956

News Flash! Missionary Concert Is Cancelled.

A concert, originally scheduled for August 9, 2011 (Tisha b’Av), in Earl Bales Park in Toronto, by ‘Jew for Jesus’ missionary Dan David, has been cancelled due, in part, to the successful and unceasing counter-missionary efforts of JEWS FOR JUDAISM to thwart this Hebrew-Christian missionary’s event.

The original warning, issued to Toronto’s Jewish community leaders, on July 29, follows:

Warning To The Toronto Jewish Community: Upcoming “jewish-flavoured” Concert At Earl Bales Park Is Not What It Appears To Be
“Israeli Folk Music” Performer Scheduled for this August 9th Event Is Actually a Local “Jew for Jesus” Missionary!

When Julius Ciss noticed the huge poster promoting a “Jewish-flavoured”concert at Earl Bales Amphitheatre displayed in a Toronto kosher eatery, it wasn’t only the August 9th date – Tisha b’Av, the fast day of national Jewish mourning – that shocked him. As the Executive Director of Jews for Judaism, Canada’s counter-missionary organization, Ciss immediately recognized the kippah-wearing performer featured in the poster, Dan David, a rising star in Toronto’s “Hebrew-Christian” missionary community.

This concert is being presented by the City of Toronto’s Parks Department as part of its summer series. The City’s promotional listings describe Dan David as simply an “Israeli Folk Group.” David’s promotional poster is obviously designed to attract a Jewish audience. Aside from the prominent kippah on David’s head, the performance promises “Jewish-flavoured music” and claims that a “portion” of the proceeds will be donated to benefit Gilad Shalit, the Israeli soldier held captive by Hamas in Gaza since 2006.

However, even a casual glance at David’s websites and Facebook page reveals that he is anything but a simple Israeli folk group. His self-presentation focuses on how he came to faith in Yeshua (Jesus) and explains how he uses his music to “encourage

[Jews] who don’t know Yeshua to seek after him.” David describes his work as a “ministry” and his Hoshiana Ministries explains how he sees himself working in tandem with “other [evangelical Christian] ministries that share the gospel of the Messiah.” David regularly performs throughout North America for Christian missionary organizations that target Jewish people for conversion. It seems clearly evident that he is guilty of a lack of full-disclosure in promoting this concert.

An article about David in a Christian publication “The Messianic Times” revealed that he was born in Ukraine in 1977 to Jewish parents. His family name is Aronovitch, and they moved with him to Israel when he was one-year old. Eleven years later, they resettled in Montreal. He later came to Toronto and enrolled at York University. David was exposed to Christians in the music industry and eventually embraced their faith. At first, his parents were strongly opposed to his religious explorations, but eventually they also converted after watching him perform on a Christian television show. Today, they all attend a missionary church called the City of David “Messianic Synagogue” in Thornhill, Ontario.

Rabbi Michael Skobac, Director of Education and Counselling at Jews for Judaism, explained that the primary danger inherent in this event will not come from David’s performance. “Most of those attending will be his fan base from among fellow Messianic Jews and evangelical Christians. However, it is highly likely that they will mingle with Jews attending the concert and use the event as an opportunity to befriend Jewish people and share their Christian faith with them.”

Fortunately for us, Dan David’s monumental blunder was to schedule his concert on August 9th, which coincides with Tisha b’Av, the 9th day of the Hebrew month of Av. As most Jews are aware, music is prohibited on this historical day of national mourning for the destruction of the First and Second Temples in Jerusalem.

“Jews for Judaism is concerned that some members of Toronto’s Jewish community will fall prey to this ruse and be duped into thinking that this deceptive missionary ploy is actually a bona fide Jewish concert sponsored by the City of Toronto,” warns Julius Ciss. “Many secular Jews and recent Jewish immigrants are not aware of the solemnity of the fast day of Tisha b’Av. Unfortunately, these vulnerable Jews will not know that any reputable Jewish musician would never perform on this very sad day in the Jewish calendar.” To learn more about the Hebrew-Christian and Jews for Jesus movements and how to respond to Christian missionaries who challenge Jewish faith, visit the various pages on this Jews for Judaism website,