Messianic Jewish Publisher Sparks Ultra-Orthodox Anger at Israeli Book Week
An ultra-Orthodox group filed a complaint with Jerusalem police after HaGefen, a Messianic Jewish publisher, offered a new translation of the Bible to teenagers at Israel’s annual Hebrew Book Week.
Yad L’Achim, a prominent activist group that has been known for harassing Christian missionaries to Israel and voicing opposition to Arab-Israeli marriages, complained that the books constituted “incitement and solicitation of minors to convert.”
“The innocent buyers do not know that these are missionary books that encourage conversion to Christianity,” the complaint stated.
HaGefen, which has been based in Rishon LeZiyon for over forty years, released its latest version of the bible, “The Testimony,” in five volumes, in contemporary Hebrew.
Contact Ari Feldman at [email protected] or on Twitter @aefeldman.
A message from our Publisher & CEO Rachel Fishman Feddersen
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.
We’ve set a goal to raise $260,000 by December 31. That’s an ambitious goal, but one that will give us the resources we need to invest in the high quality news, opinion, analysis and cultural coverage that isn’t available anywhere else.
If you feel inspired to make an impact, now is the time to give something back. Join us as a member at your most generous level.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO