Jews for Jesus: An Oxymoron
Downloadable royalty-free leaflet from http://www.omdurman.org/leaflets/j_for_j.html
A condensation of "Operation Good Fences" at http//:www.omdurman.org/fences.html
I am a Jew for Christianity, in the sense of recognizing Christianity as a positive force for good in the world. Christianity, like Judaism, mainstream Islam, Hinduism, Taoism, and Buddhism, is founded on Natural Law (=India's Dharma and China's Tao, the Way): principles and values that all human societies and organizations consider fundamentally RIGHT. Sets of laws (e.g. the Ten Commandments) simply codify these values and principles.
As a Jew for Christianity, I support without reservation the natural human right of Christians around the world to practice their faith without fear of persecution by militant "Islamic" governments or totalitarian regimes (e.g. Mainland China). Christianity is a good neighbor except when it tries to get too close by converting Jews. That is when we must erect a good fence to keep Christianity a good neighbor.

Understanding the Evangelical Sales Pitch

Evangelism's standard operating procedure is the superimposition of Christianity on other religions. Anyone who understands this is immune to the "Yeshua was Jewish" approach. So Yeshua (Jesus) was Jewish; this does not mean that the faith he created is Jewish. One could as easily argue that Protestantism is a "fulfillment" of Catholicism since Martin Luther was originally a Catholic. King Henry VIII, the founder of the Church of England, was not only a Catholic but Defender of the Faith! Here are some examples of how Christianity superimposes itself on other religions.
AZTECS believed that ritual cannibalism of a sacrificial victim gave them the dead person's virtues, such as courage in battle. Along come the Spanish missionaries with the Mass: "This is the body of Christ, this is the blood of Christ." It worked. The Aztecs also had a god known as Filth-Eater whose function was to "devour" the sins of those who confessed to his priests. You can imagine what the missionaries did with that one.
ROMANS AND GREEKS believed in many gods, each of whom was the patron of a human trade or activity. Christianity allowed only one God but patron saints replaced the Greco-Roman pantheon. You couldn't pray to a saint as if he or she was God but you could pray to the saint to "intercede" for you with God. This doubtlessly made it easier for Greeks and Romans to convert. St. Valentine's Day was originally the Roman Lupercal, which also was associated with lovers and female fertility.
PAGAN EUROPE AND BRITAIN worshipped, among other things, trees. Notice the centerpiece of the Winter Solstice, I mean Christmas, celebration. A fat jolly Druid (note the presence of leaves and berries in his garments) comes down the chimney... Then there's mistletoe, the only material that could harm the Scandinavian god Baldur.
The Resurrection
The concept of a god (usually agricultural) who dies, is buried (planted), and returns to life is common in societies across the world. See, for example, the English folk tale of John Barleycorn. Easter falls at the beginning of Spring and is accompanied by baby animals, eggs, and flowers. Early Christians doubtlessly superimposed Jesus' resurrection on a pagan Spring fertility rite.

Demigods, Avatars, and other Man-to-God Bridges

The concept of Jesus as a "bridge" between Man and God was not new even 2000 years ago. The Greco-Roman gods were too far above mortals to serve as everyday role models, so Greco-Roman mythology included demigods (e.g. Hercules, Achilles) who had one mortal and one immortal parent. Demigods often resulted from seemingly-immaculate conception, with no mortal father being involved. Zeus, for example, visited Perseus' mother Danaë in the form of a golden shower. Demigods were without exception mortal themselves, so they lived and died like everyone else.
The concept of God taking mortal form, especially to right some wrong in the world, is Hindu. The god Vishnu came down in nine incarnations, the most recent two being the hero Rama and the spiritual guide Krishna. In the Bhagavad Gita the hero Arjuna asks Krishna, "Drive my chariot." The chariot is understood to be spiritual as well as physical and the concept is similar to "letting Jesus into your heart." Furthermore, Krishna proclaims himself the Beginning, Middle, and End of all things. (Can anyone say "Alpha and Omega?")
Vishnu's tenth avatar is yet to come, and he will bring righteousness to the world and usher in a golden age of peace. This is, of course, almost identical to the Book of Revelations.

Christianity = Judaism + Hinduism +Buddhism?

The New Testament includes items that are almost identical to much older Hindu and Buddhist literature. In the Hindu Mahabhrata, Krishna feeds the entire world with a few grains of rice ===> Jesus feeds a multitude with a few loaves and fishes. The Gospel is the Good News, and Buddhism's Bodi-Dharma is the Good Law. Other evidence suggests that Jesus and his disciples developed their teachings from Judaism, Hinduism, and Buddhism. Later, Greek Christians may have incorporated elements of Greek philosophy. There is nothing wrong with this and Christianity is a positive and valid set of beliefs and principles, but it is not the only such set.
Summary and Position Statement: Nothing in this leaflet is intended to invalidate Christianity as a positive and constructive set of beliefs and values. Its similarity to other faiths, in fact, reinforces and validates it as such (and it, in turn, validates and reinforces the others). It is not, however, the only valid set of values and beliefs as the "Jews" for Jesus want you to believe.