Washington (CNN) Jewish leaders from both political parties said Tuesday that it was "offensive" and "disappointing" to have a Messianic Jewish minister open a campaign event attended by Vice President Mike Pence on Monday.

Pence called Rabbi Loren Jacobs a "leader in the Jewish community," but many Jewish people consider Messianic Judaism to be a form of Christianity and reject the conflation of the two religions. At the rally, Jacobs prayed in the name of "Jesus the Messiah," but mainstream Judaism does not believe that Jesus was the long-awaited Jewish messiah.

The invitation of Jacobs, in the wake of the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting that took the lives of 11 people, has drawn criticism from American Jewish leaders -- both Democratic and Republican. The decision to invite Jacobs offended some Jewish people who were already wary about the Trump administration's commitment to defending Jewish interests and safety amid a rising tide of anti-Semitism

An official in Pence's office said in a statement: "The speaker was invited by Lena Epstein, the candidate the VP was there supporting. We often have ecumenical prayers at the beginning of events that aren't an endorsement of any particular faith." Epstein, who is Jewish, is running to represent Michigan's 11th Congressional District.

Matt Brooks, the executive director of the Republican Jewish Coalition, called it "an unfortunate and disappointing mistake."

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