My father, Moishe Rosen, was a colorful person. And he was playful. I think he still is; we just don’t get to see it because he’s been in heaven since May 19, 2010.

He wanted so much for us to be glad that he would be joining Jesus, the Jewish Messiah, the one he just couldn’t stop talking about. He didn’t want us to be sad. I guess it was hard for him to understand just how much we would miss him. But I put green streaks in my hair not too long after he died because he did not want the color and playfulness to go out of life once he was in a better place.

Did you ever do anything like that? Putting green streaks in your hair is one way of making a statement, but it doesn’t last long.

I also wrote a book that tells how Moishe Rosen met Jesus and why he just couldn’t stop talking about Him. The book has already lasted a little longer than the green streaks did. If you have would like inside info and “extras” about the biography and about his life, follow our Facebook page for Called to Controversy. 

Did you know that Jews for Jesus founder, Moishe Rosen, was stabbed repeatedly with a pair of scissors while marching in a gospel demonstration?

“Moishe tried not to notice how the blood was streaming down from his arm—he held it up high, hoping that would slow the bleeding, not even realizing that the blood from his raised hand together with the sign proclaiming God’s love appeared highly symbolic, if not heroic…” (Called to Controversy, the Unlikely Story of Moishe Rosen and the Founding of Jews for Jesus p. 184.)

Moishe continued demonstrating with that early group of Jews for Jesus simply because allowing the incident to break up the demonstration would have encouraged further violence. So he kept going until it was time to leave for a radio interview. After the show, he went to the emergency room to get his hand stitched up. He later reflected,

“Some of the things that gave me a larger than life reputation were just a matter of sticking to a schedule. When I got stabbed in front of The Garden of Eden on Broadway, I wasn’t being heroic. I was just being busy. I was trying to hold things together as best as I could.” (p. 186)

This story (and others like it) has been recorded in greater detail in Called to Controversy. It goes to show how memorable moments may seem mundane at the time. So don’t discount those “I could do without this” times of plodding onward amidst the painful and seemingly not-particularly-spiritual circumstances of your life. Some of those moments may turn out to be totally memorable after all.

If you know Jesus, then you know the most controversial person ever to walk the earth. If you think he’s calling you to a life of conventionality, you’re missing out. And so are all the people whose lives you could be touching.