I grew up in an assimilated Jewish family and, as a teenager, was devastated when my parents divorced. I tried to distract myself by dabbling in the New Age world of the occult and Eastern gurus who had attracted so many of my friends.
I was seeking peace from the pain of life, but unfortunately none of these avenues provided solid answers to my many questions. Around this time, a Christian woman befriended me and invited me to her church where I found the atmosphere to be warm spiritually. The teachings truly resonated with me, and after five months of increasing involvement, I was baptized.
As the only Jew in a sea of gentiles, I started to yearn for my “Jewishness.” When I noticed a newspaper ad for a “Messianic” congregation that worshipped on Shabbat instead of Sunday, I believed I had discovered the best of both worlds. Now I could enjoy being Jewish and worship Jesus at the same time.
One day, I received a newsletter from Jews for Judaism. I had already heard about this organization from a number of “Messianic” groups in Toronto who warned me to stay away from this “demonic” group and never read any of its material. Nevertheless, I felt compelled to confront the “enemy” and I called Jews for Judaism.
While on the phone with Julius Ciss, I was determined to win him over to the Christian faith. Suddenly, he truly shocked me by revealing that he had once been a “Jew for Jesus” for over five years. Eventually, he came to understand that Jesus was not the Jewish Messiah and he returned to Judaism. I was stunned! I tried to argue with him, but he patiently countered all of my arguments and encouraged me to attend Jews for Judaism’s Survival Seminar taught by Rabbi Michael Skobac.
Armed with a large pile of Christian books, I arrived at the seminar, prepared to do battle. Boy, was I in for a rude awakening! Rabbi Skobac astonished me with his vast knowledge about Christian faith. It was obvious that he knew the “New Testament” much better than all the leaders of my “Messianic” congregation. I was amazed at his ability to thoroughly dismantle the theology that I had come to accept.
Rabbi Skobac totally shook the foundations of my belief in Jesus. I had come to undermine this Jews for Judaism’s program, and I certainly did not expect the tables to be turned on me so dramatically! Julius Ciss and Rabbi Skobac invited me to their homes for Shabbat, and as my thirst for discovering my Jewishness increased, they introduced me to other families and classes in the community. I bless Jews for Judaism for rescuing me from a near-disastrous religious detour in my life. Meeting them when I did was one of the best things that has ever happened to me!
