Israel Insider today reports that in the Israeli town of Ohr Yehuda, the battle between traditional Jews and Messianics attempting to convert town residents hit a new level of intensity on Monday. Jews in the town, at the urging of a soundtruck going down a city street, brought copies of the New Testament and other Christian texts that had been distributed to them, for burning. While the Shas religious party complained about the level of missionary activity, Deputy Mayor Uzi Aharon said he merely urged Ohr Yehuda residents to discard the materials distributed to them. He denied inciting book burning. He also said his statements were his personal views, not those of the municipality. An editorial in the Israeli daily paper Ma'ariv (summarized in English by the Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs) condemned the actions of the town's residents, saying: "The burning of copies of the New Testament by a Shas member raises memories of the burning of books during the Inquisition and the Third Reich."
UPDATE: A report Thursday by the Christian Post Reporter gives more details on the incident and indicates that Deputy Mayor Uzi Aharon apologized for the burnings which he said were carried out by yeshiva students that he had initially organized to collect, largely from Ethopian Jews, packages given to them by Messianics.
