World Jewish Adventist Friendship Center

tampasteve

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If this does not belong in the "Traditional Adventists" forum I apologize. Is anyone in the SDA family familiar with this part of the SDA? I am a gentile Messianic Judaism follower and just found out about this organization. I suppose it makes sense given the overlap of some beliefs, such as Sabbath observance. I am just looking for more information on it as there is a synagogue near me that is affiliated with them.
 

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Interesting. Never heard of that before.

Here is their website:
World Jewish-Adventist Friendship Center - Home

They even have a synagogue on the Andrews campus. Impressive!

From their "Who we are" page:


The World Jewish Adventist Friendship Center is a multinational organization dedicated to fostering mutual respect, dialogue, understanding, education and research between Israel and the church, especially between Jews and Adventists. The closeness and similarities between Adventism and Judaism (Style of life, Sabbath, Messiah etc.) give them the unique opportunity to generate interfaith dialogue at the highest levels, bringing together Jewish and Adventist leaders and renowned scholars.

Many Jews now recognize that Jesus is the Messiah of Israel. The World Jewish Adventist Friendship Center therefore provides a place within the Seventh-day Adventist denomination for every Jew who is waiting for the second coming of Jesus our Messiah to worship God in the context of their faith without denying their own culture.

These congregations are called:
- "Beth Bnei Tzion"
- "Beth Bnei Shalom"
- or in a simpler way Jewish-Adventist synagogues.

This site is owned and maintained by the World Jewish Adventist Friendship Center, which is active all over the world through the Adventist network. Its headquarters is in Jerusalem, Israel.

We hope you will enjoy your visit.

Richard Elofer
World Jewish Adventist Friendship Center Director
 
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tampasteve

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Interesting. Never heard of that before.

Here is their website:
World Jewish-Adventist Friendship Center - Home

They even have a synagogue on the Andrews campus. Impressive!

From their "Who we are" page:


The World Jewish Adventist Friendship Center is a multinational organization dedicated to fostering mutual respect, dialogue, understanding, education and research between Israel and the church, especially between Jews and Adventists. The closeness and similarities between Adventism and Judaism (Style of life, Sabbath, Messiah etc.) give them the unique opportunity to generate interfaith dialogue at the highest levels, bringing together Jewish and Adventist leaders and renowned scholars.

Many Jews now recognize that Jesus is the Messiah of Israel. The World Jewish Adventist Friendship Center therefore provides a place within the Seventh-day Adventist denomination for every Jew who is waiting for the second coming of Jesus our Messiah to worship God in the context of their faith without denying their own culture.

These congregations are called:
- "Beth Bnei Tzion"
- "Beth Bnei Shalom"
- or in a simpler way Jewish-Adventist synagogues.

This site is owned and maintained by the World Jewish Adventist Friendship Center, which is active all over the world through the Adventist network. Its headquarters is in Jerusalem, Israel.

We hope you will enjoy your visit.

Richard Elofer
World Jewish Adventist Friendship Center Director

Yes, it is interesting. They seem to be a small group, about 9 synagogues in the US right now, more in other countries as well. But they are relatively new, only opening synagogues anywhere since around 1999.
 
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Dave-W

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They seem to be a small group, about 9 synagogues in the US right now, more in other countries as well.
Probably the one thing Berrien Springs does not need is another Adventist congregation. They are not even a city, but a village and have well over a dozen SDA congregations.

But I guess for a Messianic synagogue, an exception could be made. :)
 
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Gary K

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If this does not belong in the "Traditional Adventists" forum I apologize. Is anyone in the SDA family familiar with this part of the SDA? I am a gentile Messianic Judaism follower and just found out about this organization. I suppose it makes sense given the overlap of some beliefs, such as Sabbath observance. I am just looking for more information on it as there is a synagogue near me that is affiliated with them.

This is the first time I've heard of this.
 
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Gary K

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One other thought along these lines. There was an SDA outreach to Jews a 100+ years ago headed by F.C. Gilbert, a Jew who became an SDA in his early 20s, if I remember correctly. I do know he was born in 1867 and he published a book on his conversion story in 1911. In that book he talks about the first years of his mission of bringing Jesus to his fellow Jews. So his mission had to have started close to the turn of the 20th century.
 
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Dave-W

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he was born in 1867 and he published a book on his conversion story in 1911.
Interesting. The Modern Messianic Movement was started in that same time frame. Orthodox Rabbi Isaac Lichtenstein came to faith in the 1880s in Rumania, and Chassidic Rabbi Joseph Rabinowitz came to faith in Moscow also in the 1880s. By the mid 1890s, he had started Messianic synagogues in several Russian cities.
In 1892 Orthodox Rabbi Leopold Cohn moved from Hungary to New York City. He had recently realized who the Messiah was. He established an outreach there that is today known as Chosen People Ministries.
 
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Gary K

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Interesting. The Modern Messianic Movement was started in that same time frame. Orthodox Rabbi Isaac Lichtenstein came to faith in the 1880s in Rumania, and Chassidic Rabbi Joseph Rabinowitz came to faith in Moscow also in the 1880s. By the mid 1890s, he had started Messianic synagogues in several Russian cities.
In 1892 Orthodox Rabbi Leopold Cohn moved from Hungary to New York City. He had recently realized who the Messiah was. He established an outreach there that is today known as Chosen People Ministries.

I was not aware of when the Messianic movement started and how it was basically a simultaneous world wide movement. But it doesn't surprise me as the Holy Spirit never works through only one or two people. He works upon the hearts of millions of people at the same time on the same issues to prepare the way. These rabbis could have never succeeded if the Holy Spirit had not been preparing the hearts of those who joined the movement long before the rabbis began organizing the movement by starting the synagogues.
 
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EastCoastRemnant

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I notice that this is a joint venture between Judaism and Adventists, not necessarily Messianic. The site does say that many Jews now accept Christ as the Messiah but don't think this is the case within mainline Judaism. This looks like a Messianic/Adventist collaboration.

To me, this appears the same as other ecumenical partnerships we are making with Babylon... not sure why? Sharing our faith and giving Biblical reasoning for our pillars and platform is fine, but these melting pot councils usually dilute both doctrines, imo
 
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I notice that this is a joint venture between Judaism and Adventists, not necessarily Messianic. The site does say that many Jews now accept Christ as the Messiah but don't think this is the case within mainline Judaism. This looks like a Messianic/Adventist collaboration.

To me, this appears the same as other ecumenical partnerships we are making with Babylon... not sure why? Sharing our faith and giving Biblical reasoning for our pillars and platform is fine, but these melting pot councils usually dilute both doctrines, imo

I agree. As to the why, I think that's pretty apparent. SDA doctrines are under attack from within the church by a growing segment who are more or less non-Adventists but still take the name, and want to destroy faith in our Biblical teachings. I've seen too much of it to doubt what's going on. There's a growing number of so-called SDAs who don't even take the Bible as the inerrant word of God anymore. They have doctrines they want to believe, and if the Bible doesn't agree with them, out the door goes the Bible. It's what we have been told would happen but it's still hard to see.
 
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tampasteve

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I notice that this is a joint venture between Judaism and Adventists, not necessarily Messianic. The site does say that many Jews now accept Christ as the Messiah but don't think this is the case within mainline Judaism. This looks like a Messianic/Adventist collaboration.

To me, this appears the same as other ecumenical partnerships we are making with Babylon... not sure why? Sharing our faith and giving Biblical reasoning for our pillars and platform is fine, but these melting pot councils usually dilute both doctrines, imo
It is Messianic, not mainline or Rabbinic. You are correct, in mainline Rabbinic and Karaite Judaism Yeshua/Jesus is not seen as the Messiah. These people believe in Him as the Messiah. It is not an ecumenical outreach like say, the RCC to Islam and Hinduism. The naming of the group is a bit misleading as it makes it seem like an ecumenical group when it really is not.

I agree. As to the why, I think that's pretty apparent. SDA doctrines are under attack from within the church by a growing segment who are more or less non-Adventists but still take the name, and want to destroy faith in our Biblical teachings. I've seen too much of it to doubt what's going on. There's a growing number of so-called SDAs who don't even take the Bible as the inerrant word of God anymore. They have doctrines they want to believe, and if the Bible doesn't agree with them, out the door goes the Bible. It's what we have been told would happen but it's still hard to see.

From what I understand it is not really a dilution of SDA principals, more an SDA movement that believes in the SDA 28 principals but worships in a Jewish way. In other words, they believe in the same things as the SDA Church, but with a Jewish style of worship and Liturgy. In my opinion this could be a more authentic way for Jewish heritage believers in Yeshua to worship Him. There is no reason to give up their tradition (little T) so long as it is not seen as giving salvation - which it is not.

Also, the movement is very small with only a few synagogues, all of which are also small.

That said, I could be wrong about my perception of the movement.
 
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Dave-W

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From what I understand it is not really a dilution of SDA principals, more an SDA movement that believes in the SDA 28 principals but worships in a Jewish way.
I did not get a chance to visit the one on Andrews campus.

I do wonder how they deal with the other Lev 23 appointed times, and replacement theology which seems to be a core tenet of the SDA denomination.
 
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tampasteve

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I did not get a chance to visit the one on Andrews campus.

I do wonder how they deal with the other Lev 23 appointed times, and replacement theology which seems to be a core tenet of the SDA denomination.
Yeah, I have no idea...getting information on the group seems to be rather difficult other than going and asking someone of authority.
 
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