Salvation is from the Jews -- Letters from Readers

I wrote you a couple of weeks ago that I was looking forward to buying and reading your book. I have since completed the reading and it has literally changed my life. In fact, I enjoyed it so much that I regretted finishing it.

There are so many things that I now understand that I never understood before. Perhaps understand is not the proper word, maybe I've just been allowed to see things that I have never before seen. Things can initially make no sense to the mind, yet make perfect sense to the spirit. Once the spirit is convinced, the mind follows and both are strengthened in the process.

I am a lifelong Catholic, including 12 years of Catholic school, though I have "fallen away" for quite some time. Last week, I attended Mass (a traditional Latin Mass) for the first time I can recall and I intend to do so again this week. The past few months have been most difficult .. I wasn't particular looking for faith, I was simply reading political articles on the National Review website when I read your piece on "The Passion of The Christ". I clicked on the link to your website, read your story, and something clicked inside of me. During the past few weeks, I have been overcome by an enormous sense of peace. I thank God for leading me to you, and I thank you for leading me to this place where I now find myself. At first I chuckled to myself how odd it was that, after 12 years of Catholic education I should be led back to the Church by a Jew. Upon reflection though, there is nothing that could be more natural and fitting.

I am a 60-year-old "cradle Catholic," but when I was young my dad had a
number of Jewish friends, so I was exposed to Judaism and especially Yiddishkeit...
It's from this background that I read your book yesterday -- in one
sitting, I couldn't put it down! -- and feel impelled to tell you what a
wonderful work it is. ==> Thank you! <== for writing it! It fills a great
need for truth in two ways: it corrects a lot of misconceptions people might
have about the relationship between Judaism and Catholicism and, just as
important, it tells more of the truth than I've ever read elsewhere about
the insidious origins of the Nazi paganism.

Again, Mr. Schoeman, thank you for writing that book. I'm going to rave about it to all my friends.

Dear Mr. Schoeman,

It is with deep gratitude that I write to congratulate you on your recent
book Salvation is from the Jews. I was privileged enough to hear you on a
radio interview broadcast in Chicago back in March, and I was so impressed
that I nearly emailed you at that time; however, I decided that it would be
better to read your book first (which I just did -- in nearly one sitting!)
The reason that I am grateful is that the research and insights that you
share in the book confirm some of my own reflections over the past few years
regarding the "signs of the times" as well as the real nature of the battle
in which we are engaged. I praise our Lord and Savior for giving you the
wisdom and courage to write Salvation is from the Jews, and for giving me
the opportunity to benefit from your thoughts..

I am almost finished with your wonderful book Salvation is from the Jews. I am neither a Jew nor a Catholic, but an evangelical Christian; nevertheless, your book has enlightened me more about the world than almost any other I've ever read. I have from childhood always believed that the Jews are still God's chosen people and that we must respect them carefully, but your book helps me understand why. The sections about Nazism and Islamism were especially revealing to me of the spiritual battle going on behind those evils. Your book has not been light reading for me, but I have stuck with it and am so very glad I did. I believe God wanted me to read it, for it has deepened my view of things very much. I thank God with all my heart that you were lead to accept Christ as your Messiah and Savior.

I just put down your â€œSalvation.â€�. From beginning to end, I found it most interesting, and, what struck me most, â€œprofoundâ€�. Can I say that I enjoyed it? .Enjoy would not be the right word. I have lost 20 cousins and uncles/aunts in the Holocaust.

.I am grateful to you, to let me look into your eternal being. You have put so much thought and feeling into this â€œChef d'Oeuvreâ€�.And your perfect sytle of writing has so much warmth and sensitivity.

Dear Roy,

Even though I intended to read your book slowly, once I started to read it I couldn't put it down. I read every single word & even every word of every footnote.

The best words I can use to describe my reaction to your book is powerful, exciting, enlightening, spiritual, inspiring.

I now have the best understanding I have ever had of Mary as both my sister & mother. I did not fully realize the extent of hatred towards the Jews...but I do now. The conversion stories were especially moving & pretty much mirrored my own conversion experience.

I found the book very easy to follow & understand. It flowed very smoothly & was a joy & a blessing to me.

Thank you for all the work you did to bring such a wonderful reading experience to me.

Sincerely in Yeshua,
P..

Hello Mr. Schoeman,

I have just finished your book, â€œSalvation is from The Jewsâ€� and wanted to drop a line to say thank you for writing it. It is a wonderful and much needed work. In fact, I consider it to be inspired by the Holy Spirit.

I recently purchased your book and found it so engrossing I (almost) read it in one sitting. I'll be recommending it to my Catholic Great Books and Bible Study classes.

I just finished reading your wonderful book, Salvation Is From the Jews . Thank you so much for writing it. Believe it or not, I am a cradle Catholic who has been called by God to educate Catholics, in particular, about the importance and the beauty of our Jewish roots. In a nutshell, I was Coordinator of Religious Ed. in our parish for 9 years, which I enjoyed tremendously. I felt that the Lord was calling me out of this ministry and into ???. ..With my Pastor's understanding, I completed my 9th and final year as Coord. (this was Aug. '99), & received my MA in Theology.

May the peace of the Christ Child reside within you, Roy, during this Christmas season and throughout the New Year.

Greetings. I just finished reading your book and words don't convey the depth of gratitude I feel for your having taken the time to write it. It was deeply satisfying. Thank you. In my quest for truth I had come to believe the things of which you wrote and clarified, but I did not know the fullness of what I had only come to know in a faltering way.

The whole book meant so much.....and especially your conversion story. Thank you, thank you for sharing.

May our Lord continue to bless you. Welcome to the Church. I too love her with all my heart, this Mystical Body of Christ.

I can't begin to thank you for your efforts in SALVATION IS FROM THE JEWS.
For years I have been looking for a book which would:1. enable me to better
understand the Jewish people as the chosen people and 2. enable me to
respond to very legitimate questions put to me by my Jewish friends. ( I
should tell you that for the past 4-5 years I have been attending a Torah
group every other week.) Only last Thursday I was asked about the lion and
the lamb and the virgin birth. Both questions are illuminated in your book.
Your book plus my attendance at Torah have given me an in-depth love and
appreciation for your and my brothers and sisters.

May the Blessed Virgin Mary take you ever closer to her Son...... and keep
spreading the Faith.

Dear Mr. Shoeman,

I first want to thank your for a very fine book. Salvation is from the Jews, was thoroughly enjoyable and gave me further insight to the on going Jewish/Catholic dialogue.

My husband was raised as a Reformed Jew and I was baptized a Catholic. When we met, both of us were pretty much agnostic and searching. .It has been a long road back to the Church via prayers & graces from God. But also my studying of Judaism and sharing new found knowledge with my husband has helped tremendously...

Again, thank you for your time, and your work in helping me understand our religious roots better. I look forward to future books.

I do believe that God lead me to see your website and the description of your book,"Salvation Is From The Jews"...

God bless you for all you are allowing Him to do through you and this book. You are in my prayers.

Dear Mr Schoeman,

I wanted to thank you for the explanation of the parallels in Judaism and Catholicism regarding the place for honoring the holy ones of all our father Abraham's offspring, culminating in the Messiah and His Precious Mother Miriam. You communicated it well.

I was born into a weakly Catholic family, mother is devoted, my father didn't receive much formation and our family suffered for it. After a troubled pre teen period, at 18 I left home, and began my wilderness journey, through mostly evangelical and fundamental churches , but I've never really felt at home..In the mid-ninties I felt compelled to start praying for the peace of Jerusalem, and began studying Messianic Jewish teaching.I have learned a great deal and can no longer contemplate Messiah Jesus outside His Jewish/Hebrew family context.

I have also come to understand that our faith is much more multifaceted than I had ever been instructed. The Jewish teaching has helped me to begin to see how much of it is preserved in the Catholic church. And so, I feel I'm on the road to return home, a road not without obstacles, some of which, you have managed to clear. I thank Jesus for your experience and willingness to share it. I'm looking forward to reading your book. Please pray the Lord will have mercy on the straying sheep and lead us back to His sheepfold.

Ahava v'shalom b'Yeshua ha Mashiach,
Mrs. C.

Dear Mr. Schoeman,

I've just finished readying "Salvation Is From The Jews," and wanted to say how impressed I am. The process of personally, radically embracing my Catholic Faith began when as a twelve-year-old, parochial school student I visited a local synagogue. It started me asking the tough questions about the foundation of my family's beliefs. Throughout the past eighteen years I have found myself mesmerized time and again by the beauty of the New hidden in the Old and the Old brought to full fruition in the New.

Thank you in particular for the information about the miracle of the scarlet thread; that has never been brought to my attention before. I had also never had anyone outline the connections between Nazi and Arab anti-Semetism. Your work is greatly appreciated.

.. Again, I greatly enjoyed reading your work.

The Spirit of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you Mr. Schoeman and all your family

I received your new book at Christmas and finished it in two days. When I came to the end of the book tears welled up in my eyes, tears of joy. I have learned about our elder brothers in the faith through the Neo-Catechumenal Way. . Our catechists have a deep love and respect for our Jewish brothers as all the communities of the neo-catechumenal way do and often a catechesis on our true roots in Judaism is given to us. ..This has brought the faith to completion for me and given me a deep respect of our elder brothers in the faith. Many times at the kiss of peace in the mass we sing the Jewish song Evenu Shalom Alehem. I know that I am Judeo Christian because of our father Abraham, who, receiving a Word left everything and answered the call of God.

This Wednesday night at about 10:00pm the communities of our parish are going to meet and celebrate the feast of a young Jewish girl who also said yes to God, and became the Mother of God. We will begin with a rosary and then a celebration of the Eucharist. Followed with an Agape' and rejoicing.

I thank you my brother for giving up your time to put forth this book.

Peace be to you
Your brother in Christ
S.. W..

The book came to me at E. Publishing, where I am editor. I read it during my Christmas vacation, reading many passages out loud to my family -- especially the one about Joseph welcoming back his brothers, which brings me and my wife to tears every time. As you may have guessed from the name, I'm a Jewish convert myself.

I just finished your book, had a very difficult time even putting it down. Thank you so much for sharing not only your own "conversion" or "completion" as you say, but also the conversion stories of other Jews who have come to know and love our Lord in the Catholic faith. I was literally moved to tears by the writings of Alphonse Ratisbonne, Rabbi Zolli, and Charlie Rich.

I, too, am a convert to the Catholic Church, but from Protestantism, but I was none the less able to relate closely to many things you wrote about, such as, conversion being the work of God, not just a person's deciding one day to change his religion. Also, growing up Protestant, I was given at an early age the strong conviction that the Jews ARE God's Chosen People, not were, and that the Lord will bless those who bless them. As a result, I have always felt a tremendous love for His People.

Your book is extremely informative and well documented. It presents amazing ideas and history that I had never heard before, particularly about the Nazis and Arab anti-Semitism. The role of the Jews in the Second Coming was stunning. Never had I put that together.

Again, I thank you for sharing the joy of your spiritual completion in the Catholic faith. I feel the same way but not to the extent that you do, I'm sure. It must be an incredible experience to look for Messiah all of one's life only to realize at some point that He has already come. How blessed you are.

Greetings from St. J.. Parish. I loved your book, a member of my parish saw it first, and bought me a copy as well as one for him. I loved the main point, that 'conversion' is actually completion for Jews who enter the Church. I had read some about the intellectual predecessors of Hitler, but your history was much better, especially the satanic and pagan, racist background. Some of the quotes from the Palestinian press would almost be funny if they weren't so outrageous. Perhaps we could think about having you down this way, to speak about the book, open not just to my parish, but the whole cluster or vicariate, although I'll be there would be parishes that would not advertise it, due to the misplaced 'charity' in not pushing conversion that you speak about. Anyway, may God continue to bless you...

Glory to Christ Jesus.
Love your book! I'm spreading the word and stacking the Church gift shop with them.
I have one question regarding Eugenius IV's papal bull Cantata Domino on Jewish law and festival..

Greetings from Japan... By way of introduction I am an American living and
working here in Japan as a humble potter/ceramics art instructor. I started
my own studio/school about 6 years ago. At heart, my vocation is that of a
contemplative, but I do need to earn a living. If I were not married, I'd
find myself quite happy as a brother at a Carthusian Charterhouse.

To make a long story short, I am a recent convert to Catholicism. I come
from Protestant roots although I was raised without any religion whatsoever!
My wife, who is Japanese, was baptized and confirmed last year at Easter
into the Catholic Church.

I am simply writing to tell you that your book has had a major impact on my
faith, and my life in general. I can honestly say in the past 3 years since
my confirmation I've digested about a book a week dealing with all things
Catholic, spiritual, ecumenical and the like... Living here in Japan - thank
God for Amazon.com. Your book ranks in the top 3 (of books) I've read thus
far since my conversion.

.I will forever think differently about my own personal views toward collective Judaism and Israel because of
your research. Thank you for a thought provoking book! I've passed it on to
my 89-year-old French Canadian Redemptorist priest, and I am sure it will
make it rounds from there.

As St. John of the Cross said, "In the end we will all be judged according
to love." With that, I bid you peace and love... Thank you...

T..

Dear Mr. Schoeman

I recently devoured your book, Salvation is From the Jews. Of particular interest to me, and the subject of this email is your chapter on Arab Anti-Semitism..

Allow me to introduce myself and give you some background. I am... a former seminarian who left the Church and returned after seeking truth in Eastern Religions. Academically, my training is in Political Science. I am also a Commandant's List graduate .. as a Psychological Operations Specialist.

With this in mind I wish to both applaud you .

Sincerely,

Your book is a gift from God and an answer to one of my prayers. Since my "conversion" I have enjoyed the presence of Christ in my life. This has given me the confidence to research reasons why people don't believe and through prayer and study my faith always emerges stronger than ever. Recently, I looked at reasons Jews give for rejecting Jesus as the Messiah. I prayed for guidance and literally a few hours later your book came into my possession. You answered many of my questions. Thank you so much for your resolve to become an instrument of God.

Just finished reading your remarkable book and find myself so much more enlightened in my Catholic faith and from whence it sprung...

Dear Mr. Schoeman,

Thank you for the your honesty and courage in writing "Salvation Is From the Jews." I shall be recommending it to all of my friends, colleagues and fellow Knights of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem.

You write of things I have been studying for years, and it is refreshing to see someone else who has connected the dots. Your scholarship is outstanding and you writing style delightful. I haven't been able to put it down.

May God Bless you and keep you, Shalom!

Yrs in Christ,

I just bought your book and am enjoying it immensely! I am Catholic and not of Hebrew extraction. It has given me a wonderful new dimension to my faith.

I am a recent convert to the Catholic faith from Zealous Protestantism so our Bible study is open to discussion of both Catholic and Protestant views.

Two weeks ago we had Jewish convert come to our Catholic/Protestant bible study. I had providentially bought your book a month or two ago but hadn't read it. After out Jewish convert came to the Bible study I found it and began to read it. I calculated how many pages I must force myself to read before our meeting to discuss his conversion, outside of the Bible study. But I LOVE your book. It is exactly what I needed. THANK YOU! THANK YOU for writing it! It is fantastic. I found the story about the scarlet thread absolutely fascinating. I have a Jewish Christian friend and of course her family is still Jewish and she is interested also.

Just a note to thank you for your book. I am an ordinary man who tries by Gods grace to live my Catholic faith. Your book is inspiring because it shows clearly the link between the old covenant and Jesus as the Messiah. Your book has enlightened me--and I am sharing much of it with my wife and six children.

I hope that despite all the problems in the Church today, your faith may deepen and grow.

Thank you so much for "Salvation is From the Jews." I was recently at a Catholic bookstore looking for a video for my CCD class and your book just stood out on the rack as if waiting for me. A little background: I am Catholic, but my husband of 22 years is Jewish.Over the last 10 years, I have been blessed with an intense desire to deepen my Catholic faith. I've gone to Bible studies, prayer groups, retreats, read numerous Catholic books, etc. I've learned so much about my religion that I didn't know before and I don't think I will ever grow tired of learning more!Your book has helped me to understand so much about how the New Testament and Old Testament are connected. It's incredible how God has worked through the Jewish people to bring salvation to all people. I've read little excerpts to my husband. Thank you so much!

I started reading your book, "Salvation is from the Jews" last night and have spent the better part of today finishing it and I really had other things to do. I also went to your website, www.salvationisfromthejews.com, three times.

Thank you for your effort in writing the book. It has made me, a cradle Catholic, feel a little less crazy in these crazy days. I entrust you to my patron, himself a prince of the House of David and rightfully called the Lion of Judah, a title he passed to his Glorious Son.

I have just finished your book, Thank you. I enjoyed it all. The chapters on the Nazi's were enlightening. The chapters on Islam were frightenly disturbing. I have to admit a tinge of jealousy at my older brothers in the faith until I think about my older natural brother and how much I love him. Being the second son has its pitfalls. ;o)

May God continue to bless you until we meet in heaven! (There are no guarantees on my behalf. I may be a little delayed in purgatory.)

A selection of unsolicited letters from readers follows.

Some are shortened and names are deleted to preserve annonymity, but they are otherwise unchanged.