Brother Daniel’s rejection for Israeli right of return citizenship on the basis of his Catholic conversion has repercussions for Hebrew Catholics today. In Br. Daniel’s time of application, 1962, Israel was only a little over a decade old, Vatican II had not concluded and there was no church recognized Hebrew Catholic movement yet (Association of Hebrew Catholics, 1976). It appears Br. Daniel’s motivation to migrate to Israel was of a purely Catholic religious nature and not identitarian.
Many Jewish converts at that time may have been under the incorrect assumption that they were cut off from their ethnic people and likely never considered Aliyah. Perhaps it’s even possible there has been very few Jewish converts interested in challenging and correcting the ruling this entire time. Yet slowly, a Hebrew Catholic movement and consciousness is maturing. Soon Aliyah for those of Jewish ancestry who practice Christianity will be understood by the secular state of Israel as fair and just.
When this happens, Hebrew Catholics will establish themselves as an open Israeli sect. The goal of a settler Hebrew Catholic is to let the land change him into a real Israeli while steadfastly holding to his Catholic religious obligations. Just as Israeli society is comprised of secular Jews, Sephardi, Ultra orthodox, Ethiopian Jews, Arabs, Muslims and Druze, Hebrew Catholics wish to become another recognized and established group.
Hebrew Catholic settlers should be enthusiastically Zionist fundamentally on the basis of God’s promise of The Land for the Israelites to the patriarchs. HC Settlers should already be assumed to be well catechized on the history of ancient Israel from a Catholic perspective. They must also be very well educated on Zionist history. HCS must cultivate an enthusiastic patriotism for Israel.
HCS must also adopt the disposition of good guests in recognition of other non-Jewish people who share a right to live in The Land. When HCS are legally permitted Aliyah we might expect resentment coming from every corner of Israel. An attitude of entitlement will never be part of HCS identity, only gratitude.
Our role as a new community in Israel will be as an Evangelical witness. But not of a proselytizing nature. For an open HC to live and thrive in Israel is the witness. We will also aspire to the role of tikun olam, but more specifically as tikun Yisrael. We will work to be the bridge of unity for all peoples of the Land whether Jew, Christian, Muslim, Arab or Secular.
How will we do and be this? We don’t know precisely but we have the everlasting Life of Christ within us because we participate and partake in the Eucharist. And we have His Paraclete who will show us what to do and say. And if we suffer we suffer with Christ. If we are rejected by our people we are rejected as our brother, Lord and God Yeshua’a is by His people.
In short we are of the universal/Catholic body of Christ. We are also the corporal Israelite body of Christ. We go to Israel to reunite the corporal body of Israel with its brother Messiah who is The Lord and connect the body to the universal body of Christ.
