Jews for Jesus Founder Moishe Rosen Dies at 78

Jews for Jesus became known for distributing evangelistic
literature called broadsides on college campuses, in shopping areas and on busy
city streets, where missionaries used them to strike up conversations with
passers-by. Rosen also encouraged the development of Jewish
gospel music groups and drama teams.

“[Rosen] was a dynamic and creative witness,” said  Dr. Vernon Grounds, president emeritus of
Denver Conservative Baptist Seminary. “When Moishe Rosen came into a city there
was either a revival or a riot.”

Because of its emphasis on direct Jewish evangelism, the
ministry has faced constant rejection, hostility and lawsuits. In one prominent case, comic Jackie
Mason sued after his picture appeared on a JFJ tract in 2006. The ministry withdrew the image
after an apology.

Yet the organization hasn’t suffered, and Rosen
is credited with training many of the current leaders in Jewish evangelism. Rosen also consulted numerous denominations
and ministries in Jewish evangelism, and served as a special consultant to the
Lausanne Committee on World Evangelizations study group on reaching Jewish
people.

He became a founding leader of the organization it spawned, The
Lausanne Consultation on Jewish Evangelism, an umbrella group for Jewish
mission organizations worldwide. In 1986, Rosen was awarded an honorary Doctor
of Divinity degree from Western Conservative Baptist Seminary in Portland,
Ore., where he served on the board of trustees.

“Moishe Rosen championed the refreshing realization that one
can be a Jew for Jesus while retaining one’s cultural heritage,” said
Dr. Mark
Bailey, president of Dallas Theological Seminary. “He has inspired and
instructed many of us in the rich history of the Hebrew Scriptures and
the
Jewish foundations of our faith.”

Rosen stepped down as JFJ executive director in 1996 but
remained a visible part of the ministry. Despite his leadership strengths, some
criticized his style as overbearing or authoritarian. There were enough critics
who viewed Rosen as unkind that in 2004 he posted a letter on JFJ’s Web site
apologizing to anyone he had offended.

“It’s true,” Rosen said of his aggressive nature in an
interview with Charisma late last year. “Most people who are in charge
of things—you will come up against them. Those are things about my personality,
but it didn’t stop me from doing what I needed to do.” (Read Charisma‘s recent profile of Rosen, “The Godfather of Jewish Evangelism.”)