Have a Nice Flight

By Moshe Feiglin

Translated from the Makor Rishon newspaper

There I was, after a two and a half day whirlwind trip to the US, stuck in the window seat for my flight home. The two seats next to me were still empty. I hoped that a basketball player wouldn't sit down next to me and cut off all communication between me and the rest of the plane for the next ten hours.

G-d heard my silent prayer and a friendly American couple took their seats next to mine. In their seventies, dressed fashionably in leisure-wear, suntanned and thin. He, tall and strong looking, took the aisle seat, while she, petite, elegant and smiling - just what I had hoped for - took the seat next to me. She immediately and politely introduced herself and her husband.

"This is not our first trip to Israel," she said.

"Better late than never," I answered with appreciation for the solid couple who, in their senior years, had decided to connect to their Homeland through their feet.

"Are you from Israel?"

"Yes, thank G-d. And where are you from?"

"Illinois. Do you know where that is?"

"Of course! My wife's family came from Chicago. Perhaps you know them?"

"No, we don't know them."

"Are you Jewish?" the husband suddenly asked.

"You can't see that I'm Jewish?" I asked, surprised. I immediately understood that not only was the couple next to me not Jewish, but they had probably never met a Jew, which would explain the fact that the kippah on my head meant nothing to them.

They were Evangelists - "Lovers of Israel". A quick survey of the seats around me revealed that I had been seated in the middle of an entire group of Evangelists happily on their way to the "Holy Land."

I felt ridiculous. Here I was in the middle of a Christian congregation, looking for my wife's long-lost relatives.

"We love Jews," the husband interrupted my train of thought.
I was pleased to be the object of the man's love. If one must be stuck next to somebody for ten hours, it is best to be stuck next to someone who loves you, isn't it?

"We're also Jews!" he added and upon my look of amazement added, "sort of." I kept my thoughts on identity theft to myself. After all, I still had ten hours to sit next to them.

An interesting conversation developed between us. They did not know me, but I understood who I was dealing with and answered them in a sort of Bible-ese that fit their pre-conceptions of Jews.

"I thank God for seating us next to you," said the husband.
I nodded uncomfortably.

By the time the plane took off, I was fast asleep. Our conversation resumed close to landing.

"What do you think of this?" the wife asked as she pulled a brochure out of her purse and handed it to me.

I looked inside. "All that you have to do is to believe in Jesus and he will forgive all your sins," it said.

"I'm the conservative type," I answered with a smile. "I have done very well with the Old Testament for the past three thousand years, and I think I will renew my subscription for at least the next three thousand."

"O.K., the woman said, slightly embarrassed, understanding that I wasn't so naive, after all. Her smile disappeared and the pleasant atmosphere disappeared along with it.

Countless important Israeli NGOs and organizations fall into this Christian "love of Israel" trap and stretch out their hands for their generous contributions. Even if they will not admit it, the end always includes the little brochure - just like the brochure that my polite flight neighbor pulled out toward the end of our journey. There are no free lunches. The final result is the baptism of Jews.

In the past, when I discovered that the friendly non-Jew generously donating to Manhigut Yehudit was - despite his declarations - a devout Christian, I cut off all monetary relations with him.

The nationalist and religious organizations that receive Christian aid must understand that there is no such thing as a Christian who is not a missionary toward the entire world, just as there is no 'religious' Jew who is not a 'missionary' toward his Jewish brethren on some level.

Every truly religious Jew - even if he is not into Jewish outreach - is happy to hear of more and more of his Jewish brothers who have joined the ranks of the Observant, simply because the Torah includes every Jew. It is impossible to believe in the Torah and not to hope that every Jew will observe its commandments. The same is true of Christianity - just that it sees all of humanity as a target for its mission.

The Golden Rule does not make exceptions for important Jewish organizations: He who has the gold still makes the rules. When you accept a contribution from a Christian - as nice and sympathetic as he may be - you turn your organization into a channel for missionary influence.