Regardless of how one feels about the Jewish Defense League, in terms of its strategies and ideals, no one familiar with the JDL can doubt that physical strength and vocal militancy are the hallmark of the organization. This is, arguably, a necessity in a world where skinheads, the KKK and other neo-Nazi organizations are growing and increasing in number.

However, one must not forget that PHYSICAL STRENGTH does not alone defend the Jewish community from harm. Different forms of anti-Semitism require different defenses. Where the Christians are attempting to LOVE US TO DEATH, love must be the antidote to that poison.

By this I mean that the appropriate response to Christian attempts to erode the ranks of our young and vulnerable community members through conversion to the belief in Jesus is to LOVE OUR VULNERABLE ONES MORE THAN THE CHRISTIANS DO, AND LOVE THEM BETTER, TOO.

Only the disaffected, the lonely, the isolated will be vulnerable to Christian missionizing. Talk to a "Jew" for Jesus, or a Messianic "Jew," and invariably they will describe how they approached their rabbi with questions and were rejected or put off. Or how they went to synagogue and didn't find the right answers. Or how they joined a synagogue and were not warmly welcomed. Or how they were alone, at college without anyone to celebrate Shabbat with.

We have an obligation to love one another under the Commandments. We have an obligation from G-d to welcome the strangers in our midst. We have an obligation to ensure that everyone finds his or her place within our community. If we are to resist Christian evangelical missionizing through "Jews" for Jesus, etc., then we must honor those obligations by making sure that EACH of us reaches out to the newcomer, the questioner, the lonely one. No loner at a Shabbat service should EVER be left alone. We should NEVER fail to greet a newcomer at any community event. Every Jew must make sure that everyone he or she knows has a place at a table during holy days.

As to rejection of the questioning among us, let us not forget that Judaism is a religion based on learning, questioning, exploring, confronting doubt. NO QUESTION should ever be scoffed at or rejected. No questioner should ever be shamed for his or her concerns. If we don't know an answer to a particular question, we should find one, or refer the inquiring person to someone who does. And, most of all, we must educate ourselves. Although many of us are familiar with prayer and ritual, a goodly number of us are unfamiliar with the history and development of Judaism. If we are to fight the good fight, we must be MORE EDUCATED than those who are attempting to convert us. Ignorance is not bad, or wrong. A failure to learn, however, is a sin.

Let us commit ourselves, therefore, to continuing to learn about our faith, our relationship with G-d, our history, our laws, our Scriptures. Let us commit ourselves to welcoming the stranger, and proving that we ARE One. Let us BE the community which accepted the covenant with G-d for eternity, by protecting the lambs of our flock (to use a Christian metaphor!) NOT by force, but by LOVE.

To be continued. . . .