Posted to Jewish News on
by Glen Silver - VIN News
Chosen People Ministries headquarters in Manhattan.

Brooklyn Missionary Center Opens Doors

Coinciding with the arrival of Sukkot, the Chosen People Ministries is holding the grand opening of its new multi-million dollar Messianic Jewish Center in Brooklyn, and along with it, a strategic plan aimed at targeting members of the ultra-Orthodox community for conversion.

The Times of Israel reports that the center, located in the old Yablokoff Kingsway Memorial Chapel at 1978 Coney Island Avenue, cost $2.1M and has undergone about $900,000 in renovations.

Chosen People Ministries, much like the more well-known Jews for J, melds Judaism with evangelical Christian faith.

The center opens despite attempts by members of the ultra-Orthodox community over the past few years to block its completion via city ordinance violations, but now ultra-Orthodox leaders are faced with the task of attempting to limit the effectiveness of the Ministries’ well-organized campaign to lure in members of the ultra-Orthodox community.

Ruth Guggenheim, director of Baltimore’s Jews for Judaism, cautioned ultra-Orthodox leaders not to be too confident about the community’s ability to withstand the recruitment campaign.

“They will make inroads because they are offering free services to the community and unconditional love,” said Guggenheim. “They’ve been ramping up for this for over 20 years, waiting until they have a strong enough group of people with enough knowledge about the Orthodox community. They will come in with men in white shirts and tzitzis and the women will be dressed modestly, and they know it will be a challenge and that they are up to the challenge.”

Rabbi Mordechai Todarsky, director of the Russian American Jewish Experience—-which will now be a neighbor to the center—-called it “alarming” that the center is “beginning to make inroads,” but said much of that is die to the fact that “there are more and more young people getting involved.”

Chosen People Ministries kicked off its campaign months ago by posting on its website the relative ease with which one can jump from ultra-Orthodox to Hebrew Christianity.

“The Lord is already working in the two largest Hassidic communities in Brooklyn: the Chabad-Lubavich and Satmar communities,” read the entry, while claiming that “with great thanks to God, we can report that there are indeed some believers in J among the Satmar community, although most of them continue to live in the community as ‘underground’ believers.”

“Imagine with us that one day we could fill the sanctuary of the new Brooklyn Messianic Center with new and growing believers in Yeshua from the Hassidic community!” the post continued. “We believe that our Lord is mighty and can do all things, and we know that he has sovereign plans for our presence in that neighborhood. The sooner we finish, the sooner we can use the facility for ministry to reach even the ‘unreachable’ of the Hassidic Jewish community.”

Guggenheim warned that the first ones to be approached will be the “discontented” members of the ultra-Orthodox community, more pointedly, those belonging to “families in crisis,” and those with substance abuse issues.

They are not so much “selling theology and ideology,” Guggenheim said. “They’re selling love.”

Guggenheim said, ““What is missing in the Orthodox community that perhaps the Hebrew Christians are trying to offer is a very close personal relationship with their mentor, a non-judgmental community with perceived unconditional acceptance. In response, what the Orthodox community needs is to reassess our constant need to judge people and to assess their religious practice.”

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38 Comments

  • Be careful admonishing

    Some inexperienced young (but presumably well meaning) people starting shuls. They have no idea of some basics like don’t use insulting names and words to admonish congregants. I’m not going to repeat what I heard in a speech this Yom Tov but if you saw it in print you would be gob-smacked.

    It’s far better to use encouraging words. Otherwise, Just stop talking! as well meaning as you are, you are turning yidden away from true Torah Judaism with your biting words.

  • Andrea Schonberger

    I’ve heard about that group which is nothing but a scam and wicked cult. They tell horrendous lies to lure in the innocent, depressed, or financially unstable. Stay away from this building and the people associated with it.

  • Anonymous

    horrible what a chilul hashem we must personaly desroy and vandalize this center immidiatly

    • uh no!

      because that wil be an even worse chilul hashem, and chilul lubavitch, and the frum world does not need this right now.

    • Milhouse

      Excuse me? You seem to have no idea what the term “chilul haShem” means. The existence of this place is by definition a chilul haShem, and any sign that we accept its existence is an even bigger chilul haShem. If it were to burn to the ground that would by definition be a kiddush haShem.

    • Milhouse

      If I were I wouldn’t be talking about it… But someone ought to, and the fact that nobody is likely to is a sign of yeridas hadoros. As the gemoro says in Brochos, this is why our prayers are not answered as our ancestors’ were.

  • Chaim Berlin

    Is across the street. they could send classfulls of bochrim there to eat lunch and use the restrooms etc. they could accidentally leave all kinds of stuff there to clean up. they could be there day in and day out, particularly coming when there are classes or speakers etc. they could make life so miserable for these guys running the place, that they will start to question each frum person walking in, and turning away the very people that they are trying to c”v recruit.

  • Messianic Awareness

    There is a silver lining to every cloud: People are becoming more aware of Moshiach!

    • Milhouse

      Yes, the Rambam says this is why Hashem allowed this form of avoda zara to come about in the first place; for all its wrongness, it does make people familiar with the concept of Moshiach, so that when he finally comes they will know what’s happening and be able to accept him.

  • mom

    They are not going to make inroads into our communities, my real concern is their targeting of the Russian community. They offer ‘fellowship’ and lots of functions were good food is served.
    I am involved with FREE where I live and these low-lifes ALWAYS try to gatecrash our functions. They come and pretend to join in our celebration but we see them trying to give out their brochures etc. We remove them immediately.
    As for there being Satmar who are closet J4J, ‘sigh’.

  • Warn your neighbors!

    They’ve been dumping their trash in my mailbox every couple of weeks through the summer, free books, dvs, etc!
    If you are a Jew in crises – financial, emotional or otherwise, and these nice well dresses and educated young men and women come around and offer cash to ease your burden, or free, high quality, private psychological counselling to help you get over a tragic loss, or a kid gone off the derech – scream “FIRE” and run in the opposite direction.
    These are professional missionaries, and all they care about is trapping every Jewish neshama.
    Don’t say hello, don’t offer them a cool drink on a hot day, or use of your bathroom. They are CHAZER TREIFF. Keep your distance, and most importantly, WARN YOUR KIDS NOW to avoid them at all costs!
    A dozen Lubavitchers died in the past week – frum, aidel, erhliche people. It’s like their neshamos had to be taken now to spare them the sight of this impending tragedy!
    Please be safe, and may Hashem protect us all.

  • leah

    to number 1 your right! we need shea Hecht you all should read the book he wrote confessions of a jewish cultbuster amazing book!

  • declasse' intelelctual

    If they dump their dreck in you mail boxes and there is no postage on them, file a complaint with the post office because that is a federal offensive. And, if there is postage on the dreck, send it back “refused/ unsolicitated trash/ postage due $4.95. They have to pay to gvet it back, soon they will get the message.

  • To #9: Messianic Awareness

    Are you INSANE?

    This is a missionary cult!

    How dare you compare them to the chassidim who spread the teachings of the true Moshiach????

    • Milhouse

      No, he’s not insane, he’s just repeating what the Rambam wrote. This form of avoda zara is better than other forms, because it makes people familiar with the Bible and the concept of Moshiach, so when he comes they won’t be so confused.

  • CR

    Under no circumstances do you trash-up their lawn, yell insults at them or otherwise make a scene. Doing so convinces them that you are merely scourging them like happened to JC. They will see it as an act of crucifixion and will relish it as the ultimate “mesiras nefesh” on their part. Do not give them that satisfaction!

    When I have met these people in the past their utter ignorance of scripture, aside from their “prooftexts” leaves them wide open to being proven wrong. Take a look at their list of OT “prophecies”. A Ben Chameish LeMikra will be able to make them doubt their own beliefs. I have already had that zechus on many occasions.

    • Milhouse

      It depends whether you’re trying to convince them to change, or you’re just trying to minimise their impact on the world, and in particular on vulnerable Jews. If you want to change them, then you can’t reinforce their beliefs by persecuting them.

      But who says that is the goal? Even if they were Jewish (which they’re generally not) the mitzvah of ahavas yisroel doesn’t apply to a meisis. There is no inyan in bringing a meisis to teshuvah; on the contrary, הלעיטהו לרשע וימות. And kol shekein one who is not Jewish.

      Mitzad the world in general, the existence of avoda zara is a chilul haShem, and any show of defiance towards AZ, or any degradation of AZ, is a kiddush haShem. And purely as a practical matter, if they’re busy repairing damage they’re not doing damage. Each person they can’t provide with a free lunch, is a person they can’t ensnare.

      The bottom line is that one has to act with intelligence, and not rush in blindly and stupidly, but there is definitely a place for rough tactics, when and if they are likely to do more good than harm.

  • Pinchos

    In Australia, they targeted, broken and poor people both emotionally and physically, they entice them with meals companionship and outings, there was even a vacation full paid to New Zealand for 2 weeks.
    These groups have very deep pockets and they use them.
    There are programs also aimed at people who are looking for “spirituality”, most of whom have little or no knowledge or Torah, they sell them the “fulfilled Jew” line so that the individual does not feel he is no longer a Jew etc.
    They are very methodical but extremely pernicious.
    Very evil.

  • They know more than you!

    Gavriel Sanders, A Catholic priest turned Orthodox Jew, was against talking to missionaries for this reason:
    “THEY KNOW MORE THAN YOU. In the Yeshivos, the emphasis is on Gemora, Shulchan Aruch, Mussar, other works, and then some time on Chumash. The missionaries, on the other hand, spend considerable time learning and memorizing quote after quote from the ‘Bible’ which they use as ‘proof’ that they are right. Unless you really know your stuff, which, unfortunately, many Yeshiva students are lacking, you may find yourself losing the debate and coming off defeated. The best thing is to just say something like,’thanks, but no thanks.’ You don’t have to be mean to them because they really think they are doing you a favor.”

    • Lifelight

      They DON’T know their stuff!! They are famous for misquoting and misinterpreting the TaNaCH. It is crucial that if you want to know how to deal with them, in addition to what the Rebbe advised, to go to JewsforJudiasm.org. This is the only organization officially recognized (by Lubavitch, Federations, Israeli Gov’t., etc.) which deals professionally with all Messianic cults in the USA, Canada, South Africa and Israel. Their founding was accomplished with the advice and collaboration of Rabbi Yaakov Immanuel Schochet z”l. Inform and arm yourselves by reading their short pamphlets.

    • CR

      I have to agree. They know the NT backwards and forwards. However, when it comes to TaNaCh, outside of a few “prooftexts”, their ignorance is beyond pathetic. For example, they take H’s admonishment of Chava after eating the fruit as prophecy of “virgin birth”. The guy who proffered that to me stared in amazement when I showed him, from verses in his own mistranslated bible no less, how Chava was not a virgin at the time.

  • Ibrahim Issmaeli

    To Millhouse and the rest:
    Support your local Mosque. It is not avodah zora, they eat halal, and keep supuper-tznius.

  • nu?

    well after all the horrendous judging that has been going on for years in the frum communities this was bound to happen.
    CHEVRA THIS IS A WAKE UP CALL. STOP JUDGING AND START DOING AHAVAS YISROEL!!! THIS WILL BRING MOSHIACH AND BANISH ALL EVIL FORCES!!

    STOP JUDGING! STOP LOSHEN HARA!! BECAUSE OF THE JUDGING WE HAVE SO MANY KIDS ON THE STREETS!

  • Didn't it happen to...?

    Well, some of them are such “experts” – there is a story that a very prominent anti-missionary activist (Crown Heights) was actually stumped by one or more arguments that either a missionary, or Jew caught in a cult, proffered. He had to ask the Rebbe for an answer!
    So, again, if you want to go missionary busting, make sure you have the proper training, because some of their “logic” can be kind of convincing. For example – in lieu of a Xtian one – the Moslems believe that it was Yishmael who Avraham was going to shecht. If not for the Pasuk specifying Yitzchak, logic would justify saying that it was Yishmael. The pasuk says,”Es YIchidcha, your only one.” That means that, at the time, he had only one son, right? So, who was older?

  • etti

    the ones that are vulnerable are the russians they’ll
    go anywhere that they can get things for free. they
    plead poverty but did you ever see what they spend on a funeral. the russians will have a field day.