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From: jho@ihuxn.UUCP (Yosi Hoshen)
Newsgroups: net.religion
Subject: Re: Black replies.
Message-ID: <994@ihuxn.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 14-Mar-85 00:30:11 EST
Article-I.D.: ihuxn.994
Posted: Thu Mar 14 00:30:11 1985
Date-Received: Thu, 14-Mar-85 06:39:48 EST
References: <1072@decwrl.UUCP>
Organization: AT&T Bell Laboratories
Lines: 81

Don Black writes:
>
>     That ain't exactly what I've heard.  For example, I heard that in the 
>State of Israel (the epitome of Judaism) it is not possible for a non-Jew
>to obtain citizenship.  I also heard it is against the law to give a Jew
>a copy of the New Testament.  I heard that it is also an offense to tell
>a Jew under 18 years of age anything about Christianity.  I heard that in
>the State of Israel if you don't belong to a certain nationality of Jews,
>you and a dog have a lot in common.  (Somebody even told me that it is
>an offense punishable by death to allow a non-Jew to read the Talmud, but
>that sounds a little far-fetched to be true.)  If I heard wrong, then I'm
>ignorant, and I need educating.
>
>     Now I ask, is it an indecent act to hand out copies of the New Testa-
>ment?  Is it an indecent act to be anything other than...No, I'm going to
>refrain from finishing this sentence.

I have not heard such nonsense in a very long time.  I would not
be surprised if the original source of such "information" is an Arab
or Communist propaganda organ, which is trying to defame Israel
in any way it can.

To the actual points raised:

a.  There are over half a million non-Jewish citizens in Israel,
    Christian and Moslems.  Non-Jews can become  naturalized
    citizens of Israel in a process (it takes 3 to 5 years) 
    very similar to the US naturalization process.  (Precise 
    information on naturalization is available from the Israeli 
    consulate near you).   Jews are eligible for automatic
    citizenship via the law of return.  This actually takes about
    one year.  

b.  The New-Testament is available in book stores and libraries in
    Israel.  There are no restrictions on the sale or reading the NT.
    I used to have a copy of the NT at home while I lived in Israel,
    *which I did for 30 years.*

c.  The history curriculum of the secular public schools includes
    a study of the origins and the history of Christianity. 
    As a part of the literature program, I studied in
    high school Tabak's fiction novel: "The Man from Nazarath". 
    This novel gives a very favorable view of Jesus the man.
    Israeli youth do learn about Christianity from historical
    literature, and somewhat from religious point of view.

d.  "The study of the talmud by Non-Jews is punishable by death."
    This is one of the most invidious charges I have heard in a
    very long time. Didn't you hear that Jews are using
    the blood of Christian children to bake Passover bread?
    Your information can only be compared to the blood libel stories
    propagated by Christians in the past.   Incidentally,
    the only person executed in Israel--since the establishment 
    of the state of Israel--was the Nazi criminal Adolph Eichman.  
    He would have undoubtly loved to hear and spread the type of 
    misinformation that Mr. Black presented to the net.

e.  Non-Jews in Israel vote in the parliamentary elections,
    and send representatives to the Israeli parliament. 

e.  Christian missionaries can legally operate in Israel.
    The only restrictions on missionaries is that they can
    not bribe, give money or gifts, etc in their proselyting
    efforts.  As I interpret it, missionaries can not give the
    NT to their objects of proselytizations, as this might be
    viewed technically as an act of a giving gift.  If the NT
    is given for non-proselyting purpose, say by a library,
    then the above restriction does not apply.  I got my NT
    from a Christian organization in Israel.  I cannot recall
    whether I got it free or paid for it.

I think that I clearly demonstrated that Black is completely
misinformed.  If the rest of Mr.  Black's information
is as credible as his information on Jews and Israel,  I
strongly recommend that he recheck the credibility of his
sources.  

-- 

Yosi Hoshen, Bell Laboratories
Naperville, Illinois, (312)-979-7321, Mail: ihnp4!ihuxn!jho