No Strings Attached?

By Moshe Feiglin

Tamuz, 5768
July, '08

"He has recently become more religious," the reporters explained as they described the second Jerusalem Moslem who attempted to murder Jews with a tractor.

The Israeli public is already used to terror attacks in the name of Allah. These attacks are euphemistically described as 'nationalistically motivated'. But everybody knows in whose name the terrorists stage their murderous assaults. The Arabs who piloted the Boeing jet into the Twin Towers did not yell "Long live Saudi Arabia!" and last week's murderous tractor driver did not declare "Long live the Arab nation!" before perpetrating their horrendous deeds. Every Israeli knows what Arabs shout as they murder. They shout the Moslim motto, 'Allah hu akbar.' They act in the name of their god. Their terrorism is not nationalistically motivated. It is religiously motivated.

As opposed to the Left, the nationalist camp - and especially the national religious camp in Israel - is capable of understanding and dealing with this fact. But it is specifically this camp that is rapidly falling under the influence of a religious threat even more dangerous than Islam. It is specifically the nationalist and religious nationalist public that has been opening the door to xtianity and allowing it to slowly but surely sway Israeli reality.

The xtian conquest is much more dangerous than the Moslim conquest because it is not direct. It is not violent. It is embracing and supportive. It connects with Israel against the Moslem enemy. It supports a Jewish Land of Israel in its entirety. It even speaks up for the sanctity of the connection between the Nation of Israel, the Land of Israel and the Torah of Israel. It just forgets to mention which Nation of Israel and which Torah.

The nationalist public is not aware of the extent and depth of the influence that these groups have achieved in Israel. It is very easy to be enticed by the fact that they hide their motives and offer large sums of money to causes that are important and often crucial for Israel.

It took me a bit of time to realize their true intentions, and in the meantime, I also received a small number of contributions from xtian factors. They insinuated that they were Noahides - non-Jews who have accepted the seven commandments that G-d gave to Noah, which negate xtianity. They declared that they were not part of any church and that the crucifix offends them. They simply forgot to mention that for them, G-d is actually the xtian deity and that the Nation of Israel is actually those who believe in that deity. Thank G-d, it took me a relatively short time to figure out what was going on and I cut off all ties with them.

They are careful to hide their true intentions. They will not usually display the crucifix and will not mention the name of their deity in conversation with Jews. They simply 'love' us - "no strings attached." But their goal is clear: To immigrate to Israel by the millions, to become citizens and to convert us all, G-d forbid. They do explicitly admit that as far as they are concerned, a Jew who does not accept their deity will burn in hell.

On the surface, why should we care? What difference does it make if huge sums of money for Israeli welfare causes are from xtian sources? "When Mashiach comes, we'll ask him what religion he is," the cynics wink. But this is not a matter that can be laughed off. Money talks. The organizations that feed the hungry children of Israel will eventually control their minds, as well.

Slowly but surely, more and more xtian institutions are being built in Israel. They have infiltrated almost every Jewish organization. And most worrisome of all, they have infiltrated the political Right. Acting MKs and candidates for the Knesset from all the rightist parties have been busy running to their churches in the US, hugging the most despicable missionaries and giving their activities in Israel and their beliefs the legitimacy so crucial to their success. Big money from these groups has been blinding the eyes of many Likud candidates, as well as Orange MKs and rabbis, and strictly kosher Haredi rabbis, as well.

It is hard to blame the Likud candidates for taking their money. If well-known rabbis and MKs with large skullcaps and beards see nothing wrong with xtian support, why should the less religiously knowledgeable Likudnik be more stringent than they are?

These xtians have been waiting for 2,000 years for their messiah to arrive. They certainly have the patience to position more and more politicians who owe them their seats in key slots in Israel. Missionary activity in Israel is growing by leaps and bounds. But what mayor or politician will fight the missionaries after they have received millions from the very same 'Israel loving' organizations?

It is astounding how a history of 2,000 years of bloodshed evaporates in the face of large sums of cash. The children of Beit El will not pay the price of this abomination any time soon. The price will first be paid by the children in poor neighborhoods and in families whose Jewish identity is not well developed.

But every Jew is responsible for one another. If we do not open our eyes and reject these xtian groups and their money, we will all eventually pay the price.