Missionaries Target Crown Heights Once Again

CROWN HEIGHTS, Brooklyn [CHI] — The Shomrim hotline received a call this morning informing them of a group of missionaries that was targeting Frum Yidden in front of 770, engaging in religious debate and distributing missionary paraphernalia.

More pictures in the Extended Article.

A number of Shomrim members responded to the call. As they were speaking with the group, politely asking them to leave, a crowd formed around them, forcing the missionaries to continue on their way. The group moved a short distance down Eastern Parkway and attempted to continue their ‘mission’.

Once again, Shomrim approached the group. They informed the group that should they persist with their missionary work in this densely Jewish populated neighborhood, their pictures would be distributed to the Jewish residents in order to inform them of the group’s intent. Seeing that they were met with such resistance, the missionaries abandoned their mission and headed for their cars.

During the exchange, a list fell from one of the missionary’s hands. The list contained ‘addresses of interest’ to the group, which included Shuls, schools and homes of Jewish residents that they appeared to have been targeting.

Only after following the missionaries to their cars and then out of the neighborhood were Shomrim satisfied that the infiltrators had indeed left.

29 Comments

  • Shmulie

    Shomrim can scoot these folks away, but they have as much right on public streets to approach people- to sell vacuum cleaners or religion– as a Chabadnik does to man a tefillin booth.

    Sure, it’s tacky and rude for them to come into CH and do this, but think….some people must find it pretty strange to see tefillin and lulav/esrog stands around town, too.

    So before people start blasting their fedoras off their heads too high over this proseletizing, remember, this is America, a free country. and they can do what they want, however in poor taste.

  • J4J handling

    They have no idea how frum jews work.
    They usually target the dis-enfranchised person, not one who is totally committed to yiddishkite. By sending them away , you are sending them straight into the minds of jews who have very little connection to judaism.
    I know that CH as does every other community have problems with kids turning away from their frumkite, but please give our kids some recognition of seichel.

    I am very confident that our people will see right through them.

    These j4j’s have now gone to areas of the city where the population had not had the benefit of shabbosim, chaggim etc.These people are at a huge risk of being beguiled by them.
    Whenever one approaches me, I engage them in conversation politely for as long as possible. While they are talking to me, they cannot influence anyone else.
    I then ask for a brochure and some for my friends. Later on (out of sight from these vultures) I discard their papers thus stopping them from giving them to others.

  • scared?

    Come on, are we really worried about these guys? I doubt there’s a single person in CH who would take them seriously… They ended up walking away thinking that we are scared of them.

  • Chaptzem!

    B”H
    Thank you, Shomrim!
    These guys even LOOK creepy!
    Shomrim, we cannot thank you enough!

  • humbly supportive!

    Shmulie, that is the very reason that shomrim facilitated their leaving by persuation rather then aggravatedness or menaching. They were told they have nothing to succeed by hanging around crown heights and they were politly told they were being watched and they should simply move on.

    Shomrim you guys once again exihibited a level of proffesionalism that is only to be admired. Thank you all for always being out there for us crown heightsers when no one else is.

    And dont worry, even though there are only a few vocal ones in support of you in your time of need, I for one know the horrible ordeal of messira you are going through at the hands of shmira and the tzfatis and you have my support, I will bli neder come to court in show of support at your next court date.

  • Chaim

    next time, someone should ask them for piles of their materials, which we can then though in the garbage.

  • Call Rabbi Kravitz

    I’m a personal friend of Rabbi Kravitz from Los Angeles, CA. He is the man to call in case any issues come up. He has helped me tackle difficult issues I had with missionaries in my community. http://www.jewsforjudaism.org

  • mendy

    if you do with in the law make them feal really uncoftorbal hear like have every on stare and point and laugh at them and if they try to talk to some one he should just star at him and not even talk

  • anon

    They had a list of russian Jewish immigrants who live in Crown Heights and they were targeting their homes

  • Good job Shomrim

    For those of you who think that Shomrim shouldn’t have bothered chasing them away, or think we don’t have anything to worry about, may I remind you all that there are plenty of at-risk teens in this community. Those are the type of people these missionaries go after. The insecure. The vulnerable. The ones with questions.

  • jes wunderin

    To “good job shomrim”:

    Why do we have what to worry about if our torah is so inherently, undeniably true? Why are there insecure among us? How are there questions? How does a missionary pose a threat? Doesn’t the fact that a missionary poses a threat show something problematic about our foundations?

    This line of questioning is not specific to this event, but to the general rabid fear we have to missionaries. To me it indicates fear and insecurity, and I wonder how that fits to somthing we believe to be so undeniable and universally true.

  • Feivel

    Why is some nut bringing Obama into this situation? More bigotry takeh? Gut in himmel, zissen feter in himel@ Genuck!

  • Yossel

    “jes wunderin” iz clearly nisht fun anash, un mistame eine fun zey.

    To “J4J handling” – while you are well intentioned, I think you are making a mistake. The ___ walks away encouraged that a frum Jew was interested. It gets him going further.

  • Obama-Nation

    Hallo, today was the pogisha of all the colledge students. They must have known this. One way to get them is ask if you realy balieve in if someone hits you your not suppossed to fight back and instead “Turn the other cheek. Then smack em. Anouther is to say we would rather go to gehenem with the unsaved newborn jews killed by the natzies, than be in paradise with the ”saved” Natzies.

  • Reality

    jes wunderin wrote:
    “Why do we have what to worry about if our torah is so inherently, undeniably true? Why are there insecure among us? How are there questions?…”

    In your would everybody is Frum and nobody ever went off the Derech.
    The Torah is no doubt Truth/Emes but we still must learn and be knowledgeable and not every body is learned or knowledgeable.
    Don’t assume that b/c someone grow up (was raised) in Crown Heights with a Frum family he’s Safe (and knows better).

    Please take your head out of the sand, there is a real would around you, start living in it.

    Thank you Shomrim or better yet
    Thank you fellow members from our community who care enough to see something (bad) and do something about it.This is a tiny step of action but like it say “one mitzva brings to another”.

  • Another Concerned CH-er

    Scared-
    Were not scared about us but i think we should worry about the yound boys and girls who are coming back to yiddishkit and are very vounurable to people such as thest J4J or Ja—– Witness

  • re: good job shomrim

    Honestly, Shomrim should not have got involved. They are violating free speech, and if they are going to take missionaries off the streets of crown heights they should also be taking away teffilin booths. As for all of the at risk teens in crown heights, maybe their families should have thought about missionaries finding their kids before they let the go out of control!

  • WATCH OUT

    SHMULIE, YOU EITHER DON’T HAVE CHILDREN WHO ARE AT RISK OR DON’T CARE, EITHER WAY, FREE COUNTRY DOESN’T MEAN WE HAVE TO TOLERATE THESE NUTCASES WHO TRY TO BRING US DOWN COMPLETELY. BY SHOWING THEM THAT THEY ARE NOT WELCOME IN A JEWISH AREA THEY WON’T COME BACK SO QUICK. WHEN I WALK DOWN THE STREETS OF OUR LOVELY NEIGHBORHOOD AND LOOK AT THE YOUNGER PEOPLE, INCLUDING YOUNG MARRIEDS, AND HOW THEY DRESS, I SAY WE ARE ON VEEEEEEEEERY SHAKY GROUNDS AND CERTIANLY CAN’T AFFORD ANYONE COMING IN AND PUTTING MORE DAGGERS INTO THE PROBLEMS WE ALREADY HAVE. DEBATING WITH THESE TRAINED MISSIONARIES IS IN A WORD DANGEROUS. NO ONE IS TOO SECURE!

  • To Shmuli

    Shmuli, it bothers me that there are people like you in this world , you are probably a teenager who despises religion and had a fall out with your parents so you think you are educated cause you are studying for you ged and you just learnt 1+1=2, so now you are liberal minded etc and you begin to mock something which the Rebbe instituted which a directive of the Rebbe is from the highest source of kedusha and compare it to something which is from the lowest of the low, you seek to prove yourself that you are a free spirit with open views yet you are no more than a miserable young fool. Go put on teffilin go to the ohel have aherat to heart let it all out and most importantly grow up i know that deep down you are a good kid

  • YID

    Shmuli, you cannot compare “selling” or “soliciting” to, lehavdil, Mivtzoim. Leave that to the local laws or whoever. I am in no posision to spell out the difference but I do know that our programs are govened by laws that are beyond nature and those of America.
    Do you also think that polestenians have an equal right to the land? Just as it is OUR land and NOT thiers, mivtzoim is OUR right and NOT theirs. You are a Yid, and you are higher then a Guy. Sorry if it dosn’t sound politically correct. The end of the first Pereck of Tanya dosn’t either. Judiasm is not a member of a multicultural sociaty with equal rights. Mivtzoim is legitimate in its own right. For its own cause.

  • יוסף י

    Well done. If were me. I slap those missionaries. I don’t care that this is America with a “freedom” of speech and blah blah blah. Our Torah goes first. Those Missionaries should have some respect and If they want to proselyte people. They should go and search for the one that doesn’t have any religion. Not the one the already have one. ברוך השם.