The Missionary Position

Something strange is happening in London.

Specifically, in areas where Jews live.

Take last week. 15 year old Rachel heard a knock at the door and, through the spy hole, saw three Orthodox Jews standing there. Feeling perfectly safe, she opened the door.

Greeting her with warm smiles, they explained they were from the 'Beth Shalom' synagogue. Rachel didn't know of it but hey, there are plenty of synagogues in London. They were in the neighbourhood doing 'outreach' work and were keen to learn how they could engage Jewish teenagers. Might she spare them ten minutes of her time?

Knowing her mother was due home shortly, Rachel invited her fellow Jews in and made some tea. And for almost forty minutes, they enjoyed a lively conversation about Judaism, life in north west London, and sundry other topics. The men spoke Hebrew. They quoted from the Torah. They were great company.

And then one of these Orthodox Jews asked Rachel what she thought about 'Hell'.

Rachel knew that in Judaism there IS no 'hell'. Baffled, she asked 'Chaim' to elaborate.

Leaning forward and visibly concerned, Chaim asked if Rachel worried about her parents. After all, surely she didn't want them to spend 'eternity rotting in the lake of fire'? And what about her six year old sister? Chaim went on to explain that this was just what would happen - if Rachel's family failed to 'find Christ'.

So Rachel now found herself, bizarrely, with three Orthodox Jews who were preaching Christianity! Increasingly uneasy, she asked Chaim which movement within Judaism he represented.

'Messianic', came the beaming response, a 'new group in which you can remain Jewish AND still know Jesus.'

And while this did not enlighten Rachel, her mother knew precisely what it meant when she arrived home ten minutes later and threw 'Chaim' and his friends out.

You see, these 'orthodox jews' were not Jews at all.

They were Christian missionaries.

Or, as they insist: "messianic jews".

Confused?

You're in good company.

The "Messianic 'jewish'" movement has been steadily expanding across North America over the past decade. Despite claiming to be 'jewish', it is a purely Christian movement. It was founded by evangelical Christians, and it is funded 100% by evangelical Churches.

In short, the Messianic movement is about as 'jewish' as a plate of pork chops.

But don't dismiss them as some 'fringe' cult. While they may have started that way, Messianics are managing to convert thousands of naive young Jews every year from Judaism to Christianity. The most aggressive and infamous Messianic group is 'jews4jesus', but they are far from being the only group out there.

What is it that Messianics want?

Simple. The same thing that Christianity has wanted for some 2000 years: for Jews to worship Jesus.

And when all their earlier efforts to convert Jews failed, evangelists in America rebranded themselves brilliantly. Now they call their Churches 'synagogues', they address their preachers as 'rabbi', and they themselves are not 'Christians' but rather "messianic jews".

Their target audience: naive young Jews, who fall for the line that Messianics represent a 'new' jewish group which recognises Jesus.'

And right now in the UK, USA, Canada, and Australia, Messianics are doing a lot more than just knocking on the doors of Jewish homes. For they are also very busy convincing the entire NON Jewish world that they, the Messianics, are in fact the 'real jews'.

Rachel was lucky. The approach made to her was clumsy and ultimately, doomed to fail. But numerous young Jewish students away from home for the first time have been lured into Christianity without even realising it.

Take Jonathan. He was away at University, in his first year, studying Politics. When a fellow student, Suzanne, befriended him, he was delighted. He knew, of course, that she was Jewish - well, after all, she was wearing a Star Of David!

After a few weeks, Suzanne invited Jonathan to go with her to 'synagogue'. Not the one that most Jewish students at that particular University preferred but another, 'more friendly' synagogue. Jonathan said yes, and didn't give it another thought.

And on the following Friday night, he was impressed by the warm reception he got at this 'temple'. Everyone was smiling. Welcoming. The synagogue looked like every other synagogue he'd ever attended. The 'Rabbi' was charismatic, and gave an interesting and humorous service. The kiddush was lovely. Jonathan went home feeling great.

So when, a few weeks later, Suzanne and some other members of the temple suggested to Jonathan that he take a look at a wonderful 'Hebrew scripture', he shrugged and figured, 'Where's the harm?'.

Suzanne explained that the scripture was called the 'Brit Chadasha'.

She gave Jonathan some photocopied pages from it and he glanced through them. They were fairly interesting. Prettily written. He found himself impressed with the emphasis on kindness and love that appeared throughout the pages. Jonathan had never been very into religion - sure, he was Jewish, but he wasn't 'observant'.

But Suzanne was keen to discuss the scriptures and Jonathan soon found he was enjoying their chats. By the time the name 'Yeshua' came up, Jon wasn't even bothered. He liked this new form of 'messianic' Judaism that he'd been introduced to.

The problem? 'Brit Chadasha' is Hebrew for NEW TESTAMENT.

Jonathan had been studying the Christian bible without even knowing it. He was not now a "messianic jew." Rather, he was well on the way to being a practising Christian, without ever having consciously decided to even explore another faith.

And today? Jonathan himself is a devoted Christian Evangelist. And his dearest wish: to convince his family to also 'know Christ'. Not that he sees them very much; it all became too upsetting for them after Jonathan repeatedly accused them of being 'blinded to the truth' and of 'heading straight for hell'.

On the internet, Messianics are having great success. On debate forums across America and the UK, they are busy representing 'judaism' and convincing millions of well meaning non Jews that 'real jews DO embrace Jesus!'

Fortunately in some forums there are genuine Jews who are countering this deception. Even then, they come under attack from the Messianics who accuse the Jews of 'discrimination'. In other words: Jews are being told they have to accept a Christian evangelical group as part OF Judaism - or be guilty of 'discrimination'!

Already, Messianics have been hijacking Jewish festivals. At Pesach, hundreds of thousands of Messianics celebrate 'the real passover', in which Jesus is the 'sacrificial lamb'.

In short: Messianics are slowly but surely taking everything that Judaism holds as sacred, and Christianising it.

In America, the Jewish community is finally waking up to this new threat from Christian missionaries, and has organised some great resources, primarily in the form of 'Jews For Judaism', which aims to counter, specifically but not exclusively, 'jews4jesus'.

But here in the UK, while Messianics are becoming more proactive, the Jewish community remains silent. Recently, 'jews4jesus' yet again took to the streets and started bombarding the public with leaflets and books in central London. Among those who stopped to chat with them were several Jews who found their warm smiles and friendly approach 'attractive'.

And let's all be crystal clear: these evangelists have the same aim as Hitler had: they wish to eradicate us. Yep, they'll do it with smiles, and they'll claim to 'love' us, but make no mistake.

The Messianic movement aims to convert as many Jews as humanly possible, to Christianity. Only now, they're that much cleverer. And if they have to steal our very identity in order to succeed, so be it. Perhaps the most worrying comment comes from a 30 something Jewish man who, having battled Messianics in internet forums for several years now, has now concluded:

'Within another ten years, nobody out there will even understand that these Messianics are not Jewish. For some bizarre reason, the world thinks that Christianity gets to REdefine Judaism, and just accepts whatever Messianics claim. Never mind that we genuine Jews are trying desperately to counter these evangelical lies. Nobody seems to care.'

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Key points to know when debating Messianics, either online, or in person, or when discussing the Messianic movement with non Jews:

1 - there is no 'messianic' sect *in* Judaism. None. Indeed, the idea makes no sense - Judaism is inherently 'messianic' because Jews await the Jewish messiah.

2 - all of the founders of all of the Messianic groups are practising Christians. Take 'jews4jesus'. The founder, Martin Rosen, is an ordained Baptist Minister!

3 - Messianics worship Christ. Messianics pray to Christ. Messianics believe in the 'trinity', in the 'resurrection', and in the 'virgin birth'. Messianics violate Torah.

4 - Jews cannot worship Jesus and still claim to be practising Judaism. A person who is born a Jew and who later embraces Christianity, is an Apostate. They are not a 'jewish christian'. They are not a 'jew for jesus'. They are not a 'messianic jew'. They are an ex Jew.

And lest anyone out there still be in any doubt, here's what Martin Meyer, founder of 'jewsforjesus' says:

Abridged from: "Holy Terror" by Flo Conway and Jim Seigelman

In a document entitled "What Evangelical Christians Should Know About MESSIANIC 'JEWS'; A Confidential Report: Not to be Distributed to Non-Christians," Meyer reveals his goal:

˜We define ourselves as evangelical fundamentalists and we seek the cooperation of individuals and Christian bodies meeting this description.We believe in affiliation with a local church and being accountable to the church for service and discipline. We will uphold the local church wherever we can.

˜We consider ourselves an arm of the local church. We are primarily evangelists and we are always mindful that we should not usurp the authority of the local pastor. As we win and disciple (convert) Jewish people, we urge them to take their place in a local evangelical church or establish a congregation and call their own minister. Our duty is to aid the church at large and we work as an arm of that body to gather in the Lost Sheep of the House of Israel.'

And remember:

A person is ONLY Jewish if:

- their mother is Jewish
or
- they convert to Judaism

Judaism is a tribal religion; when someone converts, they are 'adopted' by the Jewish people. And it doesn't matter if a person follows the Jewish religion to the letter - without that formal conversion process, they are not 'Jewish'.

An analogy: I might wake up tomorrow and decide I'd rather like to be a Navajo Indian. I might even learn all about their traditions and beliefs and then claim to BE a Navajo Indian! But that doesn't mean I AM one!

Around 99% of Messianics fall into this group - Christians wanting an involvement with Judaism. What they end up with is Christianity - wrapped up in a few Jewish traditions and Hebrew words.

But the Messianics will quickly counter these facts. And they'll do so by noting that they have 'plenty' members who were born to Jewish mothers, making them Jewish.

The first thing to know: only around 1% of Messianics were born Jewish.

The second: EVEN if they were born Jewish, by embracing a religion other than Judaism - in this case, Christianity - they are an apostate in the Jewish world.

But no - Messianics apparently know better! They will INSIST that these people are 'still jewish'. And many people believe them.

Messianics will tell you:

- a Jew can remain Jewish AND worship Christ

THIS IS BLATANTLY FALSE

Jesus plays no role in Judaism. He wasn't the Jewish messiah. Quite apart from which, it is FORBIDDEN for Jews to WORSHIP any human, to worship anyone or anything apart from G-d. So even if someone is born Jewish, the minute they start worshipping Jesus, they have removed themselves from the Jewish community and are now an 'apostate'. And if they're practising Christianity, then they are a Christian.

Think about it. If a Christian converts to Islam, would we insist that they are a 'Christian for Muhammed?'
No!

If a Hindu converts to Christianity, would we describe them as a 'Hindu for Jesus'?

No!

Yet Messianics will tell you over and over and over again, that EVEN when a Jew practises Christianity, they are somehow still 'jewish'. They are just a 'jew who has found jesus'.

Clearly, it's nonsensical.

Another of the Messianics' favourite claims is that:

A person can be BOTH Jewish and Christian; they can be 'racially' or 'ethnically' Jewish, and religiously Christian.

Again: FALSE

Judaism is a RELIGION. Jews are not a 'race' - if we were, how could anyone convert to or from Judaism, both of which happen?

And to burst another myth: Jews are NOT an 'ethnic' group. We can't be - there are Jews from ALL ethnic backgrounds. White Jews. Black Jews. Indian Jews. Chinese Jews. Is anyone seriously going to suggest that a black Ethopian Jew, and a blond, blue-eyed Swedish Jew share the same 'ethnic' group?

Finally: some Messianics go by different names. So just to make it clear:


'fulfilled jew' = CHRISTIAN

'completed jew' = CHRISTIAN

'restored jew' = CHRISTIAN

'hebrew christian' = CHRISTIAN

'christian jew' = CHRISTIAN

'Jewish' = JEWISH

And for anyone out there who is unsure about whether they are involved in real Judaism or with Messianics, here's the way to tell:

Jesus is never mentioned in Judaism. You could go to every synagogue on planet earth: you will never, ever hear his name.

So, if you should hear a 'rabbi' waxing lyrical about 'yeshua' then you'll know. You may love the people, you may love the theology they are offering you. It's your right, of course, to stay.

Just don't try and claim it's Judaism.

Because it 'aint.

Jesus: A Nice Jewish Boy...?

So, let's talk about Jesus.

Theologically, of course, there's no need to. Because Jesus does not feature in Judaism - not at all. And yet, if there is one question that Jews living in Xian countries get asked, it is:

What do Jews really think about Jesus...?

The implication almost seems to be that the official Jewish stance is not the whole picture. Some of the more ardent evangelicals in the Xian community are unable to accept that as Jews, we simply don't need Jesus, and we never did.

So for the benefit of any of our Xians reading this, let's clarify:

You could go to every synagogue on planet Earth, and I guarantee, you will never hear Jesus mentioned. Not even once. He is about as relevant to Judaism as, say, Buddha is to Christianity.

Many people find this strange; after all, millions of Christians proclaim Jesus as their 'messiah' and 'saviour'. Why on earth don't Jews themselves attach any importance to this vital, most famous of historical figures?

Well, let's consider the context:

Back when Jesus was busy gallivanting around Judea, declaring himself as 'messiah', the Jews were living under Roman oppression. And it was tough. The Romans had a nasty habit of crucifying people - mainly Jews. Sometimes up to 100 Jews in a single day.

And as at other hard times in Jewish history, the Jews longed for their maschiach. They knew full well he could be right there, in their midst. After all, the Torah makes it clear: the Jewish maschiach is a normal mortal man - he's not 'divine' and he doesn't have supernatural powers. In short: he wouldn't look any different from any other Jewish bloke.

So where was he?

Numerous young Jewish blokes believed themselves to be that messiah. They too sauntered around Jerusalem, their faithful believers scuttling after them and hanging on every word. There was nothing unique about Jesus, he was one of many. Contrary to the way he's portrayed, Jesus was *not* some ancient David Beckham of the middle east, known by all.

Indeed, the vast majority of Jews had no awareness of Jesus. It was only ever a tiny sect that followed him. There were never hordes of Jews following Jesus, despite what some evangelical sources might claim.

Christianity argues that Jesus fulfilled various messianic prophecies. They point to the 'old testament' in a bid to 'prove' this. There's just one problem - the OT is not the Jewish bible. It never has been. Think about it logically: why would Judaism define its own scriptures as 'old'?

The OT is a Christian text. It was produced by the Church and really has no connection with Judaism at all. And while some versions of it are reliable, alas many others are mistranslated and misinterpreted distortions of the Tanakh. Certainly all OTs are wrongly organised, as the Church inserted 'chapter breaks' where none exist in the original Hebrew.

So when Jews and Christians discuss the 'Jewish bible' they are usually referring to two entirely different texts.

And since, for the most part, Jews read the Tanakh in the original Hebrew, we are bemused when some Christians state that we are ourselves are somehow 'misinterpreting' it, when we explain to them that no, Jesus does not get a mention in the Tanakh.

Christianity ignores something else when it insists, as it still does, that the Jews have 'rejected' Jesus and 'missed' their own messiah.

They ignore that the very idea of 'messiah' originated with Judaism. The messianic prophecies and description of the maschiach were written in Hebrew, by Jews, for Jews.

It seems logical to conclude that the people who first described the messiah, the people who studied the Hebrew scriptures, the people who read the messianic prophecies in Hebrew, were sufficiently intelligent to identify their own messiah.

But no. Christianity says not. On the contrary, the Christian bible calls Jews 'ignorant' and 'blinded' for their refusal to name Jesus as messiah.

And historically, Christianity has always gone a step further. It has suggested that Jews managed, bizarrely, to misunderstand the Jewish bible!

One of the most well known examples of this is when Isaiah - according to Christianity - describes a 'virgin birth'. A clear reference to Mary and Jesus, insist Christians. A clear prophecy concerning the birth of Jesus. A clear example of Jews misinterpreting their own bible.

There's just one problem. The Hebrew does not support this theory.

Isaiah uses the word 'almah'. This means 'young woman'. It has *always* meant 'young woman'. It has never meant 'virgin'. If Isaiah had wanted to say 'virgin' he would have used an entirely different Hebrew word: 'betulah'.

Happily, the traditional Christian stance on this seems to be softening. Recently, a few Christian bibles have been amended and brought into line with the original Hebrew. Here they are:

Recent altered Christian Translations of Isaiah 7:14

Revised Standard Version: Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, a young woman shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.

Revised English Bible Because you do, the Lord of his own accord will give you a sign; it is this: A young woman is with child, and she will give birth to a son and call him Immanuel.

New English Bible Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign: A young woman is with child, and she will bear a son, and will call him Immanuel.

New Revised Standard Version: Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Look, the young woman is with child and shall bear a son, and shall name him Immanuel.

New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures(Jehovah Witnesses) Therefore Jehovah himself will give you men a sign: Look! The maiden herself will actually become pregnant, and she is giving birth to a son, and she will certainly call his name Immanuel.

Good News Bible: Well then, the Lord himself will give you a sign: A young woman who is pregnant will have a son and will name him "Immanuel."

The Jerusalem Bible: Readers Edition The Lord himself, therefore, will give you a sign. It is this: The maiden is with child and will soon give birth to a son whom she will call Immanuel.

The Bible: A New Translation An omen you shall have, and that from the Eternal himself. There is a young woman with child, who shall bear a son and call his name "Immanuel" (God is with us).
The Bible: An American Translation:Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: Behold! A young woman is with child, and is about to bear a son; and she will call him "God is with us."

The International Critical Commentary:Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, a damsel is with child, and shall bring forth a son, and call his name Immanuel.

The New Jerusalem Bible: The Lord will give you a sign in any case. It is this: The young woman is with child and will give birth to a son whom she will call Immanuel.

The Layman's Bible Commentary: In reply, Isaiah says that the Lord will provide a sign. It will be a most unusual and remarkable event. A young woman shall bear a son and name him "Immanuel," meaning "God is with us."

World Biblical Commentary: Therefore my Lord himself will give you (pl) a sign. Behold, the woman shall conceive and bearing a son -- she shall call his name "Immanuel."

The Bible in Basic English: For this cause the Lord himself will give you a sign; a young woman is now with child, and she will give birth to a son, and she will give him the name Immanuel.

Thus many Christian authorities now admit that there is nothing about a 'virgin birth' in Isaiah - or indeed anywhere else in the Tanakh. Why would there be? The idea is totally alien to Judaism.

The Jewish G-d NEVER takes human form - and certainly doesn't pop in to planet earth to quickly impregnate young Jewish chicks!!!

And there are other reasons why Jesus was not the Jewish Maschiach, quite apart from this. Jesus did not fulfill any of the Jewish messianic prophecies.

The Jewish Maschiach must:

- usher in world peace
- unite all Jews in Israel
- bring Torah to all the nations
- rebuild the temple
- REJECT doing miracles
- redeem Israel, and the world
- be from King David's line
- create G-d's kingdom, here on earth.

Now, did Jesus fulfill anyof these before he died?

Answer: No. Not a single one.

Conclusion: Jesus was not, indeed could not have been, the Jewish maschiach.

To reiterate a key point: the concept of 'messiah' is a Jewish concept. Judaism was the first faith to articulate the idea. Christianity has revised the definition of 'messiah' so much that now, many Christians don't even know that their messiah bears *no* relation to the original Jewish Maschiach.

So, what do Jews think about Jesus?

Well, there's no official line on him. Some Jews probably doubt he ever existed at all - remember, Jesus is not mentioned by any of the contemporary writers of his own time.

Many Jews regard Jesus as a young, charismatic preacher who sought to reform Judaism - but who never intended to 'start' a new faith. Jesus lived and died a practising Jew. He taught basic Judaism. 'Love Thy Neighbour' appears first in the holy Jewish text, the Torah, thousands of years before the Church began using this message.

Most Jews, though, don't think about Jesus at all. He simply is not relevant to Judaism.

And he certainly was not our maschiach.

In short, then, Jesus was just a Nice Jewish Boy. And let's face it - if ever he should somehow return, he'd head straight for the nearest synagogue..

'ZIONIST' IS NOT A DIRTY WORD

I almost got lynched last week. Right in the middle of a dinner party. Why? Because I did something that's most uncool now in Britain. I defended Israel.

I even - brace yourselves - called myself a zionist.

The topic of the Middle East had arisen over coffee. Inevitably, Israel was mentioned. After listening for five minutes, I had to conclude there must be two countries on this planet with the same name. Because I sure as hell didn't recognise the Israel being described.

For this one was now teeming with psychotic Jewish soldiers, all merrily murdering innocent Palestinians.

And this Israeli government was fiendishly plotting to gobble up the entire Middle East. No country in the region was safe!

Oh, and let's not forget the 'genocide' that was occurring at such a fast rate that my goodness, pretty soon there wouldn't be any Palestinians LEFT!

And on it went. I blinked in astonishment as I heard Israel described variously as 'huge', 'powerful', 'fascist' and assorted other nasty things.

I was bewildered. I mean, 'big'? Israel?

Hardly. Look at any map of the region and trust me, you'll be hard pushed to even see the Jewish state. She takes up less than 1% of the Middle East.

I also reminded my fellow diners that as the number of Palestinians is steadily increasing, clearly there is no 'genocide'. Especially since news crews, complete with cameras, are an ever present fixture.

And could anyone verify their charge of state sanctioned 'ethnic cleansing'? Please?

I asked ever so nicely. Did they have any facts? Figures? Anything?

No? Apparently not.

Oh, and out of interest, how many present had ever set foot on Israeli soil?

Answer: None.

Let me stress: these people were not bigots. They were not anti semites. Probably not a racist bone in their pale British bodies. They didn't mean to bash Israel: they thought they were merely stating fact. Which makes it far more alarming.

'But you can't deny that Israel is a racist state,' one of the guys at the table glared at me.

'How so?' I enquired.

'Well, we all know that only Jews can become citizens,' he snapped, 'If that's not racist, what is?' Nods from the others, several of whom were now sending me baleful glances.

So I explained that almost 30% of Israeli citizens are not Jewish. More: there are several Arab politicians in the knesset, the parliament. And anyone of any faith can apply for citizenship, as with any other nation. And let's not overlook the one million Israeli Arab citizens living in the Jewish state.

People seem to forget that Israel is the only true democracy in the whole Middle East.

At this point, one of the women arched an eyebrow and indicated my pendant, which has my name in Hebrew. 'Yeah but hang on - you're Jewish! Naturally you're biased when it comes to Israel.'

And there you have it.

The argument always used when a Jew defends the Jewish state. Y
ou're biased.

Please, somebody tell me: since when does stating objective, verifiable fact, equal 'bias'???

Let's take that 'logic' a bit further, shall we?

No woman can discuss abortion: for clearly she'll be 'biased'.
No black person can describe the racism they suffer or refer to slavery: after all, they're hardly objective, right?
And how can any Arab make any point about anything in the Middle East? They control 99.9% of it, so they're bound to be partisan!

Yet strangely, I've yet to hear this charge of 'bias' applied to any group other than Jews who defend the Jewish state.

And then of course, it happened. Someone came out with the one allegation that makes every Jew see red and which offends many non Jews too. The allegation that right now seems to be voiced every other week. It appears in letters sent to newspapers, it's voiced on radio shows.

I've heard it trotted out by people whose geographical knowledge is so poor they think the 'Middle East' is the new Curry restaurant in their high street.

'Ironic, isn't it? After all you Jews have suffered, you lot are the new Nazis.'

My, but how extraordinary!

When American troops went pouring into Afghanistan and Iraq, unpopular though that was, they were never called 'Nazis'.

When Britain entered into a war with Argentina over the Falklands, a piece of rock in the middle of nowhere that nobody ever looked twice at, those British soldiers were not referred to as 'Nazis'.

And when terrorists plotted and planned for years before slaughtering thousands of innocents in New York and London, well, even THEY were not quite 'Nazis'.

Oh, but the Israelis...

How dare they put up checkpoints to stop suicide bombers making it into packed restaurants, schools and hospitals!

How dare they seek to protect citizens from those who, in the past, have dressed up as pregnant women and orthodox Jews and have managed to slip through and detonate their deadly bombs!

How terribly aggressive of those blasted Jews, for claiming the right to defend themselves from Hamas, Islamic Jihad, and all the Arab nations that still openly plot and plan to wipe Israel off the map!

I pointed this out to my fellow diners. One or two of them looked thoughtful. Most were dismissive. A few gave me the cold shoulder. Then someone changed the subject and for that night at least, Israel was off the hook.

Not for long, though. In the UK, Israel bashing is our new national sport. And going for gold medal is - cue drum roll please - the BBC. Closely followed in second place by the Guardian newspaper.

Thus the BBC will cover terror attacks on Israel by showing the grieving mother of the suicide bomber - and ignoring the grieving relatives of the dead Israelis. Of course, that's when they deign to cover the attacks at all.

Half the time, they don't even bother to mention them. Unless those dying are Palestinian. Then it's often the lead story. And for anyone who doesn't believe this, check out the detailed study done of the BBC's coverage of the Middle East, at http://honestreporting.com/

As for the Guardian, well, don't even get me started. Nobody's asking them to be 'pro' Israel but a passing acquaintance with the facts would be nice.

Don't think any of this really matters? Think again. In 2007 we saw a mass rally of Brits marching through the streets of London, screaming and chanting 'Death To Israel', and brandishing banners which read, chillingly: WE ARE ALL HEZBOLLAH

That's right. Hordes of British people, publicly swearing allegiance to a known terrorist group.

Watching this on T.V. I fought an urge to grab my passport and catch the next plane to Israel. I love Britain but I'll admit - that scared me.

And physical attacks on British Jews have got so bad that in Manchester, Jews walking to synagogue must now have a police escort. Jewish schools have to install bomb-proof glass in all the windows. Two NON Jewish MPs have launched a parliamentary enquiry into the level of anti semitism now occurring in the UK.

Is it coincidence that all this comes after years of Israel being demonised in the British media?

Brits are tolerant, decent, and fair. But when fed this constant diet of anti Israel junk by their own media, why wouldn't they conclude that Israel is the villain of the piece?

Now if humanly possible, I'd be there every damn time someone bashed Israel unfairly. Indeed, there are days when reading and hearing some of the garbage that passes as 'fact' about the Jewish state, it is all I can do not to scream.

Does this mean I view Israel through rose-coloured glasses?

I don't claim that Israel is some utopia, in which innocent blood is never spilled. Israelis and Palestinians are both dying. And from what I can see, they both bleed red.

Nor do I claim that every Israeli soldier is some little cherub, complete with wings, harp and halo. There are good soldiers and bad soldiers. As in any other army.

But tell me - have you seen the touching pictures of young Israeli soldiers playing with Palestinian children and looking after them? No? Quelle surprise.

My point: Israel is a country like any other. How would the UK react if Islamic terrorists, every day, launched rockets into towns and killed innocent British citizens? That's what's happening in the Israel town of Sderot, as I sit and type this.

Israelis live their lives on constant red alert.

I realise I can't persuade anyone to love Israel as much as I admittedly do. But if I can maybe stop even one person from hating her, just by giving them verifiable, objective FACTS, then that's a start.

After all, nobody wants to base their beliefs on errors and lies, right? That really would be biased...