Shomrim Confront Missionaries Targeting Crown Heights

In the past few days Crown Heights has been crawling with missionaries out on the streets attempting to provoke residents into discussions about the Rebbe and Moshiach, where their ultimate goal its to trap you into a conversation about yoshke.

One night last week a resident was approached by a older Jewish looking woman accompanied by a man on Empire and Albany, and was asked if she could ask him a question, and he said “if its quick, I am in a rush to Maariv”, so she began with saying “g-d loves you” upon hearing this he knew it wouldn’t be short so he ran off to Maariv. After leaving them it occurred to him that he should try and stop these missionaries, so after Davening Maariv he went up Albany looking for them. He caught up with them between Carroll and President where they had stopped another yungerman who had engaged in a conversation with them and called Shomrim.

When Shomrim arrived on scene they were already on Carroll between Brooklyn and New York where they were confronted by a large number of members who informed them that their activities here are not welcome and were escorted out of the vicinity of out if the Jewish community of Crown Heights.

If you see such missionary activity, or they attempt and engage you in conversation, don’t hesitate to call Shomrim (718) 774-3333 24/7. If you see anyone engaging in a discussion with them you should approach then and discourage any discussions. The best bet is to completely ignore them.

Just an interesting note the two individuals pictured were observed by a Shomrim Member in Penn Station (Manhattan, 34th St.) giving out disguised literature and dancing as if in a trance. Word floating around the comments are that these individuals are brain washed, it is very likely, which is why you shouldn’t engage in any form of conversation with them since you wont change their minds!

52 Comments

  • worried for jewish neshamas

    they are so strange!!! it spooks me out. I hope that there will be no jewish people to fall for it. There are probable some poeple who are looking for inspiration in their lives and will fall for these brainwashed people!

    Someone has got to stop them!

  • CH

    from the looks of these two, it doesn’t look like we’ll run into any problems.

  • Trick Em

    If they offer you pamphlets. Inform them that you are on their side, and you wish to give out pamphlets yourself to help their cause, take as many as you can with the disguise of giving them out to people. Once they give you a bunch, walk to the nearest garbage can, rip, tear, and dispose of them. This way you can protect others from receiving them. I did that once and ended up throwing out 35-45 pamphlets, in which case 35-45 people did not have to deal with this garbage.

  • A HAS BEEN

    I was Born and raised as a christian. NOT knowing i was jewish, or that there was jews in this world. my story is very long.
    I have been a religous jew, now for 16 years. B"H
    I can tell you, something about the Christians, By showing your anger, when they talk to you, just make them bring in more missionarys. I know!
    Tell the christians, if they are willing to learn and understand, you know a Rabbi who can help them. and leave it at that. if they continue, then tell them again. well i see by your questions you really want to learn, Go and Talk to a local Rabbi, SAY THAT WITH A SMILE! we jews have class. so we need to show that.

  • help

    it is really terrible and it is the very wrong place for them to be (ch). every time i read about them (& it is the second time in a short while i read about them on ch.info)i get the chills

  • An out of towner

    Oy, vey!
    The Shomrim have a lot to deal with in a day’s work! Yasher Koach!

  • chanie

    We’d better be careful because if some zealous Lubavitcher starts arguing with these guys, and provokes them to call the NYPD, there could be problems. We have no right to make them leave CH, just to ask them to leave.

  • hooray!

    good job shomrim and residents of ch! working together, we can rid ourselvses of these pests!!

  • trouble

    may g-d have mercy on their souls( if any of it is left)
    and once again thanks to the wonderfull members( fine, also the not wonderfull ones ) of crown heights shomrim. You guys are great.

  • bochur

    unfortunately if theyre not doing anything legally wrong they shouldnt be accosted at all. this will only cause problems. if lehavdil bochurim were on mivtzoim and were told by policemen or community watchmen to leave they would rightfully be angered and could initiate legal proceedings

  • anonymous

    Something here does not smell right. I am suspicious that there is more to this than some naive and over zealous missionaries.

  • Hoping & Praying

    Thanks for the heads up. These are rather important safety warnings.

  • kanoey

    thats intresting today in london in the frum area of stamford hill where there are many lubavitcher i was approched buy two men telling me god loves me and started asking me abouth the rebbe and moshiach.

    coincedence no?

  • shlucha

    the guy with the skruffy beard is DANGEROUS, missionary-wise!! He is from Atlanta, dont even talk to him! Hi name is Steven Kaplan and he will put on a yarmulka and act like he is interested in your pe-ulos (we know he is not!). If he shows up at your chabad house, show him to the door!!

  • tizzy in New Zealand

    There is only one name for people like these were I live – SOS, scum of society, if their G-d is the one why do they have to convince people?

  • ld

    Every parent should worn ther children that if anyone asks you about moshiach they should scream help if people are there & call shomrim,

  • .....

    just wondering : why are we so worried about them? its not like your going to change your beliefs after a two minute conversation with them.

  • Concerned

    We definitely have to get rid of them, but I can’t help but wonder wether the Shomrim have a legal right to escort them out. Couldn’t they claim that this is an infringement on their freedom of speech? I’m concerned that it could cause more trouble. Ignoring them, in my opinion, is really the best thing to do.

  • Yehonaton Levy

    I have seen the guy in the red shirt in Chicago… which is one of their bases of organization – these guys are like a spiritual form of Hezbollah. Just look at them and say: "why do you want to destroy my relationship with G_d? don’t you know that G_d loves what we Jews do!" then walk away…
    they’ll never quite get it, yet that should make them leave you alone….
    I run http://www.judaiccenter.org – I have major dealings with messie-antics and I have seriously thought of invading their churches with our literature about Noachide Laws… just so i could say "hey I’m just doing to you what you do to us…"
    todah!

  • www.yekayeka.com

    There is a guy going around crown heights dressed in a suit giving out cards that say "Yehi Hamelech" "live Massiah" etc.. and a pic of 770…

    I saw him get kicked out of a store.. being that everyone in the store was on guard because of this article etc..

    Only problem is.. I talked to the guy and got a better look at his card.. and he is running for City Counsel.. He is NOT a missionary..

    so please don’t be sooo cold to him.. he just him.. he’s black and wears a suit and tie..

  • Don-t be naive

    Attention ……: Don’t be so naive. You’d be amazed at how much DAMAGE they do!

  • looking for leadership

    well i don’t think this is an issue for the shomrim. I think this is a greater issue, that should involve the leaders of the community, lets see if something this worriesome would bring about the leaders of this community to do something about it.

  • Q4TrickEmIsThereAHalachicIssue

    "Trick Em", you may want to ask a local competent Rabbi before doing this trick. There might be a halachic problem to "Inform them that you are on their side".

    I’m not a Rabbi, but i think i remember hearing it’s not a good thing to verbally say you are on their side.

  • trouble

    hey LOOKING FOR LEADERSHIP
    Do you realy think the "leaders of the community" have time for things like this, they are to busy fighting each other to worry about others.

  • .......

    Attention "don’t be naive": you’d be amazed that if your a frum jew, theres wont be any "damage" being done.

  • furious out of towner

    why is every body tiptoeing around this cancer?

    its not a time to be so politically correct, it’s a disgrace to stand by.

    Chase them to hell out!

    DO SOMETHING

    Where is PINCHAS when we need him?

  • peretz in montreal

    This is what I do.

    I very calmly ask them

    Me: “is g-d a jealous g-d ”

    Them: "yes."

    Me: "We the Jews are g-d’s wife and children,
    just as you are trying to break me and all the other away from our unbroken connection with g-d,

    so too, if you don’t stop now, then I curse you! That your wife/ husband and children, will fall in love with another, husband / wife and you will loose your children, and your life fall apart.

    So from now on whenever you find a Jew run the other way.

    Remember g-d is jealous.
    Don’t mess with his children."

    that’s it, no further discussion.

  • Don-t be naive

    To ……..: Your comments both reflect a very naive person, the second comment even more than the first.

  • please help me understand the danger

    I really dont’ understand what’s so bad about missionaries. All I know is that they’re bad (b/c e/o says they’re bad)..
    Seriosly now, what will happen if this meshugana missionary speaks to me, he’s brainwashed one way and I’m brainwashed the other way – so noone can convince a/o out of their beliefs, right?

  • therapists in New Zealand

    To please help me understand the danger wrote:

    Wrong, THEY are brainwashed not you, brainwashed is always negative and evil since when has Judaism been either G-d forbid ??.

    They lack integrity and have no morals – since when did you force your views on anyone??

    Dancing in trance like states as reported is either due to a mental illness, drug induced or brainwashing, don’t think your davening is in the same league.

  • confused

    Are the guys in the pictures members of shomrim or are they the missionaries??

  • Yehuda

    To clarify; The Rebbe NEVER said He was on their side, but did take their pamphlets and say that it was only to prevent it from being given to someone else.
    The issue that was brought up was about verbalising the fact that you are ON THEIR SIDE. I am no Rabbi, and do not know if that is indeed a problem

    I seem to recall reading recently (on this website perhaps?) that j for j is preparing a huge campaign targeting FRUM Jews in areas such as CH, BP and Williamsburg. This would also explain their presence in Stamford Hill!

    One thing is forsure, one is not supposed to argue with them, unless one is trained to do so.

  • Vegasjewboy

    It’s not in CH where the real danger is but in other not so observant jewish areas where jews en mass are being assimilated r"l. Atleast here in CH we know better. If there is any lesson that we can learn from this it is that we must do everything we can to educate other jews about yiddishkiet and moshiach for real. We may do this by going on mivtzoyim every friday. everyone whether a man or woman, kid or parent. Whether friday or sunday. Adopt atleast 10 non-observant jews.

  • Hey!

    to "Please…dange":

    Chinuch is not brainwashing. But your point seems to be more or less correct.

  • Anonymous

    confused:

    Please think before writing!

    Take a look at them! What do they look like to you? (no beards and no yarmulkes)

  • Trick Em

    This is Trick Em,

    I did not say verbally that I believe/ found the cursed one.. I said that I found my savior. The perception they received from my comment does mean anything to me. I found my savior, meaning I found my life already with Ha’kadosh Baruch Hu. The fact of the matter is, they will not leave if you tell them.. if you have to go down to their level and fight, then do it. I would never verbally say something like that. I just used their cause to my advantage and it worked

  • shakin- my head in amazement

    Sometimes, Webby, I think your readers are idiots.

    PEOPLE…READ!!

    Then try something new…think!!

    DUH!! :))))))))))))

  • Just wondering

    Screaming at them and attacking them will only enforce their views of Jews as being un-enlightened. If they are Jewish, you’ve just pushed them further away from ever doing teshuvah.

    Perhaps you should say what the Rebbe told the guy at dollars, featured recently on a Living Torah video, that a Jew cannot go against his essence, etc. I don’t recall the Rebbe calling shoimrim to arrest the guy.

  • someone

    You can watch the video of the Rebbe also on google. By search type in video. Click video the type rebbe by dollars and it’ll come up

  • menmndl

    You have to be careful or people just might start escorting bochurim on mivtzoyim out of their neighborhoods!

    It’s a free country, and they have a right to walk around as they please. The best thing to do is probobly to tell someone you see talking to them to walk away.

    I’d have to agree with Chanie, it takes one bad move and it’s in the NY post – and everyone knows lubavtichers are on mivtozyim all the timem – it’ll seem pretty hypocritical.

  • a disgusted c.h. woman

    Obviously these people are here because they see what our community is all about. Go to Kingston avenue on a shopping day. Women with hardly tichels covereing their heads and bare legs and flip flops… With thei kids in tow.
    What has happened to us!!!!?

  • ........

    ATT "dont be naive": you may be right if we are talking about the non frum people, but in CH: im surprised you feel a threat!

  • Rafi

    Wait wait wait look i understand you dont want your children to be convinced into anything or any adult but i dont see anything illegal in it. im jewish and kinda lubavitch but i dont like racist its a free world with freedom of speech i understand if he starts to harass someone then authorities can step in otherwise its their streets too.

  • Anonymous

    Rafi:

    Shomrim isn’t a law enforcement group, it’s a community watch group.

    I know I wouldn’t allow my children to talk to any stranger, and so wouldn’t you.

    These people are not doing anything illegal in their campaign, but when they are met with resistance they normally take their pitch elsewhere, this is all that Shomrim did, showed them resistance.