Posted to General on

Click Here here for a news cast of this event

Those evangelical Christians of Jewish heritage are back in town setting out to convert Jews. The Jews for J are fanning out around New York during the month of July at the end of a five-year program to visit every city in North America with more than 25,000 Jews living in it. New York is the finale.

CBS 2 caught up with one group recently in the Diamond District; two women and one man moving among the Jewish owned businesses there trying to attract coverts. It's not an easy sell.

“Who do you think J is?” they ask? Most people don't even look up. Those who do, seem less than thrilled.

Jews For J On New Mission In NYC

Click Here here for a news cast of this event

Those evangelical Christians of Jewish heritage are back in town setting out to convert Jews. The Jews for J are fanning out around New York during the month of July at the end of a five-year program to visit every city in North America with more than 25,000 Jews living in it. New York is the finale.

CBS 2 caught up with one group recently in the Diamond District; two women and one man moving among the Jewish owned businesses there trying to attract coverts. It’s not an easy sell.

“Who do you think J is?” they ask? Most people don’t even look up. Those who do, seem less than thrilled.

“I think they should be proselytizing on the street,” one woman complained.

One Jewish man practically flew into a rage.

“You’ve never heard about the Spanish Inquisition?” he asks. “You heard about the many times we have been killed, prosecuted, executed because of J?” he asked.

The street volunteers are undeterred. They sell themselves not a converts, but as fulfilled Jews who have accepted J as the messiah.

The group recently mailed 80,000 DVDs in Yiddish to Orthodox Jews. Its label shows a picture of a Jewish figure blowing the shofar, the traditional Jewish ram’s horn that summons the faithful to prayer. It’s titled “Days of Moshiach.”

Viewing it, you see what appears to be a depiction of the crucifixion of J Christ. The words are Yiddish, but the images are from a production by the Campus Crusade for Christ. Mainstream Jewish leaders are unanimous in their condemnation of the recruitment technique.

“It’s deceptive,” complained Michael Miller of the Jewish Community Relations Council. “It’s wrong, and it’s offensive. You can’t be two religions at once.”

Miller said it’s like a case of false advertising. “Hebrew Christianity” would be a better term, he suggested. The fact that their chapels have no crosses and the ceremonies borrow from Jewish tradition doesn’t change the core break with Judaism.

“Say you’re evangelical, and we’ll shut up,” he said. “To say that you’re Jewish, that in fact you are more Jewish because you believe in J is offensive.”

The Jews for J, though, see it differently.

“You can be a Jew and an agnostic,” she observed. “Or a Jew who believes Menachem Schneerson is the messiah, but if you’re a Jew for J suddenly that’s no good.”

It’s worth mentioning, though, that not everyone in Jews for J is actually a Jew. Non-Jews are common behind the scenes helping with the logistics of the well-financed street campaign. At the group’s Manhattan headquarters, CBS 2 saw rooms filled with stacks of pamphlets, New Testament Bibles in Yiddish, Russian language pamphlets featuring Holocaust survivors who’ve found J, and rooms of volunteers waiting to take to the streets.

Trash bags filled with the pamphlet of the day are lined up in the hallway leading to the front door. Volunteers hit the streets in four shifts daily — in the boroughs and the suburbs.

Many are the children of original Jews for J members from the ’60s and ’70s. Others are more recent converts.

Dan Sered said he is an Israeli citizen. “Born and raised in Israel,” he offered. “100 percent Jewish and 100 percent Christian.”

Related Articles

38 Comments

  • yisroel

    To show how foolish the whole thing is, remember the story of the little Jewish boy in the Ukraine who was surrounded by a bunch of goyim. They yelled: You killed our god". The little boy was afraid so he said: "So, kill mine". What kind of god could he be if you can kill him?

  • Just a Gal.

    just the other week i was walking down Albany Ave. and this lady approached me, i thought she wanted to ask me questions about judiasm.. but the she was like soooooooooo d ou believe that Rabbi shneurson is moshiach .. so i said listen lady i dont share my beliefs with other people.. anyways i told her if she has questions about that she can go to askmoses.com.. she then started saying how she has proof the Rebbe cant be moshiach yada yada.. quoting things from the mishna gemara and all that.. so i said lady i dont go up to peaple and tell them what to believe in.. she wouldnt give up then she started telling me how jews for jesus and all that.. so i told her nicely to get out of my site.. but she was following.. so i know this is absurd but there are missionaries in crown heights so if someone approaches you.. just dont talk to them!!

  • Experienced in Crown heights

    This is a terrible thing, I was stopped here in crown heights this shabbos on montgomery by a tznuis looking women who wished me good shabbos. She told me she asked me if I beieved if the Rebbe Moshiach. She then told me being that she’s not lubavitch may be I can explain to her why I believe this way being that shes a jew ( as if to mekarev her being that shes aware that lubav are into shilchus). Then she asked me if I believed that the Rebbe took upon suffering for the jewish ppl. Thats how she started with how J suffered even more than the Rebbe….. Something must be done here in crown height to help tose teenager who are not strong and secure lest they C"V be trapped and have doubt planted.

  • Jew for Jews

    This is absoulutly disgusting.. . I saw them today, they’re all over the trains, & they hound you the minute you get to the station. I’m wondering if hounding old Russian Jews, & chasing after young Jewish kids coming home from camp goes under Freedom of speech. Maybe the the Jews for Jews orignaztion would have a counter attack & give out Jewish fliers & matetials

  • enraged

    I got a call on friday from a nice friendly lady asking me if I’d like to talk about ‘yemos hamoshiach’. I told her I’m busy and she asked "preparing for shabbos? Can I call back another time?" I said NO!!!!!! Such CHUTZPAH!!
    I recently got a flyer from Jews for J and I get the seventh day coming knocking on my door all the time.

  • resident of ch

    the other day i was walking down eastern parkway and i saw the j for j so i called shomrim and they were there in minuts and chased them out of crown heights so if you see them again call shomrim at 718 774 3333 any time during the day or night
    thank you shomrim for the fast responce to getting these animals that want to lure our children in the wrong way and getting them out of our community once again thank you

  • Menamo

    I used to be affiliated with such groups. The best approach is what Just a Gal. wrote. If someone is knowledgable in Judaism and xtianity you can shut them down. Otherwise they just twist scripture to reach their predetermined conclusion. It is a wasted conversation.

  • J-Maybe I-m the one

    Aryeh Kaplan has a book The real Messia , A Jewish response to Missionaries. Although he goes thrue all their issues, he says do not argue with them because you only give them dignaty. They are trained to go to the next subject after proven wrong.

    The only thing you can do is Mivtsoyim on one at a time. ie invite to a shabbos, Tifilen, Neshek etc.

    There is also a book called you take J, I will take G-d.

    I would like to ask them if he believes in "turning the other cheek", then beet him up. Or that I would like to go to the hell with the inocent baby’s who the Natzies killed, rather than go to heven with the natzie J believers.

  • They called me at home in Crown Heights!

    I am a Crown Heights resident an this friday I got a call from "Shlomo from Yemot Hamashiak". The way he pronounce Mashiak gave him away as a real goy. He tried to begin an argument which I quicky cut off. Did they get hold of a Tzach list?

  • watch out

    they called my house tonight to talk about "Yimos Hamshiach" they prononce it correctly…
    its so scary… cause they are looking to argue.

  • Nechomo

    I also got a call on Friday asking if I think the Rebbe is MoshiaK. I asked her to tell me all her questions first. She replied that depending on the answer to the first question, that’s how they choose the rest of the questions. I asked her if she’s from Jews for J and she replied, I’d be lying if I said no. So I hung up!

  • a shoking moment

    im in florida right now and i dont think i want to come back to crown heights and see ppl coming over to me in the street and asking me such questions or niether on the phone .its pretty shoking i have little sisters and brothers and sometimes there arent buses and i dont want ppl to come over to them and start brain damaging them .the moment i heard this its so sad ppl are trying to brain damage children bec. as adults we know better. i think that we should make a group to stop this at once ,it may take long but it is woth .

  • Current Merkos Shliach

    Learn from them how not to act on Mivtzoim:

    Never attempt to talk to someone who isn’t interested
    Never argue – just discuss
    Talk about things other than Mivtzoim so you sound normal

  • also got a call today (Monday)

    if you take their literature, rip it up in front of them – do you remember the video of the rebbe that had this guy come and say he was born a Jew, was now a Xtian? The Rebbe took the book, and TOLD him I am taking it just to keep it from someone else
    It may not pay to try mivtzoim with them (I kno, it always pays to try), because they are brainwashed – I have seen this stuff in action – Manis Friedman with a J for J that wound up in Minnesotta – woa, unbeleivably brainwashed
    I think calling Shomrim is a good idea

  • Solution

    If anyone has questions about what to do when they come accross these missionaries, they should call Rabbi Bentzion Kravitz from california. He is the head of Jews for Judiasm and he is very experienced in these types of things.
    his number is 310-556-3344.

  • still religious

    Erev Shabbos I also got a call. He couldn’t pronounce CH as in Chelm…(heh heh) he said CH as in cut. That’s how I knew. I tried calling back *69, but it was a blocked number.

    I slammed the phone down so hard it must have hurt. No arguments, no discussion. It’s frustrating & scary, but frankly, none of us are trained to deal with this stuff. Let’s leave it to the professionals, or ignore them.

    But we must watch out for our at-risk, desperately searching, kids. They are our kids, even if they’re not related to us by marriage/blood!!! Years ago I knew a vulnerable Frum, Chassidishe teen who was "Chapped" while he was in hospital!! To this day I think he’s still suffering. It’s very frightening.

    If you’re on a train or in a public place, try screaming. That’ll scare them, & you can tell cops they were harrassing you (it’s true.) But we do need some patrols…I think I may have seen some coming out of Machon Chana building last night on Crown!! We need to protect our family, friends, & neighbors from all sorts of predators, these included.

    These people looked out-of-place, but I didn’t think anything at the time. We need to set up patrols immediately. What about Yungermen working round here, or older boys (early 20’s) evenings? Young mothers taking walks during the day can be on the lookout for these people & if they spot anything suspicious they should call Shomrim & Shmira. Let’s run them out of town!

    We must be on our guard…what are BP & Williamsburg doing??

  • cassy

    Eli Cohen is doing an amazing job in Sydney with J for J
    keep up the good work Eli

  • They called me too

    A girl called me up too – "I’m so and so from yemot
    hasmoshiach. Do you believe that Rebbe Menachem
    Schneerson is the messiah" – so I said I’m busy.

    Gotta watch out for any youngsters who might be
    tempted to get into a discussion with them.

  • WarningwithTrivia

    I went to the Shea Stadium last night. As I got off the subway a young lady handed me a brochure that read "New York Baseball Facts". I thanked her and went to the ticket counter.
    While waiting on line I opened it up and read the first page… which was titled "Do you know?" and proceeded to enumerate 7 NY baseball trivia questions.*

    I was about to hand it to a young Jewish kid next to me (he seemed interested in answering the questions) when I noticed the next flap which was an advertisement for "j".

    The back says that it’s from "jews for j".

    Beware.

    * – After the last trivia question it said "It’s okay if you don’t have all those facts at your fingertips."

  • Yisroel

    SPIT in their face next time, litterally. They CANT play with out kids lives those dirty animals.

  • Itzik_s

    Aryeh Kaplan has a book The real Messia , A Jewish response to Missionaries. Although he goes thrue all their issues, he says do not argue with them because you only give them dignaty. They are trained to go to the next subject after proven wrong.

    The only thing you can do is Mivtsoyim on one at a time. ie invite to a shabbos, Tifilen, Neshek etc.
    —————————————————————

    Please be aware that only a minority are actually Jews al pi halacha. Unless you are sure who you are dealing with, and are experienced in dealing with these people, the best thing to do is to ignore them, or tell them in no uncertain terms that you are not interested and to stop harassing you.

  • Concerned

    Once in front of the Kings Highway train station (in the same spot where I often see Lubavich jews doing mivtzoyim, offerng to put on tefillin, giving out brochures about Shabbos, etc.), I saw people giving out brochures in Russian titled "Russian Jews" and had Magen David (the kind that is associated with concentration camps — the old looking, with "Jude" written inside, I think), and chains around it, or something of that sort. I did not look too carefully at them.
    I was appalled to see how many people were taking them. As I was walking, I thought about the strategies that they are using to attract converts. One– they are using the same spot that for years has been associated with people doing mivtzoyim, misleading the people passing by. Two– they are using the holocaust as their tool to attract older Russian Jews, who still have not recovered from the pain of WWII, and are always searching for answers. Many of them will read any material on the Holocaust.
    I know that Jews for J are very knowledgeable people, they know a lot about judaism, and present their arguments in a very logical way. AND, most of the time they are VERY polite and pleasant-looking. Elderly Russian Jews seem to be a very easy target for them.

  • oy vey!

    I was coming out of one train and was about to step upstairs to the other train when a guy handed me a pamphlet in Yiddish so I walked up the steps and looked at it and realized what it was – I looked down and saw the man was smiling and watching me, so I flung it all the way down and watched his smile turn to a scowl –beware! Hey look pretty innocent.

  • we have to stop them!

    Is there anyway to stop them??? This is really scary! can anything leagally be done? Hashem Yishmore!

  • angry guy

    if some of this mamzerim talk to you say it that he was a mamzer and i dont belive in mazerim , do you?

  • Neighbor

    accidently, two of these missionaries were invited over to our home for shabbos. Needless to say, we got into many heated arguments. These people are brainwashed, i do not suggest anyone argue with them or even talk to them- they are not logical they are brainwashed not to use their mind.

  • trouble

    The problem is not just that they are trying to convert adults, but they are trying to talk to the children and make them question their belief. I think that if we catch them attempting to convert the childen, we should take them into the nearest ally and let them see the light, mabey then they will stay away.

  • MOTTLE

    maybe if we ourselves stop fighting and our rabbonim and leaders start acting proiperly we will be spared such nisyonos. In the rebbe’s neighborhood R"L. Come on guys, get your act together, davern to hashem, stop the machlokes a nd he will stop this.

  • Yet another CHer

    They were all over CH over Shabbos. One lady dressed Tzniusdik even, approached me asking for directions. She continued the conversation by asking me if I believed the Rebbe was Moshiach. Be very cautious even of those simply asking directions.

  • Yankel

    USE THIS AS A LESSON OF WHAT TO AVOID ON MIVTZOIM! You don’t want anyone saying, "Oy, I have to protect my kids from those Lubavitchers." or, "What can we do legally to stop the Lubavitchers from knocking on our doors?"

    If someone on Mivtzoim tells you to bug off, then BUG OFF!

    If someone says, "I don’t believe in G-d." DON’T try to convince him; try to think of something tochendik that will be meaningful to him.

  • chaya

    Lubab teens and kids are a target! If a kid thinks that the rebbe is moshiach and that he will return how easy is it to persuade him/her that J is moshiach and that he will return?
    Please be careful and talk to your kids about these jews for J, no one should argue with them, no one should engage in any kind of discussion with them, treat them like mentally ill people.
    Moshiach Now!

  • mother

    Yankel, you sound like a very wise, level-headed human being. Everybody just remember — if you are truly strong in your beliefs, no harm can come to you. As for the children, if they are being raised right, they will be alright — children are a lot smarter and stronger than we sometimes give them credit for! And they pay attention to the teachings of their parents more than we may think!