The latest attack against Yad L’Achim includes accusations of the anti-missionary organization using “Gestapo tactics”.
Some two months ago, organization officials learned of an essay published on a messianic website by attorney Kalev Meyers, who represents messianic Jews, in which he states Yad L’Achim uses “Gestapo and KGB tactics”. Meyers wrote that such tactics were used in the organization’s effort to tract down those who disguise themselves as Jews in the hope of obtaining Israeli citizenship.
Sheftal responded, sending Meyers a letter in which he made reference to his “anti-Semitic” remarks which contained elements of slander and deception. Sheftal demanded that Meyers use the same forum in which he publicized his slanderous document to issue an apology to Yad L’Achim in addition to paying the organization NIS 1 million. He concluded that if attorney Meyers does not comply, Yad L’Achim will use legal means at its disposal to compel such action, concluding “additional warnings will not follow”.
It appears the letter did have an impact and Meyers’ letter was removed from missionary websites within 24 hours. In addition, they sent a letter to the Israel Bar Association Ethics Committee, questioning Sheftal’s actions, questioning if Sheftal veered from acceptable behavior in the case.
The chair of the ethics committee, Ephraim Naveh, sent a letter to Sheftal informing him of the query, citing he is compelled to request a response, which must also be forwarded to the complainant. The letter stated that is a response is not forthcoming within 14 days; the committee would be compelled to address the letter as a formal complaint against him.
In his response, Sheftal explains the situation, pointing out the missionaries truly understood the severity of their tone since within 24 hours of receiving his response; the defamatory content was removed from the website.
Yad L’Achim director, Rabbi Dov Lifshitz explains that the missionaries backed down immediately following Sheftal’s response and therefore, it is clear that “crushing prompt actions are necessitated in order to halt the missionaries in addition to the need to amend the law to create a dam to halt their deviant actions”.
(Yechiel Spira – YWN Israel)
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10 Responses
These missionarys try and pretend that any criticism of them is an attack on all Christians which is absolute lie.
Plenty of Christians support Jews and support Israel and do not use deceptive tactics to do so.
These missionarys will use any tacitcs no matter how deceptive and will outright lie as well as target young children in the hopes of converting tghem before the children can learn enough Torah to understand why they should follow their own religion and not someone elses.
Until be”H we have a government composed of yirai Shamayim, and ALL the missionaries are thrown out, this kind of problem will keep occurring.
How weird. They call the sneaking up on their sneaky behavier, KGB and gestapo like.
There are some words that have no place in a straight talker’s vocabulary.
“Messianic Jew” is one of theose phrases. It’s an expression that, by design, is confusing, erroneous and dishonest on many levels. You can be sure that those underhanded Christian fundamentalists who underwrite missions that target Jews for proselytization by means of deception invested heavily and considered carefully the loshon of “Messianic Jew”. Decent people who value honesty should scrupulously avoid playing into their tricking hand by refusing to repeat their disingenuous language.
Ditto “Palestinian”. Just look at what incorporating that Arab phraseology into the Israeli political lexicon has wrought.
We should always take pains to choose accuracy over the prevailing propaganda in our descriptions of the enemies of the B’nei Yisrael. Who knows, perhaps by doing so we can, over time, influence a shift in the prevailing terminology back to a reality-based popular diction.
Further to my posting #4:
Perhaps there is a place for using the phrase “Messianic Jew” within the story body.
For example, a disclosure that “these Christian missionaries who masquerade as Jews even go so far as to introduce themselves as ‘Messianic Jews’ (as if klal Yisrael–who does not ever engage in avoda zara–didn’t hopefully await each and every day for the coming of Moshiach!).”
That could be an appropriate usage of the term.
Under handed tactics, kgb tactics against liars
sneak, fraudsters, etc etc. miessianic group do
nothing than try to swindle Jewish people into becoming something that is totally foreign from Yiddishkeit. The put on kipots, tallis, have torah scrolls and talk about yoshka; in a way sounds like the reform movement but they don’t even put on kipots unless they are women,
No joke messiantic, reform and consservative are a danger to Yiddishkeit; a real danger SINCE they
say they are REAL YIDDISHKEIT AND THEY ARE NOT.
Would you trust them as a doctor when they say they are REAL DOCTORS. Not for me Real coke read the label on whats in real coke
having just read some of the outrageous comments on the articles about michael grossman, i am tempted to take comment #1 (with which i do agree) and change the wording from
“These missionarys(sic) try and pretend that any criticism of them is an attack on all Christians which is [an] absolute lie.”
to
“These orthodox jews try and pretend that any criticism of them is an attack on all jews which is an absolute lie.”
i am not doubting the truth in your words about missionaries. however, i think we should all be aware regarding any topic, how the words we say about others can often be turned right around on us.
to Bec in comment #7
It is Ironic that you should mention my comment (#1) while trying to turn my words against Orthodox Jews when I was one of the very few not pretending this murderer was such a great person to be revered and saved.
I kept arguing against such ideas and I am absolutely and unashamedly for, the Death Penalty.
Unless of course you are saying that being in favor of executing murderers,, is what you think is so “outgrageous”.
bec, you should read ItsFunToBeBT’s comments, about the difference between using words as a spray or a pillow, and using words as what they mean. Yes, you can say any sentence backwards. Hereorthere is saying that it is that way. He’s not using those words as a punishment.
Please protect yourself from another modern danger. The CHAT ROOMS. I had MANY encounters from these so called friends of JEWS and ISRAEL attempting to be my friend by ‘asking me innocent questions’ on my thoughts of ‘yeshy’.Some even say they dont believe in ‘j’ but believe in ‘yeshu’ anther brilliant tactic of the xtians.
May Hashem bless me with strength and wisdom to spot them and warn other innocent JEWS in these ‘so called JEWISH chat rooms.B’H.
They are in reality ‘fishing grounds’ for the xtians.
Whats sad is the denial or the tolerance of JEWS in these chat rooms to hear them out to exchange our TORAH showing how frienly JEWS can be to xtians.And so condeme me for insisting that we are a nation that desnt have to prove our existence and WE STAND ALONE WITH ONE HASHEM and not teach ‘them’ our TORAH, (which they use against another unsuspecting Jew anyway)
I know most readers here dont need this eye opener from me, but know that YOUR FRIENDS may need to know that the JEWISH CHAT ROOMS ARE FISHING GROUNDS FOR GOYEEM.Tell your children that the so called rabbis in the chat rooms are NOT nessasarily OUR TORAH RABBIS.
TORAH IS THE BEST WEAPON TO FIGHT THE ENEMIES.
I hope Yeshiva World posts this because the probelm is very very serious.I could tell you so much more. Thank You Dacon9