Rosenthal, who is ailing, did not respond to the Forward’s request for comment. When Holy Land opened he famously said he wouldn’t hire a Pentecostal at the park, even to sell hot dogs. He disdained – but tolerated – modern evangelical outreach to Jews like “Jews for Jesus.” But he also disdained charismatic Pentecostal Christians.
Rosenthal is an ex-Marine and former professional dancer with a circus ring master’s flair for showmanship, down to his pencil thin mustache.
But their concerns didn’t materialize when few Jews went to the attraction.
The latter drew criticism from local rabbis when Holy Land Experience opened in 2001. The dual goal of his ministry, Zion’s Hope, he said, was to educate Christians about the Jewish roots of their faith, and to proselytize Jews to abandon their faith. Raised Jewish in Philadelphia, Rosenthal became a traditional Baptist. “AdventHealth will make a significant investment in redeveloping the property to bring enhanced health care services to the community,” Amy Pavuk-Gentry, an AdventHealth spokesperson, told the Orlando Sentinel.