It has been said about life in Israel that the only thing you can expect is the unexpected. A recent unexpected but encouraging development has been the slow return of tourism to Israel. For many months, the streets of downtown Jerusalem have been practically deserted. Now they are alive with people.
Just down and across from our office, on the main pedestrian shopping street, a street fair is taking place from Wednesday through Saturday nights. In addition to the tourists, the fair draws many young people and families. The influence of the new age movement is very much in evidence. From the stalls selling imports from the Far East to musical performances with Indian drums, to the fragrance of incense and spices, everywhere you look there are glimpses of India.
In this milieu, the ongoing Caspari program "Jews in the East," assumes increasing importance. The "Jews in the East" program offers a course to educate people about the increasing movement of Israeli youth to Eastern religions and practices. Since the launch of this program in 2001, Caspari has sent three Jerusalem trained teams to the Far East. The most recent team left in early July 2004.
Our aim had been to send two teams a year. This has proved to be impossible. For that reason, we are focusing on recruiting only one team a year. We will, however, offer training twice yearly. The training is open to the general public. We are interested in receiving participants from abroad both for the training and to join the yearly team. If you are young, have a heart to see the gospel reach Israelis and can commit yourself for either a one or a 4 month activity, please contact us at
for more information.
This issue of our newsletter particularly highlights our journal "Mishkan." This publication has recently undergone major changes. We are taking this opportunity to introduce our newsletter readers to the "new" Mishkan.
In addition to the article about Mishkan, you will see what's new at Caspari and our regular column with excerpts from the Caspari Center Media Review. As always, we have a section devoted to our prayer needs. The needs we present are long term. We invite you to join with our work in prayer.
There are many ways to support the ministry of the Caspari Center. This current newsletter will show you some ways to become more active supporters of the ministry. With the barrage of information that characterizes the times in which we live, we thank you for taking time to read this newsletter. Your interest and support matter to us.
Mishkan - What's in the Name?
Mishkan is a Hebrew word with several meanings. It is the word used for the tabernacle in the wilderness. The word also means dwelling and is the word used in John 1:12 to express what the Messiah came to do: to dwell among us to reveal God's glory. But it is also - chosen because of these meanings - the name of the journal published by Caspari Center. The first issues carried the subtitle A Theological Forum on Jewish Evangelism. It was then broadened and changed to the present: A Forum on the Gospel and the Jewish People.
When veteran readers of the journal Mishkan received the summer, 2003 issue they were in for a surprise. Instead of the receiving the usual light blue magazine with the familiar fragmented drawing of the Menorah on the front, they found a very colorful journal with thought-provoking pictures. Some thought the change was due to the unusual topic dealt with in that specific issue - "New Age Influence on Post Modern Judaism." They were convinced of the change's permanence six months later when the issue on "The Divinity of the Messiah," - a more traditional Mishkan topic - arrived carrying the same colorful cover and engaging pictures. Faithful subscribers were in for another surprise when they received their summer 2004 issue. A new and inviting graphic design and reader-friendly layout graced the inside of the journal as well.
Mishkan is now due for another big change. Since the journal was launched in 1984 it has been a semi-annual journal with a spring and a fall issue. Each issue has contained 70-110 pages - about 200 pages per year of theology, missiology, book reviews, and news from Israel and the Messianic Jewish world. Beginning in 2005, Mishkan will be a quarterly journal. Each issue will have fewer pages than the semi-annual journal but annually subscribers will receive not only more issues, but also more material. The additional pages will offer several concise news articles both from Israel and the Messianic Jewish scene worldwide. These articles supplement what has been the trademark of Mishkan - relevant and serious theological and missiological articles on issues related to Jewish evangelism and the Messianic Jewish movement. Mishkan began as a journal published by the United Christian Council in Israel (UCCI). As the publisher, UCCI served as an umbrella organization for several groups and organizations sharing a desire to be a voice for the Messianic scene in Israel and elsewhere. The journal was to be a platform for theological reflection on issues related to the Messianic movement and that expressed an evangelical viewpoint on the development of Christian-Jewish relations. Since Mishkan's inception, Caspari Center for Biblical and Jewish Studies has made significant contributions to the journal, being responsible for subscriptions, printing and, eventually, editing. In 2001 Caspari Center became the owner and sole publisher of Mishkan and has since considered the journal an important part of its contribution to Jewish evangelism and the understanding of the role of the Jewish people within the Church.
Mishkan is a unique and important resource for anyone who wants to do research on the modern Messianic Jewish movement, Messianic Jewish theology, or Jewish evangelism. The many authors, whether Messianic Jewish leaders, Christian theologians or missiologists, contribute their viewpoints, insight, and research to a unique field of interest where the Old and New Testaments overlap and where the concerns of the Jewish people and the Church meet. Over its twenty year history Mishkan has accumulated a wealth of information that is to be found nowhere else. The journal has created a platform upon which controversial issues are discussed in a balanced and sound manner. The editors hope the new features in the journal, in addition to the founding concept, will attract new readers, expanding the subscriber base.
If this has stirred your interest in what has been written in the more than 4000 Mishkan pages, take a look at the Mishkan section of this website and see the list of back issues. Many of them can still be purchased through the Caspari Center, and some of the articles are available for download.
From the Pages of Mishkan
The following first appeared in Mishkan in an article by Heinrich Pedersen titled "Hinjews, JUBUs, and New Age Judaism" (Mishkan 38/2003: 39-46).
It is difficult to say how many Jews are actively involved in the different Hindu centers in the US and Europe, but the most widely spread movements in the west are all active in Israel, where it is easier to obtain a general view of their size.
According to an Osho follower at an Israeli New Age festival in 2002, there are about 200 Sannyasins in Israel, but many more Israelis participate in the numerous meditations held regularly. The follower felt it was hard to say exactly how many Osho followers there were in Israel but he would estimate it at about 3000. There are plans to build an actual Osho ashram where the Sannyasins can live permanently, but so far most of the followers have regular jobs. On the weekends and at the meditations, they don their red suits to join in the powerful meditation together.
The number of Hara Krishna followers (so-called devotees) in Israel is estimated to be equal to the number of Osho followers-i.e., a core of roughly 100-200 dedicated followers and a group of less devoted followers numbering about 3000. A comparison with Denmark, whose population is roughly the same as the Jewish population of Israel, can help to evaluate these numbers. There are 50-100 Hara Krishna devotees and 300-400 less devoted followers in Denmark.
The many different yoga movements that are represented in Israel also indicate that there are many Hinjews in Israeli society. There are a number of different Israeli yoga centers represented on the Internet; among them is the "Ashatanga yoga" which is presented as a Hebrew version of Hatha Yoga. Sahaja yoga, started by a woman, has five centers in Israel, while only one contact address can be found in Denmark.
Judging by these tentative figures it would seem that the percentage of Hinjews in Israeli society, compared to the rest of the western world, is substantially larger. At the same time it appears
It is difficult to say how many Jews are actively involved in the different Hindu centers in the US and Europe, but the most widely spread movements in the west are all active in Israel, where it is easier to obtain a general view of their size.
According to an Osho follower at an Israeli New Age festival in 2002, there are about 200 Sannyasins in Israel, but many more Israelis participate in the numerous meditations held regularly. The follower felt it was hard to say exactly how many Osho followers there were in Israel but he would estimate it at about 3000. There are plans to build an actual Osho ashram where the Sannyasins can live permanently, but so far most of the followers have regular jobs. On the weekends and at the meditations, they don their red suits to join in the powerful meditation together.
The number of Hara Krishna followers (so-called devotees) in Israel is estimated to be equal to the number of Osho followers-i.e., a core of roughly 100-200 dedicated followers and a group of less devoted followers numbering about 3000. A comparison with Denmark, whose population is roughly the same as the Jewish population of Israel, can help to evaluate these numbers. There are 50-100 Hara Krishna devotees and 300-400 less devoted followers in Denmark.
The many different yoga movements that are represented in Israel also indicate that there are many Hinjews in Israeli society. There are a number of different Israeli yoga centers represented on the Internet; among them is the "Ashatanga yoga" which is presented as a Hebrew version of Hatha Yoga. Sahaja yoga, started by a woman, has five centers in Israel, while only one contact address can be found in Denmark.
Judging by these tentative figures it would seem that the percentage of Hinjews in Israeli society, compared to the rest of the western world, is substantially larger. At the same time it appears that very few go all the way, leaving Judaism to become complete Hindus.
for more information.