BEWARE: Jews for Yashka in Montreal

613

Thu, Sep 15 2005, 4:36 pm

http://www.cjnews.com/viewarticle.asp?id=7288

Quote:

Montreal girds for Christian messianic drive

By DAVID LAZARUS
Staff Reporter

Jews for Yoshke plans to open a branch in Montreal as part of “Behold Your God,” its international missionary campaign to convert Jews to Christianity that starts here Sept. 18 and runs for three weeks.

The missionary group’s website says the new outpost will be led by Karl deSouza from its Toronto office.

“Karl will be leading the [Montreal] branch, and we hope that through the campaign, friendships with many Christians and contract with many Jewish seekers will get off to a running start,” the site says.

Jews for Yoshke says deSouza was born in Karachi, Pakistan, and that his mother is “from the Bene-Israel Jewish community in India.” It says “he came to know Yoshke as his Messiah” in his senior year at Concordia University and that his parents have also “come to faith.”

The group’s five-year “Behold Your God” drive, launched in 2001, targets 65 cities around the world (outside Israel) with Jewish populations greater than 25,000. It has reached 40 so far.

In Canada, that has included a 2003 stop in Toronto, where Jews for Yoshke claims to have reached 10 Jews “who trusted in Y’shua” – Yoshke’ Hebrew name – and several other dozen “who were willing to be followed up on,” said Rabbi Michael Skobac, education director of Jews for Judaism.

The Toronto-based counter-missionary group has been working closely with Canadian Jewish Congress, Quebec region (CJC-Q), FEDERATION CJA and local synagogues to mount an all-out counter-campaign to run concurrently with the conversion effort.

Rebecca Rosenberg, CJC-Q’s associate director, said the main goal is “to reach as many Jews as possible in order to let th

em know [Jews for Yoshke] is coming and to know what to expect.”

When it comes to missionary conversion efforts, “we have to subscribe to the notion that even one is too many,” Rosenberg said. “We have to be there to safeguard Jewish community members.”

Jews for Judaism believes Jews for Yoshke and other such groups use deception to convert Jews, telling them that if they accept Yoshke, they can still be “fulfilled” or “committed” Jews. Jews for Judaism also opposes the missionary group’s selective targeting of Jews.

The counter-campaign’s “launching pad,” Rabbi Skobac said, will be a full weekend of activities called “Stand Up for Judaism,” to be held at the Beth Israel Beth Aaron Congregation. Slated events include a Sept. 19 “town hall meeting” with Rabbi Skobac and an all-day “counter-missionary survival seminar” on Sept. 18.

Other synagogues will have education and Shabbat programs, and rabbis will recruit volunteers from their pulpits.

The counter-campaign also features an eight-page insert in The CJN – an abridged version of of a book by Jews for Judaism founder Rabbi Bentzion Kravitz, The Jewish Response to Missionaries.

Jews for Judaism is recruiting dozens of volunteers to “counter-leaflet” missionaries at high-traffic street-corners over the three-week period. Its campaign will also include public seminars, events in Jewish schools, a hotline to call if missionaries are seen distributing material, and cellphone communication to make volunteers available at a moment’s notice.

“We have a real comprehensive program,” Rabbi Skobac said. “The idea is preventtive education and to hopefully make the community less vulnerable.”

Julius Ciss, Jews for Judaism’s Toronto director, said that while Montreal Jews are probably less likely to be swayed by missionaries than Jews in other communities due to their strong “traditional” habits, the threat from Jews for Yoshke still remains.

“According to [Jews for Yoshke’] own website, they’ve given out 12 million pamphlets and 851 Jews have been ‘converted.’” Ciss said. “Montreal is not immune.”

He said that although Jews for Yoshke has never established a permanent presence in Montreal, several “messianic synagogues” have been operating in the city for years.

On its website, Jews for Yoshke describes Montreal as a city where “[h]edonism, relativism and secularism are rampant” and as one “that needs the Gospel.”

It says that in Montreal, “most Jews have never heard the Gospel in terms they can understand and are perishing without Messiah!”

Plans in Montreal, according to the site, include “broadsiding” the public with evangelical material in the downtown core, as well as telephone and door-to-door canvassing, staging a debate “between an Orthodox Jewish rabbi and messianic Jewish scholar,” and holding “testimony evenings and film showings.”

Jews for Judaism’s hotline number in Montreal is 343-8710 and the group can be e-mailed at montreal@jewsforjudaism.org.

queen

Thu, Sep 15 2005, 5:00 pm

Jews for Judaism happens to be a client of mine. They have branches all over the world.
These campaigns have been targeted for various cities across the country recently.... which Jews for Judaism works very hard to fight against.

Rochel Leah

Thu, Sep 15 2005, 6:45 pm

They are some sort of mission to "conquer" all the major cities which have a population of 25 000 jews or more. we received a letter in the mail from jews for judaism warning us about these missionaries. along with this article that 0613 posted.

My sil who is in high school here was given a telephone number to call if anyone gave her any pamphlets, that looked suspicious.

Rivka

Thu, Sep 15 2005, 8:09 pm

we had a JforJ where I am from and he sat at the corner targetting frum Jews and one guy he tried to talk to went at him like a bull.
I watched from a distance while waiting for my bus chuckling to myself.

basmalkah

Thu, Sep 15 2005, 9:38 pm

We had a rep. from Jews from Judaism speak in our comm. - and someone mentioned to me that the Lubav. Rebbe said that we shouldn't even take a pamphlet or get into any conversation w/ Jews for Yoshke!! Just ignore them!

hisorerus

Thu, Sep 15 2005, 10:34 pm

As a kid, we used to take a huge pile of pamphlets, rip them up, and throw them out so no Jews could get a hold of them.

queen

Thu, Sep 15 2005, 10:58 pm

the problem with J4jesus.... is that they have updated their tactics, and for those that don't know better, they could think these people are showing them real judaism, and see no reason not to join.

For example they will have services in a shul. with a torah, and I think it might even be on shabbos (vs. sunday). They sing and make everyone feel as if they belong==== which is very drawing to these "wondering" jews.

Jews for judaism showed me a couple videos which had clips from j4jesus advertisements on them===== and they were very good, if I can say that!

another example is that they don't refer to yoshke as yoshke, but by a hebrew name. (can't remember off hand now what it is. I think yehoshua, but I'm not positive.)

the first time I met with this client, they gave me a whole overview of their philosophies/backgrounds etc. for both groups==== jews for judaism and jews4jesus and I left with my head spinning.

It's not so simple.
but I give credit to all the hard work jews for judaism does to try and combat.

hisorerus

Thu, Sep 15 2005, 11:11 pm

They use the name Yeshua. If you hear it, be on the alert!

queen

Thu, Sep 15 2005, 11:20 pm

oh right, that was it. thanks hisorerus

supermom

Fri, Sep 16 2005, 3:59 am

freeky how they are becoming so popular I nver thought it will stay. a funny story at least I think so.

we use to go for shabbos to a nursing home for shul and once while my brothers and sister and I were in the lobby we saw a group of people must have been from a church or something on that sort anyway they were in a circle holding hands and screaming oh yoshke please save us, help us, redeem us blah blah blah. and the next second you heard them gave out a cry and said OH G-D you are the one help us in the time of our need.

a bit confused people if you ask me.

ElTam

Fri, Sep 16 2005, 8:57 am

I remember a few years ago in Dallas, there was some crazy anti-semite who went to shoot up a synagogue, and he wound up shooting at a Jews for Yoshke "shul" because he couldn't tell the difference.

supermom

Sat, Sep 17 2005, 2:23 pm

maybe that is what that so called shul really needed a slap over the head.

Tefila

Sun, Sep 18 2005, 2:15 am

Someone I know once was aproached by a misssionary many moons ago and was told "Yoshke loves you", this was said at the bus stop. To which she answered " Ach so does every one in town". Twisted Evil

Guy left her alone Wink

whatever works at pushing them off works I say 8)

klotzkashe

Mon, Sep 19 2005, 12:38 am

I had J's witnesses at my door this morning. FIrst I thought they were salesmen selling us different electricity rates, so I was nice. the second I heard J's witnesses I said"NOWAY IM NOT INTERESTED" and slammed the door on them. I then went to my front window where I saw them knocking on my neighbours front door - I said to them "dont bother disturbing my neighbours they're all like me and all not interested in you pple"

I was pretty mean but I alwys remember my grandmother screaming at those pple to get lost and I've picked up that mentality!

supermom

Mon, Sep 19 2005, 3:43 am

doesn't that make some what of a chillul Hashem? Confused

you got guts I'll say!!!