Taglit-Birthright is the operation the sends young Jews on free trips to Israel in order to firm up their Jewish identity and assure the “continuity” of the tribe. To that end, it mounts programs for alumni of the trips–via Birthright NEXT. And next up on a Birthright NEXT-sponsored program in New York is Gordon Robertson, son of Pat Robertson and current CEO of the family biz, CBN. And, as the Jewish Week Forward [sorry, Week] reports, someone who promotes the idea that Jews can believe in Jesus as the Messiah and still be Jews.
OK, so Robertson is scheduled to talk not on the theology of Jewish identity but on whether evangelicals are “more fervent Zionists than American Jews.” Nanny-nanny-boo-boo. But like, I’d be real surprised if the Birthright people, or the Jewish organizations that have clasped it to their bosoms, would include Jesus-believing Jews within the Pale of Continuity.
Keeping young Jews away from evangelicals is not the point. Whatever one says about John Hagee, for example–take John Hagee, please–he’s earned the enmity of some of his co-religionists by effectively embracing the doctrine that Jews possess a still valid covenant with God and therefore should not be the object of evangelism. But giving a platform to a promoter of Messianic Judaism? Please.
