During a campaign rally in Michigan, the “Messianic rabbi” known as Loren Jacobs prayed with Vice President Mike Pence.
It came days after the horrific events in Pittsburgh.
And the prayer stirred much controversy which has since grown after it was discovered that Jacobs was defrocked by his congregation 15 years ago.
A “Jews for Jesus” or, the Union of Messianic Jewish Congregations, spokesperson shared with NBC News the following:
“Loren Jacobs was stripped of his rabbinic ordination by the UMJC in 2003, after our judicial board found him guilty of libel.”
And while the spokesperson did not state exactly what the false statement was, it has been found that it was Jacob’s teachings that sparked discord among the community.
The rally for GOP congressional candidate Lena Epstein who is Jewish was odd, to say the least. Jacobs decided to use the name of Jesus Christ in his prayer on behalf of the victims of the synagogue shooting.
Many Jewish people take offense at the beliefs of the UMJC — as the union believes that Jesus is the son of God.
Vice President Pence invites a rabbi to pray for the victims of the Tree of Life shooting at a rally in Michigan. But.. pic.twitter.com/jkIVfYryvD
— Scott McGrew (@ScottMcGrew) October 30, 2018
Epstein is a longtime member of the Reform Jewish synagogue Temple Beth El, located in the Detroit area.
And as a result, many Jewish leaders were confused as to why Epstein would invite a “Jews for Jesus” rabbi to her rally as they do not consider Jacobs, Jewish.
The former president of the Michigan Board of Rabbis, Rabbi Marla Hornstein, shared:
“We don’t even recognize him as a rabbi. Even to call him a rabbi is offensive.”
The senior Rabbi at Temple Beth El, Mark Miller, criticized Jacob’s appearance in a Facebook post, saying:
“Regarding Mike Pence here in Michigan, for a moment let’s move beyond the question of how/why an evangelical Christian posing as a Jewish leader was invited to the event … AFTER he recited a prayer in the name of Jesus, and AFTER revealing exactly who he was, the Vice President invited him back onto the stage with the words, “a leader in the Jewish community here in Michigan.” There are only two possibilities: (1) Mike Pence thinks that Jews believe in Jesus as our savior, in which case he is denying our entire religious identity. Personally, I do not believe for a moment that Pence doesn’t know the difference between Judaism and Christianity, but I suppose it’s possible. (2) Mike Pence knows that Jews do not believe in Jesus, which means he is willfully discounting our entire faith for some personal or political reason. Either way, calling a known evangelical (who dedicates his life to targeting Jews for conversion) to the stage to offer a “Jewish” prayer on behalf of those massacred in Squirrel Hill was a terrible affront to every Jewish person.”
Epstein also tweeted a comment, stating: “any media or political competitor who is attacking me or the Vice President is guilty of nothing short of religious intolerance and should be ashamed.”
Statement on Jewish Faith and Religious Tolerance: pic.twitter.com/QUxYG3ZIh5
— Lena Epstein (@LenaEpstein) October 30, 2018
Well, that was weird.
Maybe next time Epstein, don’t do that-?
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