2.3 The non-Charismatic Synagogal Type
To some, the Messianic Jewish synagogal type of congregation became necessary because of the lasting and insensitive domination of Christian denominations and missions in Israel (5/97, 27/97).
As mentioned in section 2.1.4, some leaders explain that once they were neither allowed to circumcise their boys nor to worship on Sabbaths as Jewish custom prescribes (3/96). For the brit milah, „the Covenant of the Circumcision”, they had to look secretly for a mohel, a „person qualified to perform the brit milah. He should be a pious, observant Jew who has been carefully trained to perform the circumcision” (Donin 1972: 274, 282, Vries 1968: 179-197). For the Sunday service they had to take off at work, because Sunday is the first working day in Israel. Since Christians get off for church, consequently, Jesus believing Jews, who were forced to worship on Sundays, got viewed as having converted to Christianity and as not being Jews anymore. 23I found myself on Sunday morning having a Monday feeling, as I set out to work again in Israel. I realized this when I wanted to ride off my car from the parking place of a chapel and the pastor explained to me that he needed every free place for his members who started arriving for the Sunday service. I had completely lost track of the Christian time frame. I had 'gone native', so to speak.)
Some churches and missions appreciated that, some Jews who had started to believe in Jesus not at all. Exactly this tension, between their own Jewishness and the alien Christian culture forced upon them, only raised their awareness of their Jewish origin and their wish to identify with it and to express it visibly. Christian missions who tried to prohibit them their Jewish identity appeared to strengthen it.
One can regard emissaries of Christian missions in Israel as managers. Hofstede observed that such cross-cultural managers can have a certain liberty of action. Yet he regards the cultural limitations, to which such liberty is subject as much more restricting than management literature is usually willing to admit (Hofstede 1994: 295). Besides, Christian emissaries can be considerably limited in their mind set and perceptiveness by their dogmatic package. If they theologically regard Judaism as ungodly, they have no choice but to try to forbid their congregation to identify with it. Accordingly, I found, some depict especially synagogal type leaders in such unfortunate ways that come even close to, or are simply lying about them to harm them and to destroy their reputation. Hebrew Christians, who hold consciously on to a Christian position, also culturally, doubt such statements and disagree (8/97).
Maybe other churches or missions, with which they were affiliated or where they were members, wisely avoided such conflicts. Some psychologic and pedagogic sense could already suffice not to evoke opposition and cultural conflict. Some Jewish believers in Jesus were apparently free to circumcise their children under the eye of their church or mission, others were not and did it secretly, at least for a while. It cannot come as a surprise than that they sought ways out, to keep their Jewish identity in their Jewish nation, while also keeping their faith in Jesus. In the end, both contradicting reports might be true, as they view the issue from different viewpoints.
About the creation of one type ℷ (gimel) congregation I was told a revealing anecdote. It underscores that Jewish believers in Jesus probably were discriminated by Christian emissaries for their Jewishness. A late Jesus believing Jew, whose spiritual songs were then already been widely known in Israel, wanted to worship in a particular congregation. He entered it with his skullcap on his head. He was asked to take it off, or to leave. He did neither, as it was an expression of his allegiance to Jesus and to his Jewishness. Consequently, he was not allowed to stay. Various Jews who witnessed that incident decided that day that „now it was enough” (5/97). To them this was the drop that let the bucket overflow. Soon afterwards they started their own congregation, and were determined to have it as Jewish as they could make it. For ten years they met in homes, parks and denominational churches. In 1983 they bought a building in the heart of Jerusalem and became one of the first Hebrew speaking congregations that worshipped in its own property in its own genuine Jewish synagogal way. In 1991 the congregation formed its own nonprofit organization, to be autonomous in decision making and handling of funds, with its proper board of leaders. Today this group has unfolded a considerable innovative range of activities (5/95, 5/96, 5/97).
Attempted Christian domination still provokes the creation of new synagogal type congregations (27/97). Already the physical outlook of their meeting places differs like a synagogue from a church.