J. Immanuel. [https://web.archive.org/web/20041124055959/http://www.cjnews.com/pastissues/99/july29-99/feature/feature2.htm "Judaism has no place for those who betray their roots"], ''[[Canadian Jewish News]]'', July 29, 1999.
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20070719101004/http://www.nybr.org/missionaries.htm This July, Hebrew-Christian groups such as Jews for Jesus will work to convert Jews to another religion.] The Jewish Response to Missionaries (NY Board of Rabbis)
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20100204054639/http://www.foundationstone.com.au/HtmlSupport/WebPage/Missionaries/missionariesAndCults.html Judaism and Jesus Don't Mix] (foundationstone.com)
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20080229195427/http://whatjewsbelieve.org/explanation09.html Jews believe that "Jews for Jesus", "Messianic Jews", and "Hebrew Christians" are no longer Jews, even if they were once Jews] (whatjewsbelieve.org)
* "If you believe Jesus is the messiah, died for anyone else's sins, is God's chosen son, or any other dogma of Christian belief, you are not Jewish. You are Christian. Period." (''[http://www.beliefnet.com/blogs/virtualtalmud/2006/08/jews-for-jesus-whos-who-whats-what.html Jews for Jesus: Who's Who & What's What] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061123100943/http://www.beliefnet.com/blogs/virtualtalmud/2006/08/jews-for-jesus-whos-who-whats-what.html |date=2006-11-23 }}'' by Rabbi Susan Grossman (beliefnet – virtualtalmud) August 28, 2006; archived 2006-11-23)
* "For two thousand years, Jews rejected the claim that Jesus fulfilled the messianic prophecies of the Hebrew Bible, as well as the dogmatic claims about him made by the church fathers—that he was born of a virgin, the son of God, part of a divine Trinity, and was resurrected after his death. ... For two thousand years, a central wish of Christianity was to be the object of desire by Jews, whose conversion would demonstrate their acceptance that Jesus has fulfilled their own biblical prophecies." (''Jewish Views of Jesus'' by Susannah Heschel, in ''Jesus In The World's Faiths: Leading Thinkers From Five Faiths Reflect On His Meaning'' by Gregory A. Barker, editor. (Orbis Books, 2005) {{ISBN|1-57075-573-6}}. p.149)
* "[There] are limits to pluralism, beyond which a group is schismatic to the point where it is no longer considered Jewish. For example, everyone considers Messianic Judaism and belief in Buddha as outside of the Jewish sphere." (''[http://judaism.about.com/library/3_askrabbi_o/bl_simmons_messianicjews.htm Why did the majority of the Jewish world reject Jesus as the Messiah, and why did the first Christians accept Jesus as the Messiah?] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070513110717/http://judaism.about.com/library/3_askrabbi_o/bl_simmons_messianicjews.htm |date=2007-05-13 }}'' by Rabbi [[Shraga Simmons]])
* "No Jew accepts Jesus as the Messiah. When someone makes that faith commitment, they become Christian. It is not possible for someone to be both Christian and Jewish." (''[http://judaism.about.com/library/3_askrabbi_c/bl_jesus.htm Why don't Jews accept Jesus as the Messiah?] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101201064911/http://judaism.about.com/library/3_askrabbi_c/bl_jesus.htm |date=2010-12-01 }}'' by Rabbi Barry Dov Lerner)</ref> However, there has been some debate of that point by Jewish scholars. [[Daniel Boyarin]], a Jewish historian of religion and professor of Talmudic culture at UC Berkeley, writes in one of his books: <blockquote>Most (if not all) of the ideas and practices of the Jesus movement of the first century and the beginning of the second century—and even later—can be safely understood as part of the ideas and practices that we understand to be "Judaism."... The ideas of Trinity and incarnation, or certainly the germs of those ideas, were already present among Jewish believers well before Jesus came on the scene to incarnate in himself, as it were, those theological notions and take up his messianic calling.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Boyarin|first=Daniel|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Rd48nOco0-wC&q=Most+(if+not+all)+of+the+ideas+and+practices+of+the+Jesus+movement+of+the+first+century+and+the+beginning+of+the+second+century%E2%80%94and+even+later%E2%80%94can+be+safely+understood+as+part+of+the+ideas+and+practices+that+we+understand+to+be+%22Judaism.%22...+The+ideas+of+Trinity+and+incarnation,+or+certainly+the+germs+of+those+ideas,+were+already+present+among+Jewish+believers+well+before+Jesus+came+on+the+scene+to+incarnate+in+himself,+as+it+were,+those+theological+notions+and+take+up+his+messianic+calling.&pg=PT78|title=The Jewish Gospels: The Story of the Jewish Christ|date=2012-03-20|publisher=New Press/ORIM|isbn=978-1-59558-711-4|language=en}}</ref></blockquote>[[Dan Cohn-Sherbok]], a rabbi of Reform Judaism and professor of Jewish Theology at the University of Wales, implies that Messianic Judaism should be embraced in the Jewish community:<blockquote>...the non-Orthodox rejection of Messianic Jews is more difficult to comprehend given the multidimensional character of contemporary Jewish life ... There is simply no consensus among non-Orthodox Jews concerning the central tenets of the faith, nor is there any agreement about Jewish observance. Instead, the various branches of non-Orthodox Judaism embrace a totally heterogeneous range of viewpoints ... in my view Messianic Judaism constitutes an innovative, exciting, and extremely interesting development on the Jewish scene.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Anderson|first=Gerald H.|date=July 2002|title=Book Review: Messianic Judaism, Voices of Messianic Judaism: Confronting Critical Issues Facing a Maturing Movement|url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/239693930202600313|journal=International Bulletin of Missionary Research|volume=26|issue=3|pages=134–135|doi=10.1177/239693930202600313|s2cid=149203101|issn=0272-6122|url-access=subscription}}</ref></blockquote>In a 2013 [[Pew Forum]] study, 60% of American Jews said that belief in Jesus as the Messiah was not "compatible with being Jewish", while 34% found it compatible and 4% did not know.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.pewforum.org/2013/10/01/chapter-3-jewish-identity/|title=Chapter 3: Jewish Identity|date=1 October 2013}}</ref> A 2017 survey that included Messianic Jews "found that 21 percent of Jewish millennials believe Jesus was 'God in human form who lived among people in the 1st century.'"<ref>{{Cite web|title=Study: One-fifth of Jewish millennials believe Jesus is the son of God|url=https://www.jpost.com/diaspora/study-one-fifth-of-jewish-millennials-believe-jesus-is-the-son-of-god-512015|access-date=2021-03-08|website=The Jerusalem Post |date=November 2017 |language=en-US}}</ref> An additional question on faith in the survey found that 14% of participants identified with Christianity, and 10% believed in a hybrid of Christian and Jewish beliefs.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.barna.com/research/beliefs-behaviors-shaping-jewish-millennials/ |title=The Evolving Spiritual Identity of Jewish Millennials |work=Research Releases |publisher=Barna |date=2017-10-10 |accessdate=2021-03-28 |quote=When given a range of options and allowed to select all that apply, nearly half of Jewish Millennials (44%) chose Judaism solely as their subscribed religion. More than half do not affiliate with traditional Jewish denominations (52%), however, and a similar percentage believes Jews can hold faiths other than Judaism (56%). Thus, others choose Christianity (14%), a hybrid of Judaism and Christianity (10%), atheism / agnosticism (9%) or no particular faith (13%)—a range that reinforces the notion of Jewish identity as heritage and people group as much as a specific spiritual belief set. In this context, it should be assumed some of those who select an option that includes "Christianity" may be recognizing any personal association with the faith, such as identifying with the religion of a Christian parent, rather than a specific or devout expression, such as Messianic Judaism.}}</ref>

In 1993 the Task Force on Missionaries and Cults of the Jewish Community Relations Council of New York (JCRCNY) issued a statement which has been endorsed by the four major Jewish denominations: [[Orthodox Judaism]], [[Conservative Judaism]], [[Reform Judaism]], and [[Reconstructionist Judaism]], as well as national Jewish organizations.<ref name="Schiffman">{{cite web|date=3 November 2006|title=MEETING THE CHALLENGE -- HEBREW CHRISTIANS AND THE JEWISH COMMUNITY|url=http://www.jcrcny.org/pdf/sdpp/MEETINGTHECHALLENG2.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061103010412/http://www.jcrcny.org/pdf/sdpp/MEETINGTHECHALLENG2.pdf|archive-date=3 November 2006|publisher=Jewish Community Relations Council of New York}}</ref> Based on this statement, the Spiritual Deception Prevention Project at the JCRCNY stated:

{{Blockquote|On several occasions leaders of the four major Jewish movements have signed on to joint statements opposing Hebrew-Christian theology and tactics. In part they said: "Though Hebrew Christianity claims to be a form of Judaism, it is not ... It deceptively uses the sacred symbols of Jewish observance ... as a cover to convert Jews to Christianity, a belief system antithetical to Judaism ... Hebrew Christians are in radical conflict with the communal interests and the destiny of the Jewish people. They have crossed an unbridgeable chasm by accepting another religion. Despite this separation, they continue to attempt to convert their former co-religionists.<ref name="JCRCNY">{{cite web |url=http://www.jcrcny.org/PDF/7_6/Q_AHC.PDF |title= Frequently Asked Questions About Hebrew-Christian Missionaries & "Jews for Jesus" |url-status= dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060928114652/http://www.jcrcny.org/PDF/7_6/Q_AHC.PDF |archive-date=2006-09-28}} Jewish Community Relations Council of New York. Spiritual Deception Prevention Project</ref>}}
The director of [[Proselytization and counter-proselytization of Jews|counter-missionary]] group Torah Atlanta, Rabbi Efraim Davidson, stated: "Jews for Jesus use aggressive proselytizing to target disenfranchised or unaffiliated Jews, Russian immigrants and college students," and that "their techniques are manipulative, deceptive and anti-Semitic."<ref>[http://torahatlanta.com/IntheNewsArticles/Portland.html Portland Jews Brace for Assault by 'Jews for Jesus'] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060515145611/http://torahatlanta.com/IntheNewsArticles/Portland.html |date=2006-05-15}} By Paul Haist (''Jewish Review'') May 15, 2002</ref>

=== Christian ===
Some Western Christians object to evangelizing [[Jews]] because they see Jewish religious practice as valid in and of itself.<ref>Pluralistic opposition:

* [http://www.abrock.com/Attempt.html#valid Should Christians Attempt to Evangelize Jews? Israel's Covenant with God Remains Valid] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100124043717/http://www.abrock.com/Attempt.html#valid|date=2010-01-24}} by Allan R. Brockway{{request quotation|date=September 2023}}
* {{usurped|[https://web.archive.org/web/20020924081349/http://www.religioustolerance.org/chr_jcon3.htm Policies of mainline and liberal Christians towards proselytizing Jews]}} (religioustolerance.org){{request quotation|date=September 2023}}
* [http://www.jcrelations.net/en/?item=961 What about Christian Jews or Jewish Christians?] by Fritz Voll ([[International Council of Christians and Jews]]) [http://www.jcrelations.net/en/?id=1499 Ecumenical Considerations on Jewish-Christian Dialogue] (World Council of Churches){{request quotation|date=September 2023}}
* In the United Kingdom, there has been opposition to the activities of Jews for Jesus from the Council of Christians and Jews {{cite news |title=Video depicting Jesus at Auschwitz denounced |url=https://www.churchtimes.co.uk/articles/2014/2-may/news/world/video-depicting-jesus-at-auschwitz-denounced |work=www.churchtimes.co.uk}} which has prohibited members of the organisation from joining its meetings, through the issuing of a Code of Conduct opposing proselytisation. {{cite web |title=Constitution {{!}} CCJ |url=https://ccj.org.uk/constitution |website=ccj.org.uk}}
* "I normally defend my denomination. I'm loyal to it. But I have never targeted Muslims. I have never targeted Jews." "Billy Graham Blasts Brethren" by Eric J. Greenberg, ''The Jewish Week''. January 7, 2000, referring to a [[Southern Baptist Convention]] event in Chicago [http://www.beliefnet.com/News/2002/03/Billy-Graham-The-Jews.aspx]{{non sequitur|date=September 2023}}
* [http://torahatlanta.com/articles/Christian%20Scholars%20Group.html The Christian Scholars Group on Christian-Jewish Relations: "Christians should not target Jews for conversion"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070312160141/http://torahatlanta.com/articles/Christian%20Scholars%20Group.html|date=2007-03-12}}. The Center for Christian-Jewish Learning at Boston College. September 1, 2002{{request quotation|date=September 2023}}</ref> Some [[Liberal Christianity|Liberal Protestant]] denominations have issued statements criticizing evangelism of Jews including the [[United Church of Christ]] and the [[Presbyterian Church USA]],<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=Fi8sJ6iOX_cC&dq=%22United+Church+of+Christ%22+%22Jews+for+Jesus%22&pg=RA1-PA114 Spector, S. ''Evangelicals and Israel'', 2008], Oxford University Press: Oxford, p. 114</ref> which said in 1988 that [[Dual-covenant theology|Jews have their own covenant with God]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.pcusa.org/oga/publications/christians-jews.pdf|title=''A Theological Understanding of the Relationship Between Christians and Jews'', 199th General Assembly (1987) of the Presbyterian Church (USA)|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090805111235/http://www.pcusa.org/oga/publications/christians-jews.pdf|archive-date=2009-08-05}}</ref> The Board of Governors of the [[Long Island Council of Churches]] opposes proselytizing, and voiced their sentiments in a statement that "noted with alarm" the "[[Deception|subterfuge]] and dishonesty" inherent in the "mixing [of] religious symbols in ways which distort their essential meaning," and named Jews for Jesus as one of the three groups about whom such behavior was alleged.<ref>[http://www.adl.org/special_reports/jews4jesus/christian_responses.asp ''Jews for Jesus: Targeting Jews for Conversion with Subterfuge and Deception'', Anti-Defamation League] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120325191616/http://www.adl.org/special_reports/jews4jesus/christian_responses.asp |date=2012-03-25 }}. Retrieved July 5, 2009.</ref>

[[Leighton Ford]], former vice president of the [[Billy Graham Evangelistic Association|Billy Graham Evangelical Association]] and current president of Leighton Ford Ministries, supports the work of Jews for Jesus:<blockquote>The first followers of Jesus were all Jews – women and men so touched and changed by him that they had to tell their friends and neighbors ... Like their first century counterparts, the people I know in Jews for Jesus have good news they share lovingly and boldly!<ref>{{Cite web|last=Ford|first=Leighton|title=Letter from Leighton Ford|url=https://jewsforjesus.org/endorsements/letter-from-leighton-ford|access-date=2021-03-08|website=jewsforjesus.org|date=December 2003 |language=en}}</ref></blockquote>In 2003, the sponsorship of Jews for Jesus by [[All Souls Church, Langham Place]], a conservative evangelical church in London, including a launch event on [[Rosh Hashanah]] to start a UK mission targeting the Jewish community, led to the Interfaith Alliance UK, a coalition of Jewish, Christian and Islamic religious leaders, issuing a letter of protest to the [[Archbishop of Canterbury]].<ref>''The Guardian'' [https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2003/sep/26/religion.gayrights Imams join plea for gay tolerance] 26 September 2003</ref>{{failed verification|date=September 2023}}

=== Other ===
The [[InterFaith Conference of Metropolitan Washington]] includes [[Muslims]], [[Jews]], and [[Christians|Christian]] groups.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://ifcmw.org/about-us/member-faiths/|title=Member Faith Communities }}</ref> The Conference states that they "support the right of all religions to share their message in the spirit of good will";<ref name="PCUSA_IFCMW_SoP">{{cite web|url=http://www.eif-pcusa.org/proselytism_statement.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081203143714/http://www.eif-pcusa.org/proselytism_statement.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-date=2008-12-03 |title=PCUSA's excerpt of the IFCMW's 'Statement on Proselytism' |access-date=2011-06-21 }}</ref> however, Rev. Clark Lobenstine has condemned the "proselytizing efforts" of "Jews for Jesus and other messianic Jewish groups."<ref>{{Cite web|date=1987-03-26|title=Proselytism Efforts Condemned|url=https://www.jta.org/1987/03/26/archive/proselytism-efforts-condemned|access-date=2020-10-23|website=Jewish Telegraphic Agency|language=en-US}}</ref> His wording matched the Conference's 1987 "Statement on Proselytism",<ref name=PCUSA_IFCMW_SoP/> which makes claims against "groups that have adopted the label of Hebrew Christianity, Messianic Judaism, or Jews for Jesus",<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wellesley.edu/rellife/transformation/guide/Interreligious%20Dialogue.html |title=IFCMW Statement on Proselytism in a longer quote |access-date=2011-06-21 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120127124938/http://www.wellesley.edu/rellife/transformation/guide/Interreligious%20Dialogue.html |archive-date=2012-01-27 }}</ref> so it is unclear which claims are directed at Jews for Jesus in particular.

''America's Religions. An Educator's Guide to Beliefs and Practices'' contains "[a] note about Jews for Jesus, [[Messianic Judaism|Messianic Jews]], [[Hebrew Christians]], and similar groups: Jews in these groups who have converted to Christianity but continue to observe various Jewish practices are no longer considered part of the Jewish [[community]] in the usual sense".<ref name="Benjamin Hubbard 2007 132">{{cite book
 |author=Benjamin Hubbard
 |author2=John Hatfield |author3=James Santucci
 |title=America's Religions. An Educator's Guide to Beliefs and Practices
 |year=2007
 |page=132
 |publisher=Teacher Ideas Press, a Division of Libraries Unlimited
 |isbn=978-1-56308-469-0
 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UWBIuX7TPk8C&q=%22Jews%20for%20Jesus%22&pg=PA132
}}</ref>

Several other organizations oppose the identification of Jews for Jesus as a Jewish group.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.religioustolerance.org/mess_jud3.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20011105010702/http://www.religioustolerance.org/mess_jud3.htm|url-status=usurped|archive-date=November 5, 2001|title=Jews for Jesus}}</ref><ref>Balmer, Randall. ''Encyclopedia of Evangelicalism,'' Baylor University Press, November 2004, p. 448</ref>

=== Controversies ===

==== 1987 – Freedom of speech ====
In ''[[Board of Airport Commissioners of Los Angeles v. Jews for Jesus, Inc.]]'' the [[United States Supreme Court]] unanimously ruled in favor of Jews for Jesus in a [[Freedom of speech|free speech]] case against the [[Los Angeles International Airport]].<ref>{{cite news |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |title=L.A. Airport's Free Speech Curb Upset by High Court : 'Jews for Jesus' Win Rights Case |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1987-06-15-mn-4296-story.html |work=Los Angeles Times |date=June 15, 1987 |access-date=July 16, 2020 }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Sekulow |first1=Jay |last2=Zimmerman |first2=Erik |date=2012–2013 |title=Reflections on Jews for Jesus: Twenty-Five Years Later | url=https://www.regent.edu/acad/schlaw/student_life/studentorgs/lawreview/docs/issues/v25n1/01Sekulowvol.25.1.pdf|journal=Regent University Law Review |volume=25 |issue=1 |pages=1–23 |access-date=July 16, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Savage |first=David |date=June 16, 1987 |title=LAX Ban on Soliciting Rejected by High Court : Justices Say Rule Goes Too Far in Limiting Free Speech; Larger Question of Exclusion Ignored |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1987-06-16-mn-7711-story.html |work=Los Angeles Times |access-date=July 16, 2020 }}</ref>

==== 1998 and 2005–2006 – Online name ====
Jews for Jesus has been involved in litigation regarding Internet use of its name. In 1998 they sued Steven Brodsky for [[cybersquatting]]—registering the domain name jewsforjesus.org for a site criticizing the organization.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.adl.org/special_reports/jews4jesus/legal_cases.asp|title=Jews for Jesus: Targeting Jews for Conversion – Legal Cases|publisher=Anti-Defamation League of B'nai Brith|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121013190231/http://www.adl.org/special_reports/jews4jesus/legal_cases.asp|archive-date=2012-10-13|url-status=dead}}</ref> The domain now belongs to Jews for Jesus and is used for their main site.

In 2005 Jews for Jesus sued<ref>[http://www.circleid.com/posts/google_sued_for_trademark_infringement_on_third_level_subdomain/ Google Sued for Trademark Infringement Based on Third-Level Subdomain] by [[Eric Goldman]] (CircleID) December 30, 2005</ref> [[Google]] for allowing a [[Blogspot]] user to put up a site at the third-level subdomain ''jewsforjesus.blogspot.com''. In September 2006 ''[[Christianity Today]]'' reported: "Jews for Jesus settled out of court with a critical blogger identified as 'Whistle Blower' on jewsforjesus.blogspot.com. The evangelistic ministry assumed control of the site."<ref>[http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2006/september/18.23.html Christianity Today News Briefs] September 1, 2006</ref>

==== 2006 – misuse of Jackie Mason name ====
In 2006 comedian and actor [[Jackie Mason]] filed a lawsuit against Jews for Jesus, alleging that the organization unlawfully distributed a pamphlet that used his name and likeness in a way that suggested he was a member of the group. Jackie Mason was Jewish, but not associated with Jews for Jesus.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cnn.com/2006/SHOWBIZ/08/25/jackiemason.ap/index.html|title=Comic sues Jews for Jesus|website=[[CNN]] |url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060829062832/http://www.cnn.com/2006/SHOWBIZ/08/25/jackiemason.ap/index.html|archive-date=2006-08-29}}</ref> Jews for Jesus issued a detailed response to the allegation on their website.<ref>[https://jewsforjesus.org/press/press-release-jews-for-jesus-and-jackie-mason/ Press Release: Jews for Jesus and Jackie Mason] (Jews for Jesus) August 25, 2006</ref>

A judge of the [[United States District Court for the Southern District of New York]] denied a preliminary injunction against Jews for Jesus over the pamphlet, finding the distribution of the pamphlet to be protected by the [[First Amendment to the United States Constitution|First Amendment]], and also stated that the pamphlet did not suggest that Mason was a Christian.<ref>[http://www.jewsforjesus.org/blog/20061108jackiemasondenied Jackie Mason Charges Against Jews For Jesus Denied By U.S. District Court] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061211161941/http://www.jewsforjesus.org/blog/20061108jackiemasondenied |date=2006-12-11 }}, November 8, 2006</ref>

In December 2006, Mason dropped the lawsuit against Jews for Jesus after they issued a letter of apology to him. The group's executive director, [[David Brickner]], stated in the letter to Mason that he wanted "to convey my sincere apologies for any distress that you felt over our tract." Brickner continued that he believed its publication was protected by the [[United States Constitution|Constitution]], but the group was willing in the interest of peace and love for Israel to retire the pamphlet. Mason replied in front of the federal court in Manhattan where he accepted the apology, "There's no such thing as a Jew for Jesus. It's like saying a black man is for the [[Ku Klux Klan|KKK]]. You can't be a table and a chair. You're either a Jew or a [[Gentile]]."<ref>[https://www.usatoday.com/life/people/2006-12-05-mason_x.htm ''USA Today''], [http://nymag.com/daily/intel/tags/religion nymag.com] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071016154929/http://nymag.com/daily/intel/tags/religion |date=2007-10-16 }} (and many others) quoting an Associated Press release, December 4, 2006.</ref>

==== ''That Jew Died for You'' video ====
In 2014, Jews for Jesus published a three-minute [[YouTube]] video called ''That Jew Died for You'', to coincide with [[Passover]], [[Holy Week]] and [[Holocaust Remembrance Day]] on 28 April.<ref name="i20140425">{{cite news|title=Jews for Jesus video showing Jesus being sent to Nazi gas chambers sparks outrage|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/jews-for-jesus-video-showing-christ-being-sent-to-a-nazi-gas-chambers-sparks-outrage-9285418.html|newspaper=The Independent|date=25 April 2014|author=Heather Saul|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140428121837/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/jews-for-jesus-video-showing-christ-being-sent-to-a-nazi-gas-chambers-sparks-outrage-9285418.html|archive-date=2014-04-28|url-status=live}}</ref> A long-haired Jesus dragging a large wooden cross appears in the film until an [[Auschwitz concentration camp]] guard sends him to the gas chambers and says "just another Jew" in German.<ref name="h20140423">{{cite news|title='That Jew died for you' – the 'most tasteless YouTube video ever'?|url=https://www.haaretz.com/jewish-world/jewish-world-news/1.586953|newspaper=Haaretz|date=23 April 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140627110904/http://www.haaretz.com/jewish-world/jewish-world-news/1.586953 |archive-date=2014-06-27 |url-status=live}}</ref> Jews for Jesus said that the objective of the film was for Jesus to be identified with the victims rather than the perpetrators of the Holocaust and that "the [[The Holocaust|Holocaust]] has been used – perhaps more than any other event or topic – to prevent Jewish people from considering the good news of Jesus."<ref name=i20140425/> [[Jay Michaelson]], writing in ''[[The Jewish Daily Forward]]'', described it as "the most tasteless YouTube video ever" and wrote: "Not to state the obvious, but it desecrates the memory of six million Jews to use their suffering as a way to convert Jews to Christianity."<ref name="f20140417">{{cite news|title=When Jesus Died at Auschwitz|url=http://blogs.forward.com/forward-thinking/196708/when-jesus-died-at-auschwitz/|newspaper=The Jewish Daily Forward|date=17 April 2014|author=Jay Michaelson |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150317204933/http://blogs.forward.com/forward-thinking/196708/when-jesus-died-at-auschwitz/ |archive-date=2015-03-17 |url-status=live}}</ref> [[Fox News Channel]] and [[History (American TV channel)|History]] refused to play an advertisement for the film.<ref name=h20140423/>

== References in popular culture ==
* {{citation needed span|''[[Interiors]]'' (1978 film)|date=July 2020}}
* ''[[Airplane!]]'', 1980<ref>{{cite news |last1=Fabrizio |first1=Richard |title=Obama should create a debt commission |url=https://www.seacoastonline.com/article/20100214/OPINION/2140311 |access-date=25 July 2021 |work=seacoastonline.com |publisher=Gannett - USA TODAY NETWORK |language=en}}</ref>
* ''The New Yorker'', 25 October 2004. Roz Chast.
* ''[[Moral Orel]]'' (2005-2012 Adult Swim animated series)
* {{citation needed span|[[In Her Shoes (film)|In Her Shoes]] (2005 film)|date=July 2020}}
* [[Esquire (magazine)|''Esquire'' magazine]], 2014.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Peele|first=Anna|date=August 6, 2014|title=Oh Lord, There Goes That Damn Pratt Boy Again, Bless His Heart|url=https://www.esquire.com/features/chris-pratt-interview-0914|website=Esquire}}</ref>
* ''[[Curb Your Enthusiasm]]'', 2021.
* Clem Snide's 2005 song "Jews for Jesus Blues"

== See also ==
* [[Michael L. Brown]]
* [[Jews for Judaism]]
* [[Messianic Judaism]]
* [[New religious movement]]
* [[Tovia Singer]]

== References ==
{{Reflist|35em}}

==Further reading==
* ''Called to Controversy: The Unlikely Story of Moishe Rosen and the Founding of Jews for Jesus'' by Ruth Rosen (Thomas Nelson, 2012) {{ISBN|978-1-59555-491-8}}
* ''Not ashamed: The story of Jews for Jesus'' by Ruth Tucker (Multnomah Publishers, 2000) {{ISBN|978-1-57673-700-2}}
* ''Sentenced for Life: A Story of an Entry and an Exit into the World of Fundamentalist Christianity and Jews for Jesus'' by Jo Ann Schneider Farris (Writers Club Press, 2002) {{ISBN|0-595-24940-X}}
* ''Messianic Judaism: A rabbi's journey through religious change in America'' by Carol Harris-Shapiro (Beacon Press, 1999) {{ISBN|978-0-8070-1040-2}}
* ''Evangelizing the Chosen People: Missions to the Jews in America, 1880–2000'' by Yaakov Ariel (The University of North Carolina Press, 1999) {{ISBN|0-8078-2566-2}}
* ''Hawking God. A Young Jewish Woman's Ordeal in Jews for Jesus'' by Ellen Kamentsky (Sapphire Press, 1993) [http://www.skepticfiles.org/fw/defector.htm An excerpt] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191030213613/https://www.skepticfiles.org/fw/defector.htm |date=2019-10-30 }}
* ''Jews for Jesus: An Anthropological Study'' by Juliene G. Lipson (AMS Press, 1990) {{ISBN|0-404-62605-X}}
* ''Smashing the Idols: A Jewish Inquiry into the Cult Phenomenon'' by Gary D. Eisenberg (Jason Aronson, 1988) {{ISBN|0-87668-974-8}}

== External links ==
* [http://www.jewsforjesus.org/ Official website]
* [https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/160992/jewish/Can-a-Jew-believe-in-Jesus.htm Can a Jew believe in Jesus?] – a critical article about Jews for Jesus

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Jews for Jesus| ]]
[[Category:1970 establishments in California]]
[[Category:Christian organizations established in 1970]]
[[Category:Christian organizations established in 1973]]
[[Category:1987 controversies in the United States]]
[[Category:1998 controversies]]
[[Category:2005 controversies]]
[[Category:2006 controversies in the United States]]
[[Category:2014 controversies]]
[[Category:Christianity and Judaism related controversies]]
[[Category:Christian missionary societies]]
[[Category:Evangelical missionary societies]]
[[Category:Messianic Judaism in the United States]]
[[Category:Conversion of Jews to Christianity]]
[[Category:Organizations based in San Francisco]]