1.2 Theory for Research, Analysis and Synthesis

Between 1995 and 1997 I spent fifty-one days among Israeli Messianic Jews. Living in a Moshav and in a congregation allowed observing and participating in their life. Besides, I travelled all over Israel to visit congregations and to interview leaders and members. Soon I was sympathizing, especially with their varied Jewishness. They became „my people” (Meijers 1989: 215).

Since in 1995 I only wished to understand, I started unobtrusively to collect interviews for personal use. Yet before long, the idea to study the movement more systematically, also from viewpoints of organization anthropology, became irresistible. In 1996 I returned therefore to the field as self-appointed, incognito researcher. Reluctantly obeying my academic discipline, I carried a basic „package” of social science theory with me. I was reluctant because I feared to force genuine expressions into alien theoretical moulds. Post-modernly inspired, I was aware of „inadequacies of scientific social science” (Rosenau 1992:10) and positivism (Lincoln and Guba 1986, Guba 1990).

Any single perspective ignores or distorts crucially important aspects of an organization's culture” (Martin 1992: 174).

In November 1997, when I ended data collection in the field, a veteran of the movement judged my questions as „very informed” (8/97). ⁵The number before the slash, '/', refers to a particular respondent. The number after the slash, '/', refers to the year of the interview. Appendix A2 shows a table with a systematic overview of the research population while protecting its anonymity.)

I had reached a certain point of saturation with information (Hutjes and Van Buuren 1992). Another veteran, when he perceived my insight, wished me prudence to use it wisely (4/97). With this essay I attempted to meet his „wish”.