The truth is, this statement is based on a false assumption. There have been many great rabbis among the Jews who came to faith in Jesus. But you have probably never heard of them, since the Jewish community casts them out and slanders them as soon as it comes to light that they believe in Jesus. When these rabbis were a part of the Jewish community, they were considered righteous and well-respected, but as soon as their faith in Jesus the Messiah became known, they were despised and considered traitors; sinners, fools and gentiles. Here are just a few of them – if you thought that there are no rabbis who believe in Jesus, you are in for a surprise!
Have you, for example, ever heard of Rabbi Dr. Daniel Zion, Chief Rabbi of the Bulgarian Jewish community during the Holocaust? He took part in rescuing hundreds of Jews from the death camps, and helped them get to Israel and settle there after the war. But today, his name is almost unknown among Jews. Why?
The answer is simple, because Daniel Zion was a Rabbi who came to faith in Jesus the Messiah. In 1954 he was offered a very important position as a judge in the Rabbinic Court of Jerusalem, but it was under the condition that he keep his faith secret and not speak about it with anyone. Rabbi Zion documented his response: “I am willing to give up any type of worldly honor for my Messiah.” As soon as he said that, he was no longer considered a rabbi, but a gentile and a traitor. However, the Bulgarian Jewish community in Jaffa continued to accept him as the leader of their synagogue. Rabbi Daniel Zion died in 1979, at age 96, while standing strong in his faith and loyalty to Jesus.
If you had a chance to study modern history of the Far East, you might have heard of Schereschewsky. Schereschewsky founded a University in Shanghai, and translated the Old Testament into Chinese. You probably had no idea that his full name was Samuel Isaac Joseph Schereschewsky, and that he was born to an Jewish Orthodox family. He successfully completed his studies in the University of Breslau, and came to the conclusion that Jesus is the Messiah.
And what about Rabbi Stern, who was a rabbinic scholar, known for his sharp knowledge of the Talmud? He was born in Warsaw, Poland and by age 3 was well advanced in his Biblical studies. By age 9 he was reciting Rashi (a Medieval Jewish Sage). He and his three brothers were rabbis. He was known for his ability to recite, by heart, large sections from the Talmud. Later, he personally experienced anti-Semitic persecution by his Catholic neighbors, and he was saved from the Nazi’s claws during the Holocaust. Rabbi Stern came to the conclusion that Jesus is the Jewish Messiah who is promised in the Old Testament prophecies.
Have you heard of Rabbi Slostovsky, a teacher in a Rabbinic School and the Secretary of the Rabbinical Court of Jerusalem? He was a friend of the famous Rabbi Kook, and he also came to faith in Jesus.
Or Rabbi Wertheimer, a wealthy rabbi with academic degrees, who became a very popular speaker? You probably haven’t heard about him either, as he also came to faith in Jesus.
Have you heard of Rabbi Yitzhak Lichtenstein? When he was a boy, anti-Semitic Catholics threw rocks at him and his family as they were coming out of the synagogue. Later, he served in several synagogues until he became a regional Rabbi in Hungary. One day, he decided to read the New Testament because he thought that it was the source of all the blood libels, and that it was the reason the anti-Semites threw stones at him during his childhood. But what he found, to his surprise, changed his life and his heart forever. After thorough research of the Old and New Testaments, he came to the conclusion that Jesus is the Jewish Messiah that he had been waiting for all his life.
And what about Rabbi Israel Zolli, Rabbi Zion Daniel, Rabbi Dr. Muller, Rabbi Joseph Teichman, and Rabbi Daniel Weiss? You have probably never heard of any of them. Each rabbi, as important, great, or respected as he might be, had his Jewishness “revoked” from him as soon as he believed in his heart that Jesus is the Jewish Messiah, based on Old Testament prophecies. Their names were “erased from the system”, so that they wouldn’t, by any chance, expose other Jews to the fact that there are Jews, and even rabbis, who have accepted Jesus of the New Testament as the Messiah.
The power is in the rabbis’ hands, only because we give it to them. If the Jewish people stopped following the rabbis, and instead followed the Messiah, the rabbis would lose their respect, their importance, and the source of their income. So unfortunately, those who are in a position to lose much prefer to do whatever they can to keep Jesus hidden from the Jewish people – quite possibly the best kept secret in Judaism.