Rabbi Dr. John Fischer
Personal Information
Born on
May 27, 1946 in Budapest, Hungary, to survivors of the Holocaust.
Immigrated to the United States in 1949.
Married June 4, 1972, to Patrice E. Pavka.
Two children: Eve & Seth.
Listed in WHO'S WHO IN AMERICA: SOUTH AND SOUTHWEST (1999- )
Listed in WHO'S WHO IN AMERICA (2000- )
Listed in AMERICA'S REGISTRY OF OUTSTANDING PROFESSIONALS (2001- )
Education
B.S. in
Bible, Philadelphia College of Bible, 1970.
M.S. in Communications, Temple University, 1970.
M.A. in New Testament, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, 1972.
B.J.S. in Jewish Thought, Spertus College of Judaica, 1978.
Ph. D. in Education/Religion, University of South Florida, 1987. Dissertation:
The Development of a Core Curriculum for a Messianic Jewish Yeshiva.
Th. D. in Judaic Studies, California Graduate School of Theology, 1989.
Dissertation: Messianic Services for Festivals and Holy Days.
Professional Experience
Visiting
Faculty in Jewish Studies, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, 1975
-1981.
Professor and Chairman of Department of Judaic Studies, St. Petersburg
Theological Seminary, 1985 - present.
Dean, St. Petersburg Theological Seminary, 1989 - 2002.
Vice President of Academic Affairs, St. Petersburg Theological Seminary,
1994 - present.
Rosh Yeshiva, Betzel Shaddai Yeshiva, 1977-1981
Rosh Yeshiva, Yeshiva Institute of the Union of Messianic Jewish Congregations,
1991 - 1998.
Rosh Yeshiva, Netzer David International Yeshiva, 1998-present.
Rosh Yeshiva, Harcourt Samuel Messianic Yeshiva, 1999-present.
Adjunct Faculty in Religious Studies, St. Petersburg Junior College,
1991 - present.
Lecturer, Messianic Yeshiva of the Ukraine, 1998-present.
Visiting Professor: King of Kings College, Jerusalem, July 1993, June
1995
Visiting Professor: Johann Amos Comenius College, Reichelsheim, Germany,
July 1995, January 1997, May 1997
Staley Distinguished Scholars Lecturer, Lancaster Bible College, March
1997
Annual Biblical Lectureship, St. Louis Christian College, April 1998
Guest lecturer: Oakton Community College, Triton College, College of
Lake County, University of Illinois Chicago Circle Campus, Northeastern
Illinois University, Millersville University, Temple University, University
of Pennsylvania, Wheaton Graduate School, Moody Bible Institute, Lancaster
Bible College.
Director of Training, American Messianic Fellowship, 1973 - 1974.
Vice President, The Watchmen Association, 1975 - 1978.
Vice President, B'rit Shalom, 1978-1981
Deputy Secretary in North America, International Messianic Jewish Alliance,
1981-1984.
Executive Director, Menorah Ministries, 1984 - present.Founder
and Spiritual Leader, Congregation B'nai Maccabim, Highland Park, IL,
1975 -1981.
Founder and Rabbi, Congregation Ohr Chadash, Clearwater, FL, 1982 -
present.
Contributing Editor, MESSIANIC OUTREACH, 1987 - present.
Contributing Editor, MISHKAN, 1991 - present.
National and International Organizations
President,
Messianic Jewish Alliance of Chicago, 1974 - 1978.
Executive Committee, Messianic Jewish Alliance of America, 1977 - 1979.
Vice President, and co-founder, Union of Messianic Jewish Congregations,
1979 - 1981.
Vice President, Association of Messianic Believers, 1992 - 1994.
President, Association of Messianic Believers, 1994 - present.
President, American Association of Messianic Jewish Believers, 1996
- present.
Chairman, Theology Committee of the Union of Messianic Jewish Congregations,
1979 - 1981.
Chairman, Yeshiva Committee, Union of Messianic Jewish Congregations,
1991 - 1999.
Chairman, Credentials Committee, Union Of Messianic Jewish Congregations,
1991 - 1999, 2003 - present.
Steering Committee, Union of Messianic Jewish Congregations, 1989 -
present.
Advisory Board, Living Center for Biblical and Archaeological Studies,
University of South Florida,1984 - 1987.
Administrative Committee, International Messianic Jewish Alliance, 1997
- present.
Chairman, Administrative Committee, International Messianic Jewish Alliance,
2000 - present.
Executive Committee, International Messianic Jewish Alliance, 1994 -
present.
Vice President, International Messianic Jewish Alliance, 2002 - present.
Board of Directors, St. Petersburg Theological Seminary, 1992 - 1998
Advisory Board, King of Kings College Graduate School, Jerusalem, 1996
- 1999.
Board of Advisors, Lederer Messianic Ministries, 1996 - present.
Publications
HIS AMBASSADORS
TO HIS PEOPLE (American Messianic Fellowship, 1973)
L'CHAIM (Menorah Ministries, 1974)
IF IT BE OF GOD… (Messianic Jewish Alliance of America, 1975)
SHARING ISRAEL'S MESSIAH (The Watchmen Association, 1978)
THE MEANING AND IMPORTANCE OF THE JEWISH HOLIDAYS (Menorah Ministries,
1979)
THE OLIVE TREE CONNECTION (InterVarsity Press, 1983)
SIDDUR FOR MESSIANIC JEWS (Adventure in Faith, 1984)
MESSIANIC SERVICES FOR FESTIVALS AND HOLY DAYS (Menorah Ministries, 1992)
THE ENDURING PARADOX: JESUS AND JUDAISM (Lederer, 2000)
"Why A Messianic Movement?" TRINITY JOURNAL (Spring 1976)
"Messianic Judaism," UNITED EVANGELICAL ACTION (Fall 1976)
"Messianic Jews Are Still Jews," CHRISTIANITY TODAY (April 24,
1981)
"The Turmoil in Jewish Thinking," INTEREST (October 1981)
"Sharing Israel's Messiah," INTEREST (November 1981)
"God After the Holocaust," JUDAISM (Summer 1983)
"Beware of Greeks Bearing Gifts," THE HEBREW CHRISTIAN (Winter
1984)
"Paul in His Jewish Context," EVANGELICAL QUARTERLY (July 1985)
"Torah: Can You Work Your Way to God?" MESSIANIC OUTREACH (Autumn
1986)
"The Rabbinic View of God, A Contrast to Maimonides," MESSIANIC
OUTREACH
(Summer 1987)
"Covenant & Treaty: Implications for Scripture," MESSIANIC
OUTREACH (Spring 1988)
"Galatians From A Messianic Jewish Perspective," MESSIANIC OUTREACH
(Autumn 1988 - Summer 1989)
"Covenant, Fulfillment & Judaism in Hebrews," MESSIANIC
OUTREACH (Autumn 1989 - Spring 1990)
"Jesus & Early Judaism," MESSIANIC OUTREACH (Summer 1990
- Spring 1991)
"The Development of the Messianic Concept," MESSIANIC OUTREACH
(Summer 1991 - Spring 1992)
"The Place of Rabbinic Tradition in a Messianic Jewish Lifestyle,"
MESSIANIC OUTREACH (Fall 1994)
"Mah Zeh?" KESHER (Summer 1994)
"Foundations of Messianic Theology," MISHKAN (1, 1995)
"The Lifestyle and Teachings of Jesus," THE INTERPRETER (Winter
1996)
"Making Messianic Worship Meaningful," MISHKAN (1, 1997)
"Why Is This Night Different?" MESSIANIC TIMES (Spring 1997)
"Yeshua and Halacha: Which Direction?" KESHER (Summer 1997)
"Messianic Conversion: It Is Viable," KESHER (Winter 1998)
"Witnesses for the Reliability of the Older Testament," MESSIANIC
JEWISH LIFE (Jan-Mar, 1999)
"The Resurrection of Yeshua: Myth or Fact?" MESSIANIC JEWISH
LIFE (Apr-June, 1999)
"The Rabbinic View of God: A Contrast to the Rambam," KESHER
(Summer 2001)
"The Legitimacy of Conversion," in VOICES OF MESSIANIC JUDAISM,
ed. Dan Cohn-Sherbok (Lederer 2001)
"Yes, We Do Need Messianic Congregations!" and "Messianic
Congregations Should Exist and Should Be Very Jewish," in HOW JEWISH
IS CHRISTIANITY? TWO VIEWS ON THE MESSIANIC MOVEMENT, ed. Louis Goldberg
(Zondervan 2003)
"Yeshua: The Deity Debate," MISHKAN, (1, 2004)
Ordination
Union of Messianic Jewish Congregations, 1988
