From Haaretz:
Suspected Jewish terrorist Yaakov (Jack) Teitel told his interrogators he was an active member of anti-missionary group Yad L’achim for five years, Haaretz has learned.
The Bnei Brak-based ultra-Orthodox group has gained notoriety in recent years for its actions against Messianic Jews, whom it perceives as a “sect” seeking to convert Jews to Christianity. The organization also prides itself on “rescuing” Jewish women from relationships with Palestinians and Israeli Arabs.
Teitel, a resident of the settlement Shvut Rachel, was charged last November with murdering two Palestinians and attempting to murder three people, including Hebrew University Professor Zeev Sternhell and Ariel teenager Ami Ortiz. Ortiz, from a family of Messianic Jews, was gravely wounded by a bomb packaged inside a Purim gift in March 2008.
Teitel admitted to placing the bomb, and called the Ortiz family “missionaries trying to capture weak Jews.”
Teitel admitted he was connected to the organization during an interrogation several weeks after his arrest. The interrogator, a Shin Bet officer with the Petah Tikva police, asked Teitel what he had been doing the night a bomb was placed outside Sternhell’s home. Teitel said he had been pacing at home, unable to sleep, because of the cold weather.
When the interrogator asked Teitel how his wife would react when he would come home after spending the night out, Teitel said she didn’t mind because she knew he was working with Yad L’achim, “rescuing” Jewish women from their Arab partners.
Teitel said he had worked with the organization for five years, and took part in five “rescue operations” a year. He said the operations were fast and effective, and always took place when the couples were not home. He refused to say who organized the operations.
A month and a half before Teitel’s arrest, Haaretz spoke to Yad L’achim chairman Rabbi Shalom Dov Lifshitz, as part of a comprehensive feature on his group in the weekend supplement last October. In the interview, Lifshitz denied his organization was connected to the harassment of the Ortiz family, and when presented with a poster showing the family with other Messianic activists, the rabbi denied his activists were distributing it.
Two months after the explosion in Ariel, the injured teenager’s father, David, approached several authorities in Israel and abroad. He said he felt the investigation had reached a stalemate, even though he had given police CCTV footage showing Teitel placing the bomb near his door.
Among others, he approached the Irish Christian Friends of Israel. The mission’s staff then sought explanations from Israel’s ambassador to Dublin, Nadav Cohen.
In response, the ambassador stated that the investigation was classified and that the officer in charge would tell him only that “Ariel has a community of about 20 Messianic Jews, and their leader [Ortiz] has been provoking Jews and Muslims, convincing them to convert … the police is working to prevent this incident from recurring, but also told me that the Messianic Jews must alter their behavior to prevent extreme incidents in the future.”
Caleb Meyers, legal adviser for the Jerusalem Institute of Justice, who represents several Messianic Jewish activists, said, “If Teitel’s confession is correct, it’s not particularly surprising. We have been warning about the daily incitement and violence by ultra-Orthodox organizations like Yad L’achim for years. They incite against minorities for no reason other than their religion.”
“Yad L’achim is an entire barrel of bad apples,” the lawyer said. “The authorities must treat them uncompromisingly, because it’s just a matter of time before they grow more Teitel terrorists.”
Yesterday, Lifshitz denied Teitel was connected to his organization.
“I have no idea who this is and we have nothing to do with him. I’ve read about him in the papers, and it sounds like he’s making it all up with his feverish imagination. Maybe his claim about working with us was just an excuse to his wife for his absence at night.”
Lifshitz also denied Teitel took part in five “rescue” operations a year.
“So he says, so what. I wish we had someone who could take part in five operations a year. Look, we have a lot of volunteers, hundreds of them, maybe he joined us under a false name,” he said. “You can’t know anything for sure these days. I guess I’ll have to check the passports of every one of my men from now on.”
The Yad L’achim chairman said he had not been approached by the police or the Shin Bet since Teitel’s arrest.
“He’s a wacko, he’s nuts. I don’t know the guy,” he said.
Sounds like Yad La’ are distancing themselves from Teitel, he is their Frankinstein monster and now they don’t want any connection with him! Not a suprise I guess, but they are amongst those who have whipped up the hysteria that allowed men like him to flourish.
That’s right Gev. This is a damning indictment on Yad L’achim, regardless of their actions and rhetoric now.
I think the jury is still out on this. But I admit it doesn’t look good. He doesn’t appear to have ever been a regular employee, and seems to have exaggerated his importance. (Not unusual for mental types.) But he may have done some volunteer work for them. (BTW if they had really thought he was telling the truth, the Shin Bet would have officially talked to Rabbi Lipshitz, which they did not do.)
On the one hand,Yad L’Achim weren’t to know that a bloodthirsty murderer would want to join their missions.
On the other hand, who did they expect, Mahatma Gandhi?!!
Joesph, is it really so hard for you to imagine that some people sincerely believe that what you are doing is wrong and dangerous to your soul and feel an obligation to help you?
Hey Moshe, don’t doubt they might have sincere motives, I’m just saying it isn’t exactly pacifism!
G-d is also not a pacifist. Never was and certainly in the end of days he will not be.
G-d is also not a pacifist. Never was and certainly in the end of days he will not be.
Yeah but I don’t think Yad L’Achim accurately represent God.
Joseph, on this I have to disagree.
Okay but what about them helping out the Chinese with “cult-fighting”:
http://roshpinaproject.wordpress.com/2009/06/29/anti-missionary-goes-to-china/
China’s not exactly a state run according to Noahide Laws, so what’s Yad L’Achim doing helping them identify “cults”?
What if the non-Noahide state of China one day identifies Judaism as a cult like it has done to evangelical Christianity, and Yad L’Achim has given China all the top tips on “cult-fighting” – you wonder how people would feel towards Yad L’Achim then!
I actually know this fellow. He is really a very nice guy. I understand that he was invited to that China conference. You ask good questions. Maybe the next time I am on Israel i will ask him about that conference.
FYI the Chinese make a lot of money from Jews. I know a lot of people who have factories or bring imports from there. I don’t think they would make a problem for real Jews.
Good to hear!
Right on. Yad L’achim encouraged this kind of thing by their lying incitements, extra-legal activities and thuggery, hence the kind of people that they attract are going to be the types that revel in activities that contain these elements. We are only surprised that there have not been more incidents like the Peretz bombing -with fatalities. Sad to make a gloomy prediction, but I think one day not too soon, Yad Lachim or an associated irgun or one of their thugs, will kill someone.
Leon, while I have to agree that groups like Yad help set up or inspire violence, I believe their actions are unintentional and that these groups actually do abhor violence and other unfair and unlawful activity. This is especially important to us as MKs and evangelical Christians, because people blame our missionary activity for violence and hatred against Jews, Moslems, homosexuals, drug dealers, rich people, poor people etc. We intend no harm. We do no evil. Yet we are accused.
Leon, let me propose that the reason why there have not been more incidents like the Peretz incident is because your evaluation of Yad L’Achem is 100% the opposite of the truth. Had they really been involved in “lying incitements, extra-legal activities and thuggery” there would definitely have been more. They are not, and so there are not (except for nut cases like this Yakov character.)
I think that demonization of those who oppose you is the first sign of insecurity and lack of conviction. It is one thing to say that they are dangerous and that they are doing wrong. It is another to say what you are, when the facts are clearly the opposite, as events show.
“I actually know this fellow. He is really a very nice guy.”
Moshe, tu parles le francais aussi?
Je ne parles pas francais tres bien.
T’es tres modeste, je suis sur
Joseph you are pushing my limits. I will not say how long it has been since I used French, lt’s say it is better to say decades then years.
Jouste yuz gugl translatour, layk Jozef daz.
Gene, t’as pas raison, si je parle le francais – on ne peut jamais se fier à Google Translate parce que ses traductions contiennent beaucoup d’erreurs.
Gene, I don’t do such things. Torah says, m’Devar Sheker Tirchak’
Joseph, I am not even going to try to answer you on that,
I was just answering Gene’s claim that I used Google Translate, I don’t it’s really unreliable!
I understand enough French to have understood that you were making that point.
Wish I could agree with you Moshe, but I have friends in Israel, who have had personal experience of exactly the characteristics and actions of YLA’ that I mentioned. So on that point I must disagree and leave you to believe what you will.
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