Dear friends and partners,
This month, I bring a personal life update to you that has bearing on my work with Lifting up Zion.
On Monday, December 8, I successfully defended my Doctor of Ministry dissertation, “Messianic Jews and Antisemitism: Responses and Jewish Perspectives.”
It was an arduous but worthwhile journey, and I pray this research and degree will open doors of opportunity for Lifting up Zion to expand its reach.
Over the next several weeks, the dissertation will be in the hands of a capable editor. In the meantime, I am praying for an opportunity to have it published as a book. I covet your prayers.
In this newsletter, I offer you a first look at my research findings.
Blessings to each of you,
Dr. Akaya Kitchen
None of the mainline Jewish organizations accepts Messianic Jews as Jews because they believe in Jesus as the Messiah. However, Messianic Jews experience antisemitism just like other Jews.
Since 1997, antisemitic attacks against Messianic Jewish places of worship have been documented in numerous cities (including Dallas, Texas, Mobile, Alabama, Owings Mills, Maryland, Las Vegas, Nevada, Denver, Colorado, and Jackson, New Jersey).
Also of significance, since October 7, 2023, there has been a surge in antisemitic crimes in the United States. In 2022, the Anti-Defamation League reported 3,698 incidents, 8,873 in 2023, and 9,354 in 2024, citing a 153 percent increase in a two-year period.
Hundreds of Jewish organizations are committed to opposing antisemitism. And my research found that, likewise, Messianic Jewish and Jewish mission organizations are also committed to fighting antisemitism. I studied what Messianic Jews do to oppose antisemitism and how other Jews perceive their response. I interviewed eight research participants: four Messianic Jews and four non-Messianic Jews. This is what I found.
#1 Messianic Jews experience antisemitism.
Each of the Messianic Jewish participants in this study relayed personal experiences of antisemitism. Two of them also noted that one or more of their family members perished in the Holocaust.
#2 Messianic Jews oppose antisemitism with a strong sense of Jewish identity.
All four Messianic Jewish participants in the study exhibited a strong identification with Judaism. None of the participants demonstrated that they retreat from expressing their Jewish identity or from addressing antisemitism.
#3 Jews vary in their willingness to accept Messianic Jews.
Three of the non-Messianic Jewish participants in this study expressed reluctance to accept Messianic Jews. One non-Messianic Jewish participant, however, expressed openness.
#4 Opposing antisemitism may be an area for cooperation between Jews and Messianic Jews.
The non-Messianic Jewish participants in this study expressed a reluctantly positive view of Messianic Jews combating antisemitism. The number one concern raised by the non-Messianic Jewish participants is that Messianic Jews may seek to proselytize when engaging with them to combat antisemitism. Nevertheless, two non-Messianic Jewish participants indicated that they hope a bridge is built between the Jewish and Messianic Jewish communities for the purpose of combating antisemitism.
This study highlights an area of possible cooperation between Messianic Jews and other Jews. This work is important because, to date, no other study has examined Messianic Jewish engagement with antisemitism.
As Jewish people around the world see that Messianic Jews sincerely oppose antisemitism as Jews, it may provide opportunities for cooperation and dialogue.
As friends and partners of Lifting up Zion, I invite you to pray that the Lord would open doors of opportunity for Messianic Jews to take a leading role in combating antisemitism.
