Aryeh Kaplan, NCSY/OU, 1976/1985
This short book is part of a genre of anti-missionary literature that sprung up in response to aggressive missionary activities directed at Jews by some evangelical groups. Kaplan’s book is not interested per se in Christianity, rather in ensuring that Jewish know how to respond to missionaries should they be targeted. The book (which is only 105 pages long) consists of a selection of essays, most by Rabbi Kaplan, the rest by other contemporary Jewish thinkers. Rabbi Berel Wein considers ‘ecumenicism and dialogue’ by examining the disputation of the Ramban, while Kaplan focuses more on the issues of Messianic teaching, the reason that Jews cannot consider Jesus to be the Messiah, and the sad reality of the life of a Jew who has become a Christian. One of the most moving and inspiring parts of the book is the final chapter, which details the life of a girl who became a ‘Messianic Jew’ at university and how she eventually found her way back to Judaism. Kaplan’s book is measured, but hard-hitting when it needs to be; he is only interested in sparring with Christians when Jewish kids are at stake. An important resource that I have used countless times.
