Heichal Shlomo’s Incomplete Response to Evangelical Deception

The management of Heichal Shlomo has informed Jewish Israel that evangelical missionary Christine Darg and Women on the Walls will not be holding any “worship convocation” in Heichal Shlomo’s Renanim Synagogue. Nor will there be any “Daughter of Israel” banquet held in Heichal Shlomo on October 1, 2009 as was advertised.

The prayer event and banquet sponsored by Missionary Christine Darg of Exploits Minstries was billed as a prelude to the International Christian Embassy’s Feast of the Tabernacles, and members affiliated with ICEJ and the Knesset Christian Allies Caucus were advertised as being featured speakers.

Shamai Keinan, manager of Heichal Shlomo, informed Jewish Israel that the Orthodox facility was deceived by the organizers of the event . As he understood it, Darg’s group was simply booked for a tour of the Jewish Heritage Museum. Earlier in the week, Jewish Israel was told that Knesset Member and Chairman of the Knesset Christian Allies Caucus , Dudu Rotem, was scheduled to deliver a lecture to the evangelical group at Heichal Shlomo. But today Keinan denied that any such lecture was scheduled.

Last week a concerned friend of Jewish Israel's forwarded us the invitation from Christine Darg to the worship convocation and banquet. The staff at Jewish Israel immediately contacted our Rabbinic Advisor, Rabbi Dr. Sholom Gold, who alerted Rabbi Chaim Wasserman and Rabbi Jeffrey Bienenfeld – Co-Presidents of the Council of Young Israel Rabbis in Israel. CYIR has offices in Heichal Shlomo. Meetings and mediation took place immediately.

Jewish Israel would like to thank the rabbis involved for their prompt and effective action, and for being readily available to Jewish Israel.

There remain some outstanding questions and concerns. Darg’s group remains scheduled for a tour of the Jewish Heritage Museum at Heichal Shlomo.

Jewish Israel would have preferred that Heichal Shlomo bar this particular evangelical group from stepping foot in the Orthodox facility altogether, as Darg’s organizers deceived the management. In addition, Christine Darg and her husband have a known missionary history of targeting the Jewish people in Israel for conversion. In the past, Christine Darg has used video footage of her contacts with the Orthodox establishment to further her agenda of spreading Christianity throughout Israel.

Had it not been for the quick action of Jewish Israel and the rabbis involved, Heichal Shlomo and by extension Israel’s Torah observant community would have found themselves in a very embarrassing and compromising situation.

We also would like to know how much of a role, if any, the Knesset Christian Allies Caucus and the International Christian Embassy in Jerusalem had in the planning of these events.

This episode illustrates the urgency for rabbinic guidelines and government legislation to regulate the Israel-evangelical relationship. And it certainly validates Jewish Israel’s call for accountability and responsibility.

Jewish Israel will keep you posted.

Related Post: Heichal Shlomo Deceived by Missionary Group (UPDATED)