By Joel Leyden
Israel News Agency
Ra'anana, Israel --- April 18, 2015 ... No, the Jews are not running to Pontius Pilate and the Romans have no crucifixions scheduled for this weekend. But someone forgot to fax the Jehovah's Witnesses that Jews do not live in Israel to become converts to Christianity.
Ra'anana residents, municipal officials, a city Chief Rabbi and the Yad L'Achim anti-assimilation organization coordinated efforts to cancel a Jehovah's Witnesses baptism ceremony today.
This is the second time that Yad L'Achim has succeeded in heading off the same baptism-of-Jews ceremony. It was first scheduled to be held in the city of Holon, just south of Tel Aviv two months ago.
The activist organization received word of the planned event, which was to be held in the city's Yad LeBanim building erected in memory of fallen IDF soldiers. City officials were contacted, and the baptism was called off.
However, the Jehovah's Witnesses missionary group found a new site for the ceremony: the MetroWest Sports Center of Raanana, between Tel Aviv and Netanya.
Once again, Yad L'Achim went into action, contacting hundreds of city residents and asking them to do what they could to have the ceremony canceled. Raanana's Chief Rabbi Yitzchak Peretz and several City Council officials were also made known of the event and the local residents' efforts to stop it.
Finally, on Wednesday, the city council members of the United Religious List of Raanana drafted a clear ultimatum to Ra'anana Mayor Ze'ev Bielski: "If the ceremony is held, we quit the city government coalition."
The party also threatened to take other action, such as organizing a protest and taking the case to the courts.
The next day, with fewer than 48 hours before the baptism, Mayor Bielski announced that the ceremony would not be held. A special protest prayer service was to have been held outside the Sports Center if the baptism had not been called off.
Yad L'Achim also notes the inter-city cooperation in this success: Deputy Mayor Rabbi Chaim Steiner of the city of Kiryat Malachi, a personal friend of Raanana's mayor, called him personally and pleaded with him to prevent the anti-Jewish ceremony.
Relations betweens Jews and Christians have never been warmer. We are the Infidels of a global conquest waged by Islamic Jihad. But please, let us respect one another's religion without trying to convert one another.
Israel may practice freedom of religion, but please respect the ancient and sacred Jewish values for which we Jews embrace. Israel allows individuals to practice their own religion but there are laws that specifically prohibit proselytizing.
And after all, we don't go around telling you not to eat pork or attempting to behead you.
Want to convert someone?
Go to Syria, Sudan, Iran, Qatar, Saudi Arabia or Iraq - not Israel.
And after all, we don't go around telling you not to eat pork or attempting to behead you.
Want to convert someone?
Go to Syria, Sudan, Iran, Qatar, Saudi Arabia or Iraq - not Israel.
