His work has been influential on several right-wing Israeli messianic groups.

Then, Mr. Abramowitz wrote to Mr. Patterson, protesting his involvement in a conference on evangelizing Jews held in New York with leaders of messianic groups that say one can be Jewish and also accept Jesus as the Messiah.

The Conference states that they "support the right of all religions to share their message in the spirit of good will;" however Rev. Clark Lobenstine, has condemned the "proselytizing efforts" of "Jews for Jesus and other messianic Jewish groups."

In New York, Jewish organizations have asserted that Southern Baptist approaches to Jews involve deception, because the denomination increasingly supports messianic Jewish groups, which say one can be fully Jewish while also believing in Jesus as the Messiah.

The Friday night service at Congregation Adat Shalom, a "messianic" group that meets in the fellowship hall of a Baptist church in a Dallas suburb, has begun.

The remainder of the population is made up of practitioners of traditional indigenous religious beliefs, those who belong to various messianic groups, and those who practice no religion.

But numerous Shiite clerics, seeking anonymity for fear of contradicting the government, said it was highly unlikely that Al Qaeda, a Sunni group, would link up with a Shiite messianic group.

The messianic Pentecostal group, the New Israelites of Peru, keeps the new moon as a Sabbath of rest.

On May 28 David Goldner, a member of a Jewish messianic group, was jailed for three years after confessing to defacing the graves in an effort to unite Israelis against Arabs.

The spring curriculum considers bioethics, Islam, messianic groups and Jewish roots of Christian liturgy.