Chabad info reports:
A May 30, 2008 cable from the American Embassy in Tel Aviv describes the activities of the “Yad Leachim” anti-missionary movement, run by Chabad Rabbi Shalom Ber Lifshitz, and noting the fact that Chabad can “proselytize” openly:
“2. BACKGROUND: While anti-missionary groups such as the ultra-Orthodox Yad l’Achim (“Hand to the Brothers”) have long sought to uproot Messianic Jewish and Evangelical Christian congregations in Israel, their activities have gone largely unnoticed by mainstream Israeli society. Targeted congregations have suffered harassment and occasionally even vandalism or violence at the hands of Yad l’Achim activists, but such incidents rarely made the national press. Despite the harassment, the number of Messianic Jews and Evangelical Christians has grown in recent years through both immigration and conversion. In recent months, however, increased press reporting and complaints from religious freedom activists have indicated an increase in Yad l’Achim activism and a growing, wider backlash against the presence of Evangelical or Messianic congregations and missionaries living in Jewish communities. Contacts describe a mounting sense of fear among Messianic and Evangelical communities, and allege a situation of near impunity where police fail to adequately investigate hate crimes against them. They also claim that the Interior Ministry arbitrarily denies benefits to people it identifies as Messianic Jews or Evangelical Christians. For their part, Yad l’Achim and allied activists appear increasingly determined to head off what they see as the “stealing of Jewish souls” by proselytizing “cults” that use deception and manipulation to prey on the weaker sectors of Israeli Jewish society. (NOTE: Proselytizing is legal in Israel, as long as it is not directed toward minors and as long as people are not materially induced into conversion. Proselytizing of less-Orthodox Jews by ultra-Orthodox Jewish sects, such as Chabad, is done openly and without the constraints imposed on non-Jewish groups. END NOTE).
“4. … NOTE: “Outing” Messianic Jews and Evangelical Christians through the publication of names, photos and addresses alongside flyers with hysterical allegations about “soul stealing” and “brainwashing” is a favorite tactic of Yad l’Achim branches throughout the country).
“6. Yad l’Achim and other anti-missionary activists may also have allies, tacit or active, in the Interior Ministry and police departments, where clerks and police officers have wide discretion in deciding which national benefits a person is entitled to and which crimes are worth investigating, given limited resources. Contacts in Messianic and Christian congregations in Arad and Be’er Sheva have long complained that police in those cities fail to take seriously hate crimes against their members.”
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good thing to post here
it confirms and thus substantiates what I have been saying in other posts
actually when you think about it… what would Jews in Amsterdam or Berlin say/cry out if Muslims would put flyers on lampposts of Chabadnicks, with their pictures, names and addresses and accuse them of some crime, for example of being a sect, twisting the truth of the Quran
surely they would call that anti-Semitism, wine with the national press, file a lawsuit, publish it in every Jewish outlet. Yes it would come on jpost, ynet, haaretz, cnn and foxnews
well then follow Hillel: do unto others as you want to be done unto you
Quite right, anti-Semitism is exactly what it is.
This is how I define the phenomenon, to distinguish it from the sometimes searing comments of Jewish prophets, but I’d welcome improvements, and what Yad L’Achim is doing seems to meet it precisely.
‘A malicious motivation towards the Jews (usually disguised), a falsification of facts about them, and its object is to harm or denigrate. It is diametrically opposed to the spirit of Leviticus 19.17-18.’
Also, if you think about the excuses Yad L’Achim makes for its actions, the reasoning is also pretty ridiculous. It goes something like this:
Messianics are a threat to Israel. Their presence in Israel is a corrupting influence on our society. They come to the area on false pretensions and attempt to Christianize us, undermining our values, our communities, and stealing our children’s souls. We have a right to defend their beliefs and act against those who would destroy them. Their very existence in our land is a threat to us. It would not have bothered us of those Messianics had lived anywhere else, but their encroachment into our territory is an act of aggression and must be stopped by any means necessary.
Now take that previous paragraph and replace Messianics with Jews, Israel with The Middle East, and Christianize with Westernize. And presto! You have the exact same reasoning that Palestinian terrorist organizations use to justify their actions!
Drew their existence is “a threat to Israel. Their presence in Israel is a corrupting influence on our society. Their very existence in our land is a threat to us.” It is empirical. The rise of the Messiancis corresponds to the increase of danger to Israel.
I do not support a number of actions Yad Lachem has done which are over the lien as I have said in the past, However I have a problem with what appears in this ‘leak’. The problem is that this comes from a view of moral relativism. No religion is better/worse then another. So Jews have no right to defend their beliefs or act against those who would destroy them.
Moshe Shulman,
you said “No religion is better/worse then another.”
Now i’m not saying that we should go around persecuting other’s for their beliefs but at least according to HaShem there is no other way, no other gods! Scripture is replete with this, HaShem also has a plan with the nations to eventually bring them to the knowledge of the Creator of heaven and earth (the G-d of Israel) and to the obedience of His Will/Torah. So there is only one way, tho everyone has free will and can decided what they can believe, ‘but’ this does not make it correct and we will all answer to the Judge of all the earth for it.
If I might Rey, your logic carries with it the rather circular implication that christians should persecute others for their faith because christians know the “truth” from the bible better even then those silly jews about what god really meant.
If I may, “Now i’m not saying that we should go around persecuting other’s for their beliefs but ..” sounds an awful lot like, ” …Now I’m not saying we should hate (filll in the blank) but….”
or even more like…”..now I wouldn’t call my self a racist anti semite, but…”
It would seem from the conclusion of your paragraph that at least from the christian perspective, exactly what constitutes truth is a forgone conclusion. Which again apparently gives christians the freedom (whether real or just in their minds) to do exactly that, you know rey, persecute others for their beliefs. Actually, having read a few responses from what would seem to be other core members on this blog, most of you have no difficulty in persecuting Jews for their beliefs, including yourself there Rey.
Shmaya, strongly held belief expressed & debated on a blog hardly qualifies as persecuting other people. What Yad L’Achim does in Israel to Messianic Jews does qualify as persecution.
Whatever faith we have is still in the end, faith! We don’t have all the evidence but enough to have faith in it. However that is really the point of faith. In that respect we should have respect for difference even whilst disagreeing strongly at times, in good faith!