Glen Campbell Was A Practicing Messianic Jew For Over Two Decades
Image by Getty Images
(JTA) — Glen Campbell, the country music star who died at 81 on Tuesday from Alzheimer’s, grew up in rural Arkansas. The man who sang hits such as “Rhinestone Cowboy” and “By the Time I Get To Phoenix” was raised a Baptist in a family of 12.
But as the Jewish Journal pointed out, Reuters reported in 2008 that Campbell had been a Messianic Jew for the last two decades of his life. He and his wife Kim attended services at a synagogue near their home in Malibu, and they celebrated major Jewish holidays, such as Passover, Rosh Hashanah and Hanukkah.
“Kim cooks a mean brisket but is still working on her matzo balls,” Dean Goodman wrote. “And grape juice subs for Manischewitz in the alcohol-free household.”
Goodman even observed a menorah and a Hebrew book in Campbell’s home.
Messianic Judaism combines Jewish traditions with the idea that Jesus Christ is the coming Messiah. Some Messianic Jews want the movement to be accepted as a sect of Judaism, but mainstream Jewish movements believe the ideology is a contradiction.
“It’s Jews who believe that Christ is the risen savior,” as Campbell told Reuters.
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning journalism this Passover.
In this age of misinformation, our work is needed like never before. We report on the news that matters most to American Jews, driven by truth, not ideology.
At a time when newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall. That means for the first time in our 126-year history, Forward journalism is free to everyone, everywhere. With an ongoing war, rising antisemitism, and a flood of disinformation that may affect the upcoming election, we believe that free and open access to Jewish journalism is imperative.
Readers like you make it all possible. Right now, we’re in the middle of our Passover Pledge Drive and we still need 300 people to step up and make a gift to sustain our trustworthy, independent journalism.
Make a gift of any size and become a Forward member today. You’ll support our mission to tell the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
Join our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
Only 300 more gifts needed by April 30
