You can be Jewish and be for Jesus

There’s a long list of historical and cultural circumstances (many of them very painful) that have obscured what would otherwise be a rather obvious fact: You can be Jewish and be a follower of Jesus. As people of Jewish heritage and diverse Jewish upbringings, we’ve all had to learn this truth about Jesus for ourselves in various ways. No two journeys are alike. But if you want to understand it for yourself, below you’ll find some of our personal experiences and some of the key things to consider. There’s a long list of historical circumstances (many very painful) that have obscured this rather obvious fact. As Jewish people of diverse upbringings, we’ve all had to learn this truth for ourselves in various ways. Here are some of our experiences and key points to consider.

We had our doubts.

A good friend came over and read Isaiah 53 to me. When I realized he was trying to push Jesus on me, I threw him out of my house and told him never to speak to me again.

Stewart’s Story ›
Jesus, the Messiah? How could this be true? How could a guy come along, people follow him, and that became a new religion? I’d been searching so high and deep, this couldn’t possibly be the answer. I didn’t want it to be.

Adel’s Story ›
I asked my Rabbi why we didn’t believe in Jesus. He looked at me over his glasses and pointed me out of the office. That was the end of that. I had nowhere to go with this. I didn’t know anyone that was a Jewish follower of Jesus.

Marc’s Story ›
I was picked on at school and told that I was going to hell because I was Jewish. Jewish houses were egged at Easter since we were blamed for Jesus’ death. These things reinforced the idea that belief in Jesus was unacceptable, even if he seemed like a nice guy to me.

Simon’s Story ›

Why not
investigate?

Billions of people from all over the world have experienced the love of the God of Israel as followers of Messiah Jesus.

But as Jewish people, we’ve heard that Jesus isn’t supposed to be for us—or that to follow him we’d have to abandon our Jewish heritage and identity.

But should we allow the history of antisemitism or the opinions of ancient rabbis keep us from investigating the New Testament—what Jesus’s first Jewish followers wrote and believed about him?

We looked in the book.

The first words of my Hebrew New Testament struck me, “The book of the genealogy of Yeshua ha-Mashiach, Ben-David, Ben-Avraham.” How had I never noticed that Jesus was called Messiah?

Tamir’s Story ›
I decided to read the New Testament, and I was very surprised. I read through the book of Matthew and by the end, I had tears in my eyes. It was not what I had expected. I couldn’t find anything I disagreed with. I became upset and asked myself, “How come I’ve not read this before?

Simon’s Story ›
I did a search for “Christianity” and found the New Testament in Hebrew. I expected it to be an anti-Semitic book with stories about Santa Claus! But within the first few pages, I realized that I was reading a book written by Jews about Jews, living here in Israel. That really surprised me!

Sahar’s Story ›
A good friend came over and read Isaiah 53 to me. When I realized he was trying to push Jesus on me, I threw him out of my house and told him never to speak to me again.

Stewart’s Story ›

Jesus is
One of Us

As the New Testament reveals page after page, Jesus was a Jewish person through and through.

• He had a Jewish family tree
• His parents named him Yeshua, “salvation”
• He was called “rabbi”
• He taught the Hebrew Scriptures
• He celebrated Hanukkah, Passover, and Sukkot
• All of his first followers were Jewish

The list goes on! In fact, the word Christian literally means “follower of the Messiah.”

Our lives were changed.

I saw the mercy of God removing old habits and shame from my life—he did the work I couldn’t do with my strength.

Shoshannah’s Story ›
My life was full of stuff but empty on the inside. Just as my life felt like it was crumbling, I had another encounter with Jesus. In a moment, my world changed, and my priorities shifted.

Marc’s Story ›
Every time I read Jesus’ words and learned about his deeds, I wanted more. Then I met true believers in Jesus who loved God and one another. This, at last, was what my heart had been longing for. Knowing Jesus is transforming me from within, day by day.

Sahar’s Story ›

The Journey is Worth It

We know personally that it’s possible to remain true to our Jewish heritage while following Jesus as our Messiah.

At times, it’s not easy. But we are here to tell you that this journey is worth it.

You are chosen to know the King of the Universe and to be a light that leads others to find Him. That is the calling that God gave to all of Abraham’s descendants. Shouldn’t we follow wherever He leads us?

Aden Friedman’s Story

Aden was raised in a devout Frum Orthodox household. In fact, he said he could never imagine a life in which he wasn’t Frum. Yet he didn’t see his religious practices influencing his character—he lived a double life until he met Yeshua.

How can we support you?

If you are Jewish and interested in Jesus, we have staff around the world who are available to answer any questions you may have. Reach out to us here, and we’ll connect you with the right staff person.