Tragedy in Ashdod

Persecution against Messianic Jews has increased lately in Israel, and last Monday night, February 21st, nearly 1,000 protesters gathered outside a Messianic congregation in Ashdod to spew hatred and lies. The event was organized by Yad L'Achim and was attended by many well-known rabbis who participated in delivering virulent speeches - spewing the typical epithets that Messianic Jews are stealing Jewish souls, prey on children, and equating us with Hitler.

Quoted from the Yinon blog.

You can find more links to the complete story at Judah Himango's Weekly Bracha 52 blog post. I've already been somewhat melancholy about the state of faith in general and the Messianic movement specifically, but reading the Ashdod story resulted in my feeling a profound sadness and remembering these words of the Master:

However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth? -Luke 18:8

Supposedly he will, otherwise why return, right? I know just a little bit about trying to grow closer to someone with the desire to help and become connected, only to be rebuffed and sometimes reviled. It must be thousands of times worse for these Jews to be yelled at and feel hated by their own people. Sure, these angry Israeli Jews have a good reason to feel threatened by what they think are "missionaries", but was the "hate fest" really necessary?

What can I say except, may the Messiah come swiftly and in our day.

And if you gaze for long into an abyss, the abyss gazes also into you. -Friedrich Nietzsche

The road is long and we are surrounded by darkness.