‘Missionaries go home!’ chant ultra-Orthodox Jews at ICEJ Feast of Tabernacles in Jerusalem
Around 50 protesters followed the call of former Jerusalem City Council member
A group of some 50 ultra-Orthodox Jews, mainly adolescent boys and children, came out to protest against the International Christian Embassy Jerusalem (ICEJ) Feast of Tabernacles in the capital city on Tuesday evening.
The protesters were contained behind police barricades on a street corner opposite Jerusalem’s Pais Arena, where the ICEJ holds its annual Feast of Tabernacles, Israel's largest annual Evangelical Christian event to celebrate the holiday.
Their recurring chant, ‘Missionaries go home!,' over a bullhorn was interspersed with musings about Judaism's triumph over Christianity. At one point, one of the protesters likened the attendees of the event to boiling excrement, referencing an obscure Talmudic passage that described Jesus being punished in hell.
Some signs accused the ICEJ of “declaring spiritual war against Jews,” while others read: “No to a Jewish Holocaust.”
Some of the signs were in English, but most signs and, notably, most of the chants were in Hebrew, which the overwhelming majority of the event’s participants couldn’t understand.
Around 15 police officers were on the scene, seemingly ready for clashes which did not transpire.
The protesters remained behind the barricades and committed no acts of violence, spitting or other offensive acts or gestures.
Instead, the protesters continued to chant for some time even after the event began, but had already left before the event ended.
The protesters were following the calls of former Jerusalem City Council member Mina Fanton, who was present at the demonstration but refused to talk to ALL ISRAEL NEWS on the record.
She previously warned against “missionary traps” being laid for Jewish Israelis at the ICEJ event.
Fanton also called on the Orthodox Jewish religious groups to demonstrate at the Jerusalem March on Wednesday, where a large contingent of Christians from the feast is expected to take part.
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The All Israel News Staff is a team of journalists in Israel.
