The following article titled “Brighton Beach Pastors Working To Convert Russian Jews to Christianity” appeared in today’s Brooklyn Eagle:
The Hope of Israel Congregation occupies the second floor of a swanky new building in Brighton Beach. A banner hugging its wall reads, “Hope of Israel – Savior and Light of the World.”
An observant passer-by might notice something peculiar, even comical, in the message. Especially if he were Jewish. The words of the banner are book-ended by the image of a menorah that is discreetly superimposed by a cross.
The Hope of Israel is a Christian church targeting Jews for conversion to Christianity. The church and its pastor have drawn criticism from neighborhood rabbis and some Jewish residents who disapprove of their conspicuous location and aggressive methods of recruitment.
The ministries are part of a larger movement with 300 to 500 congregations worldwide attempting to attract Jews to Christianity, according to Dr. Uri Yosef, of the Messiah Youth Project, a non-profit organization dedicated to Jewish education and outreach. Dr. Yosef, who is critical of the movement, estimates a total Jewish evangelical membership of 250,000 to 350,000. At least 10 percent of these evangelists are estimated to be Jewish by Halachic law, because they were born of a Jewish mother.
Annually, about $250 million are spent on Jewish evangelism, Yosef said. “But they are not really getting a lot of bang for the buck.”
The pastor of Hope of Israel, Jan Berkmans said he is not affiliated with the most well-known of these evangelists, “Jews for J“.
Mordechai Weiner, a 73-year-old native of Bensonhurst and a member of King’s congregation, converted from Judaism to Christianity 21 years ago. “That’s why we are here,” he said. “To convert these Russian Jews.”
It is precisely that kind of aggressive language, coupled with equally aggressive tactics, that local Jewish leaders resent. This summer alone, the combined ministries handed out 8,000 Russian and Hebrew-language bibles emblazoned with Stars of David and 20,000 Russian-language tracts.
(Source: Brooklyn Eagle)
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11 Responses
aren’t there anti missionary organizations to get involved and help these jews. also we as jewish orthodox people must start reaching out further to jews who are lost and bring them closer to us before something like this chalila happens.
B”H there are organizations and amazing people like Dr. URI YOSEF who has gone to Brooklyn and has spoken and presented workshops on how to recognize and combat these soul stealers. I have known Dr. Yosef for many years and he is the best of the best at what he does. All we have to do is reach out to yidden who are ignorant of their rich past and bring Jews back to Torah and Mitzvahs one neshumah at a time.
The Town Crier:
You must investigate before making that statement. I know that major efforts were/are made to counteract this nonsense. What sort of action do you have in mind for the frum community? I live right near Brighton and would be glad to do something about this.
I wonder if they were really matzliach in ever getting a Yid to Convert..
& they will have a long way to go untill Chas Veshulom they even get close!!
& i must say that today B”h there is so much going on in Chesed from one Yid to a 2nd- so were not so busy fighting these stupid bored kids!!!!
bsimchah, don’t be do nieve. I’m sure they are unfortunatly succesful although maybe not as successful as they would like to be.
having worked withJews for Judaism for a number of years I have seen the tragic results of missionaries successes. people do convert and getting them back is no simple matter
Grew up around the area, and it has always been neglected by kiruv rabbanim and others. Now is the time to get in to Brighton and make a dent!
Chabad is there, Rabbi Zushe Winner, Rabbi Hershel Okunov, & others. So bklynmom, not all “kiruv rabbonim” are MIA!!
# 8 is right!!
As a bochur, 15 years ago I was part of a group who used to walk from Boro Park on Yom Tov to the churches in Bensonhurst and Brighton and tell the Russians going inside that the “davening” they were invited to, was not Jewish… Some of them were shocked that they were dupped into going there by other Jews.
I also remeber other frum Yidden walking by us and at least 1 person who asked us on whose achrayus was the bittul Torah? I cant get over how people think that by them learning an hour its more precious than saving a person from shmad r’l
#5. maybe they weren’t successful by the the frum / erliche oilem, but innocent jews that barely know anything about judaism, only that their mother was jewish, can be a very easy target. ( or chas v’sholom someone who’s not so strong & wants to “check it out” just for the kicks..)
BTW, there are Litvishe kiruv people there, not only Chabad, e.g. Rabbi Tokarsky (of Yeshivas Chofetz Chaim). Actually, Rabbi Aryeh Katzin, shlita, the first, and still primary, leader of Russian Jewry in America, is the Rav of Rabbi Tokarsky’s shul. He is truly and inspirational tzaddik, one who is completely selfless in his devotion to the klal (American as well as Russian- any yid who needs chizuk can get it from him.)
To # 11 (tomim tihye)
It seems like you are writing like a “Tam,” one of the 4 students described in the ‘Haggadah Shel Pesach.’
Why can’t you ‘Fargin’ that CHABAD was indeed the First organization to be mekarev Russian-Jews in America.
Your self-procalaimed ‘leader’ and ‘Tzadik’ Rabbi Katzin Shlita was certainly not the first, as you write.
Let’s not try to re-write history…