May 18 1998

ARTICLE TOOLS

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An agreement designed to defuse the tension surrounding an "antimissionary" bill aimed at Christian and Messianic Jew activity in Israel (CT, Feb. 9, 1998, p. 86) has generated controversy of its own.

Drafted by an ad-hoc committee of Jewish and Christian leaders, the agreement between 50 local "representative Christian bodies" and Knesset member Nissim Zvilli was supposed to provide an assurance of goodwill on the part of the Christians. In return, Labor party leader Zvilli would withdraw his support for the bill.

At the last minute, however, some Christian groups declared they would not sign because Zvilli told the Associated Press the agreement was "better than a law," and that it meant that Israeli Christian organizations would stop all missionary activity.

Not so, says Chuck Kopp, president of the United Council of Churches in Israel, one of the dissenters. "We have not surrendered our right to speak freely about our faith," Kopp says. Baruch Maoz, chair of the Messianic Action Committee, says, "Asking Messianic Jews not to witness is like telling the Labor party that it can continue to exist only on the condition that it stops trying to win elections."

Despite Zvilli's remarks, most of the Christian groups agreed to refrain from aggressive missionary efforts targeting Jews.

Maoz warns that the fight is still not over. "No amount of explaining can make up for the wrong impression" given by Zvilli's remarks, says Maoz. "Many Knesset members cannot afford to vote against this bill, so they will simply abstain, opening the way for a slim majority."

A new, much harsher bill has been drafted by Rafael Pinchasi of the religious Shas party in response to what Pinchasi called the "weakening" of the original bill.