List of Messianic Jews and Hebrew Christians

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Messianic Jews and Hebrew-Christians strictly speaking are Jewish by birth, ancestry, or culture, but believe that Jesus (whom Messianic Jews generally call Yeshua) is the Messiah, a position rejected by all recognized branches of Judaism. The two movements are distinct but have certain similarities.

Members of congregations and organizations specifically affiliated with the self-described Messianic Jewish movement, which seeks to express its faith in Yeshua in ways that are recognizably "Jewish", generally call themselves Messianic Jews.

Many Catholic and Protestant congregations have members of Jewish birth or ancestry who continue to regard themselves as ethnic Jews: these are generally known as Hebrew-Christians, Jewish-Christians, or Christian-Jews.

Although the distinction between Messianic Jews and Hebrew-Christians is not rigid, and some persons (such as Moishe Rosen) self-identify in both categories, there are enough differences between the two movements for many to regard them as separate.

In Israel Jewish Christians and Messianic Jews all refer to themselves in Hebrew as Yehudim Meshichim - literally Messianic Jews.

[edit] Messianic Jews

• Jonathan Bernis - evangelist.
• Ron Cantor - evangelist, now based in Israel. Associated with the Brownsville Revival in Pensacola, Florida.
• Joel Chernoff - General Secretary of the MJAA and President of the International Messianic Jewish Alliance, and lead singer of the music group "Lamb".
• Aviad Cohen - music entertainer who sometimes uses the stage name "50 Shekel"[1]
• Jamie Cowen - President of the United Messianic Jewish Congregations and Rabbi of Tikvat Israel in Richmond, VA.
• Stuart Dauerman Messianic Jewish theologian and rabbi of Congragation Ahavat Zion in Los Angeles
• Mitch Glazer - evangelist, president of Chosen People Ministries, former board member of Jews for Jesus
• Marty Goetz - singer/songwriter and pianist, leader of worship.
• Rick Gozhanskij - Founder of Powered By HaDavar in Watson, Louisiana.
• Asher Intrater - Formerly known as Keith Intrater, he is an evangelist and theologian, now based in Israel.
• Art Katz - Jewish minister and founder of Ben Israel, a community of end time training and refuge for Jews in flight.
• Dan Juster - Messianic theologian
• Rabbi Isaac Lichtenstein (1824-1909) - A Rabbi in Tapio Szele, Hungary. He became a follower of Jesus in his middle-years.
• Netzer (band) - Messianic Jewish rock band
• Josiah Rosen - singer/songwriter, founder and former member of Augustana (band)
• Sid Roth - evangelist, and host of Messianic Vision, a daily radio show. Author of Something for Nothing, The Spiritual Rebirth of a Jew.
• Jonathan Sarfati, New Zealand chess champion and advocate of Young Earth Creationism.
• David H. Stern Messianic Jewish theologian, and author, currently living in Israel.
• Martin "Marty" Waldman - past president of UMJC, founder of Toward Jerusalem Council II (TJC II), Congregational Leader of Baruch HaShem Messianic Synagogue] in Dallas, Texas. [2]
• Paul Wilbur - singer/songwriter
• John Fieldsend - Escaped to England from Nazi Europe on the Kindertransport. Author of Messianic Jews, Challenging Church and Synagogue (1993 Monarch Publications).
• Rachmiel Frydland - Born to an Orthodox Jewish family near Chelm in the Lublin district of Poland. Died in 1985. Author of What the Rabbis Know About the Messiah (Messianic Publishing co, Ohio
• Burt Yellin - Born and raise to an Orthodox family in New York, he is Messianic Rabbi of Congregation Roeh Israel in Denver USA and author of Messiah, A Rabbinic and Scriptural Viewpoint (1984 published by Congregation Roeh Israel
• Victor Buksbazen - Author of The Gospel in The Feasts of Israel (1954, CLC)
• Solomon Ostrovsky - Born in Tagancha, Ukraine and pioneer of the Israeli Messianic Jewish community and author of books in Hebrew and English including Moses on The Witness Stand.
• Helen Shapiro - Born to Jewish parents in London 28th September 1946. Became an international superstar aged 15 with her hit Walking Back to Happiness, which is also the name of her biography (1993, Harper Collins)
• Paul Liberman - Born to Jewish parents in America. He is current Executive Director of the International Messianic Jewish Alliance [3] and one of the leaders of Ohav Shalom Messianic congregation in California. He is author of The Fig Tree Blossoms, Messianic Judaism Emerges. (Fountain Press, 2005 reprint)
• Steve Maltz - Born to Jewish parents in England. Author of Land of Many Names and People of Many Names.
• Lydia Buksbazen - Born to Jewish parents and author of They Looked for a City.
• David J. Rudolph - Author of Growing Your Olive Tree Marriage, a guide for couples from two traditions and The Voice of the Lord Messianic Jewish Daily Devotional.
• Dr Louis Goldberg - Author of several books including Our Jewish Friends, Are There Two Ways of Atonement?, The Practical Wisdom of Proverbs,. Was Professor of Theology and Hebrew Studies at Moody Bible Institute Chicago.
• John Fischer - Messianic Rabbi of Ohr Chadash, Clearwater, Florida also Vice President of the International Messianic Jewish Alliance. His books include The Olive Tree Connection, Siddur for Messianic Jews and Messianic Services for Festivals and Holy Days.
• Dr Gershon Nerel - Israeli born Messianic Jew who prefers the title 'Yechi' - Yehudim Hasdei Yeshua: Jewish Followers of Yeshua. Served on the committee of the Messianic Jewish Alliance of Israel. Contributor to How Jewish is Christianity, 2 Views on The Messianic Movement. (Zondervan, 2003, edited by Louis Goldberg)
• Joseph Shulam - Born to Jewish parents in Bulgaria in 1946. His parents immigrated to Israel in 1948. He is leader of Kehillat Roeh Israel in Jerusalem. [4] He has co-written The Jewish Roots of Romans and The Jewish Roots of Acts.
• Sha'ul Zuela - Born in Israel in 1951 in a tent in Hadera to Orthodox Jewish parents from Iraq. Leader of Israeli Messianic Jewish congregation.
• Menachem Benhayim - Born in America to Orthodox Jewish parents immigrated to Israel in 1963. Author of Land of Promise and Israel Secretary of the International Messianic Jewish Alliance till his death. He authored Jews, Gentiles and the New Testament.
• Israel Harel - Born in Israel to Jewish parents in Kibbutz Chulda. Messianic Jewish teacher in Israel.[5]
• Ilan Zamir - Born in Israel to Jewish parents. First chairman of the Messianic Jewish Alliance of Israel (1994-1999).
• Boaz Fastman - Born in Israel to Jewish parents. Current General Secretary of the Messianic Jewish Alliance of Israel. [6]
• Moshe Emmanuel Ben Meir - Born in Israel in 1905 to Orthodox Jewish parents. A pioneer of the Israeli Messianic Jewish movement. His autobiographical journal From Jerusalem to Jerusalem was published in Hebrew. He was founder and editor of Tal (Dew) the third Messianic Jewish journal in Hebrew in Israel.
• Ze’ev Shlomo Kofsman - Born to Jewish parents and pioneer of the Israeli Messianic Movement. In 1960 he co-founded the second Messianic journal in Hebrew called Ha Lapid.
• Dr. Michael Schiffman - Born to Jewish parents in America. Author of Return of the Remnant-The Rebirth of Messianic Judiasm.

[edit] Hebrew-Christians

(Some may well have called themselves Messianic Jews if the term was current in their day.)

• Boris Berezovsky - exiled Russian billionaire (converted to Russian Orthodoxy)
• Niels Bohr - Danish physicist; (raised Lutheran; mother Jewish)
• Morris Cerullo - televangelist.
• Benjamin Disraeli, 1st Earl of Beaconsfield - First and only British Prime Minister of Jewish descent (1868; 1874-1880) (raised as an Anglican)
• Malcolm Fraser - Prime Minister of Australia (1975-1983) (raised Presbyterian; mother Jewish).
• Christian David Ginsburg (1831-1914), Jewish scholar, was born in Warsaw, Poland. When he converted to Christianity he took on "Christian" as his name in place of his given-name "David". He wrote several important works on the Tanakh (Old Testament), and essays on many subjects including: the Essenes, the Kabbalah, and the Karaites.
• Jamie Glazov , Russian-Canadian cyber-journalist (Jewish father & maternal grandfather, raised Christian; identifies as a Christian Jew)
• Douglas Gresham, film producer and son of Joy Gresham (q.v.)
• Joy Gresham, American writer and wife of C.S. Lewis.
• Helen Harris - founder member of Spiritual matters for women and their families; Messianic Jew by birth.
• Jakób Jocz - Lithuanian Jew who became a Christian and became Professor of Theology in Toronto.
• Timothy Laurence - Princess Anne's husband (descended from the Levy family of Iraq).
• Jean-Marie Lustiger - Catholic Cardinal and Archbishop of Paris
• Alexander Men - Russian Orthodox priest and martyr.
• Felix Mendelssohn - composer (1809-1847)
• Bernard Nathanson - former abortionist turned pro-life activist. Converted to Catholicism.
• Robert Novak - journalist; convert to Catholicism; calls himself a "cultural Jew."
• Harry Oppenheimer - South African billionaire (converted to Anglicanism)
• Howard Phillips - American conservative activist; founder of U.S. Taxpayers Party / Constitution Party
• Jay Sekulow - Runs conservative legal group ACLJ.
• Vladimir Spivakov - Russian conductor and violinist.
• Karl Stern - neuropsychiatrist and author, convert to Catholicism. Author of Pillar of Fire (1951).
• Stan Telchin - author. (Formerly a Messianic Jew, but has since written a book and articles critical of the Messianic movement.)
• Mordechai Vanunu - Israeli nuclear technician
• Richard Wurmbrand - Romanian underground church leader; founder of Voice of the Martyrs.
• Yochanan Ben Yehuda - A Nashville, TN based Italian producer.
• David Levy Yulee - U.S. Senator from Florida; the first person of Jewish descent to serve in the Senate. (source)
• Israel (Eugenio) Zolli - Chief Rabbi of Rome; converted to Catholicism.
• Dr. Max Wertheimer - born in Germany, went to Hebrew Union College in Cincinnati, Ohio. Served as rabbi for ten years in Dayton Ohio, USA
• Michele Guinness - Brought up in an Orthodox Jewish family in England. Author of Child of the Covenant (1985, Hodder and Stoughton)
• Michael Solomon Alexander - born in 1799 to an Orthodox Jewish family in Scholanke in the Grand Duchy of Posen. He was Orthodox Rabbi of Norwich and then Plymouth in England. He became convinced that Jesus was Messiah and was consecrated as first Reformed Bishop of Jerusalem in Lambeth Chapel November 17th 1841 and arrived in Jerusalem January 21st 1842. As a Jewish Christian he caused considerable controversy. He died in Ras-el-Wady on November 26th 1845.
• Tom Sangster-Wilson - born to a Jewish mother in Liverpool, England. Former Jewish gangster and co-author of Sons of Israel, Sons of God (1987, Marshall Pickering).
• Leopold Cohen - Established the American Board of Missions to the Jews in 1894.
• Dr Richard Ganz - Born in New York to an Orthodox family, now pastor of Ottawa Reformed Prebyterian Church and author of a number of books including Psychobabble: The Failure of Modern Psychology & The Biblical Alternative. [7]
• Joseph Wolff - Born 1795 at Welersland in Bavaria, son of the village Rabbi.
• Auguste Neander - Born David Mendel to Jewish parents at Gottingen 10th Janaury 1789, descendents of Moses Mendelsohn the great Jewish reformer. Became a great Church historian with his magnum opus the General History of the Christian Religion and the Church.
• Isaac De Costa - Dutch poet born January 14th 1798 in Amsterdam.
• Alfred Edersheim - Born to Jewish parents in Vienna March 7th 1825, author of numerous books, the best know being The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah.
• Dr Ferdinand C. Ewald - Born to Jewish parents September 14th 1801 at the village of Maroldsweisach near Bamberg in Bavaria. Missionary to North Africa
• Paulus Ewald - Brother of Ferdinand C. Ewald and pastor of the Lutheran Church in Merkendorf in Bavaria.
• Aaron Stern Born to Jewish parents on 11th April 1820 at Unterreichenbacn in the former Duchy of Hesse Cassel. Jewish Christian missionary to Baghdad, Constantinople and Ethiopia. Imprisoned for four and a half years by King Theodor of Ethiopia.
• John Moses Eppstein - Born to Elijah and Rose Levi at Memel in Prussia on February 24th 1827. Moved to Jerusalem aged nine to study in a Yeshiva. He was a Jewish Christian missionary in Baghdad and Smyrna and respected for his Talmudic knowledge and was a great linguist.
• Dr Paul Cassel - Born Selig Cassel to Jewish parents at Glogau in 1821. One of the most eminent theologians of the German Reformed Church in the nineteenth century and a notable writer. He was an outspoken opposition to Stoker and Wagner, the fore-runners of Hitler. The Jewish Chronicle wrote "Though he has left us, he is by no means our enemy. He still fights against those who hate the Jews." (p.58 Jewish Christian Leaders by George H. Stevens, 1966, Oliphants Ltd)
• Samuel Isaac Joseph Schereschewsky - Born to Jewish parents in the Russian Lithuanian town of Tanroggan in 1831. Jewish Christian missionary to China. In 1879 he became Bishop of Shanghai. He translated the Old Testament into Mandarin for the first time.
• Isaac Hellmuth - Born in Warsaw 14th December 1820 to strict Orthodox Jewish parents. He became Bishop of Quebec in 1846 and was professor of Hebrew and Rabbinical Literature at Bishop's College, Lennoxville. Later he was Bishop of Huron and Assistant Bishop of Hull. He authored many scholarly works including The Biblical Thesaurus in 1884 and The Divine Dispensation, a critical commentary on the Hebrew Scriptures.
• Mizra Norollah - Born to Jewish parents in Teheran, Persia, his father was court physician to the Shah. He was a Jewish Christian missionary who played a large part in the establishment of the indigenous church in Persia (Iran) still in existence today.
• David Baron - Born to Orthodox Jewish parents in 1855 in Russia and brought up in the Russian Polish town of Suvalki. Entered Rabbinical College aged 10. Author of many books including Rays of Messiah's Glory, The Servant of Jehovah, The History of the Ten "lost" Tribes and Ancient Scriptures for The Modern Jew.
• Sir Leon Levison - Born in Safed in Galilee in 1881 and son of respected Rabbi Nahum Levison. He was the first president of the International Hebrew Christian Alliance in 1925. During the 1914-1918 war he raised over £200,00 for the Jewish Relief Funds and for valuable work for the Secret Service he was Knighted by the King of England.
• Arnold Frank - Born to Jewish parents in the Slovak village of Suja in the Carpathian mountains. He edited Zion's Freund with a readership of 40,000 but was closed by the Nazis in 1936. He was elected the second president of the International Hebrew Christian Alliance in 1937.
• Isidor Loewenthal - Born of Jewish parents in Posen, in Prussian Poland, in 1826. Jewish Christian missionary to Afghanistan who translated the New Testament into Pushtu.
• Ridley Haim Herschell - Born 7th April 1807 to Orthodox Jewish parents in Strzelno, Poland. One of the founders of Britain's Evangelical Alliance. All Love, A biography of Ridley Herschell by Geoffrey Henderson HTS Media, 2007.
• Rabbi Haham Ephraim - Tiberius Rabbi and Dayan who died in Jerusalem aged 70 on 30th August 1930. He opened the Beth Doresh Emeth, the House of Seekers After Truth in Jerusalem conducting all the services in Hebrew.
• Solomon L. Ginsberg - Born to Jewish parents in Suwalki, Poland and died April 1st 1927. He was a pioneer Jewish Christian missionary to Brazil who was considered so dangerous that the authorities paid Antonio Silvino a notorious bandit, to kill him but Ginsberg led him to faith in Jesus instead! It was said that his ministry read like a modern edition of the Acts of the Apostles, in Brazil.
• Martin Goldsmith - Born to assimilated Jewish parents in England. Author of several books including Don't Just Stand There, Matthew and Mission, Islam and Christian Witness and Jesus and His Relationships.
• Dr Bernard Jean Bettelheim - Born to Orthodox Jewish parents in Pressburg, Hungary in 1811. He was proficient in 28 languages and made the first translation of parts of the Bible into Chinese and Japanese, also compiling a Japanese grammar and dictionary. On May 18th 1926 57 years after his death a monument was errected to his memory in Ryuku, Japan.
• Arthur W. Kac - President of the Hebrew Christian Alliance of America (1956-1961) and vice-president of the International Hebrew Christian Alliance (1960-1961). Author of several books including The Death and Ressurection of Israel, The Messianic Hope The Spiritual Dilemma of the Jewish People and The Messiahship of Jesus.
• Heinz W. Cassirer - Philosopher born to Jewish parents in Germany on 9th August 1903. He fled Hitler's German to England where he lectured in Philosphy at Glasgow University. and also at Corpus Christi, Oxford University. He wrote several books including Grace and Law: St. Paul, Kant and the Hebrew Prophets. His labour of love not published till after his death was God's New Covenant, A New Testament Translation.
• Sam Rotman - Born to Orthodox Jewish parents in 1950 in the USA. Concert pianist who studied at the Juilliard School of Music in New York City. [8]
• Samuel Wiseman - Born to Ultra-Orthodox Jewish parents in Tiberius 25th September 1835.
• Joseph Samuel Frey - Born in 1771 to Orthodox Jewish parents in German. He was the only Hebrew Christian missionary to the Jews in the world in 1805. 1808 he co-founded The London Society for Promoting Christianity Among the Jews. He moved the the USA founded The American Society for Meliorating the Conditions of the Jews. He authored The Divinity of the Messiah.
• Adolph Saphir - Born to Jewish parents in Hungary in 1831. Author of several books including Christ and Israel, Divine Unity of the Scriptures, The Lord's Prayer and The Good Shepherd Finding His Sheep. [9]

[edit] Messianic-Christians

(Persons who use both labels to describe themselves)

• David Brickner — Current executive director of Jews for Jesus
• Michael Brown — writer and theologian; for several years he was one of the leaders of the Brownsville Revival centered on the Brownsville Assembly of God in Pensacola, Florida. Author of four volume work Answering Jewish Objections to Jesus (Baker Book House)
• Arnold Fruchtenbaum — theologian, founder of Ariel Ministries
• Zola Levitt — author and televangelist
• Steve Myers — conservative political commentator, founder of Radio Steve and The American Renewal Foundation, and publisher of Page One News and From Here to Reality. Once trained as a rabbi; became Christian in 1982.
• Moishe Rosen — founder of Jews for Jesus
• Jonathan Sarfati — scientist and young earth creationist author and apologist.
• Stuart Sacks - born and raised in an American Orthodox Jewish family, author of books including Hebrews Through a Hebrew's Eyes (1995,Lederer) and Revealing Jesus as Messiah (1998, Christian Focus Publishing).
• Richard Harvey - Vice Principal of All Nations Christian Collage in England and joint vice-president of the British Messianic Jewish Alliance [10]
• Mark Greene - Currently Executive Director of the London Institute for Contemporary Christianity and previously Vice Principal of the London School of Theology. He is an author of several books including Thank God it's Monday.
• Tom Mayr-Lori - Born to Jewish parents in Israel. Current President of the British Messianic Jewish Alliance. [11]