Israel – The Chief Rabbinate has been given a list of more than 60 recent converts to Judaism who continue to believe in Jesus – and are active missionaries.
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Rabbi Shalom Dov Lifshitz, chairman and founder of the anti-missionary and anti-assimilation Yad L’Achim organization, met with Chief Rabbi Shlomo Amar and provided him with the list.
Yad L’Achim had prepared the list of names, ID numbers and addresses of more than 60 people who were active in missionary groups before, during and after their long conversion process to Judaism. The “converts” were then accepted as members of religious communities, and their children were accepted into religious schools.
Rabbi Amar was reportedly “shocked” at seeing that the Chief Rabbinate had authorized the conversions.
An immediate solution was found for the future, however. Rabbi Lifshitz presented Rabbi Amar with a list of 17 questions that should be asked of any prospective convert.
Under the assumption that the missionaries will either not lie straight out, or that the specific questions will help detect the lies, it is hoped that missionaries will be spotted and weeded out from the conversion rolls.
They should not have allowed these geyrim in the first place, but once they have been accepted as yiddin won’t it be very disruptive to the families to say “we made a mistake” and no longer recongize them as converts.
As a convert myself, I find this particularly aggravating. Not only am I tired of all the missionary attacks against us, but now they have to make life more difficult for those of us who are genuine converts. As if it weren’t hard enough….
even though someone should not judge the past of a person willing to convert… there are circumstances, and in these cases, they should have been more serious on their researches before accepting them in the process of converting, they shouldn’t complain now because it’s not a mistake it’s deliberate negligence
Here you go again…
If you follow the entire procedure of converting you should not have any problems. The problem is with the rabbinate that cares less about traditional Jewish life. They convert almost everyone who comes to them. They are a disgrace to all of Klal Yisroel
Converting is not a joke or politics. You have to be a bis din mismech, not a government run rabbinate office. Maybe the Rabbis know how to learn, but a traditional Bes Din with a Kabboleh on this issues is what you need for a convert.
What is the Halacha, are they Yidden? That a mistake was made, is the Rabbinates problem, but it seems to me that Giyur Bleibt Giyur.
BTW, how does such a thing happen that 60 people can fool the Rasbbonim? It bewilders me.
Having some experience with the matter, I can say that sometimes, all it takes to uncover the missionaries, is an hour or two of desk work. We do geirus, and once, a chap turned to me with a stellar recommendation letter. I googled for his name, and after drilling through a number of beautiful articles about how despite his forebears’ antisemitism, he is turning to Judaism, I eventually found hits at one or two “messianic congregations” and also found some disturbing counterclaims in the comment sections of some news outlets. It did cost me two hours of work I could have spent in front of a gemoro, but now several communities have been warned against unknowingly giving a hekhsher to some missionary. Surely, the rabbanut (and other batei din) could use the internet for that.
Can we confirm that Yad Lachim’s allegations are true?
This is shameful. It insults true gerim and insults the Rabbinut and all Bnai Yisrael. These disgusting missionaries must be rooted out and thrown from our Am Kadosh. May the tefiah we say in Shmona Esrai come true. Amen !!!
Conversion is a tough issue.
Though we do not go out and seek converts, we do welcome a true convert with open arms. Let me rephrase that. We SHOULD welcome a true convert with open arms. There has been and unfortunately still is, some prejudice against converts. This is tragic, as the Ger or Giyeres is one of the most wonderful addition to our klall yisroel, injecting a new vibrancy in our midst. Again and again Hashem tells us to love and protect the Ger. We have been less than “Frum” is obeying that HALACHA.
Once converted, a ger or giyeres is part of klall yisroel just as much as you or I. Ahavas yisroel is a chiyuv. In fact, loving a ger is many mitzvos beyond loving any Jew.
This being said, notice I used the word: “TRUE CONVERT.”
A True Convert, or Ger Tzedek, according to halacha MUST be a person who is COMMITTED TO OBEYING THE TORAH AND THE RABBINIC COMMANDMENTS.
There are no exceptions to this. Any person who converts, and inside his/her heart they believe in another diety, or they hold a belief that they will not be religious, they will not obey Shabbos, or Taharas Hamishpacha, Kasrush, etc., that person’s conversion is botail. In other words the conversion never actually took place.
A woman’s conversion may have taken place in 1990. She may have then married a Jewish man, and had 3 kids. These kids may have gone to Yeshiva and married Jewish boys and girls. Then, if in 2009 we discover she did not bother going to the mikvah… she only told the rabbis she would, but really did not intend to, whether her husband told her to not bother or not, as long as at the time of her conversion she did not intend to follow the laws and go to the mikvah, or keep shabbos, etc., HER CONVERSION IS RETROACTIVELY NULLIFIED!
and… HER CHILDREN ARE NOT JEWISH !!!!
This has happened way too many times in the past, and is the reason why a good, reliable conversion beis din is VERY careful in there investigation before agreeing to the conversion.
This leads some to resent it. They say we are making it too difficult to convert. But if you saw the heartbreak in the children who have to be told they are not Jewish! … you would understand why this rigor NEEDS to be there, with no compromises.
I have seen this heartbreak. I can’t think of ANY abuse a child can go through which would traumatize him/her worse than growing up as a Jewish child, and being told later you are not Jewish. You can convert if you wish to, once you are out on your own, but you can not marry a cohen, etc.,
This is only one reason we need to be double, triple, extra careful whom we allow to convert.
But, please my fellow Yidden, those who are honest, true converts must be, should be, and deserved to be loved as family.
Now we all understand the mesiras nefesh of the true rabbonim who are strengthening the standards of giyur in E”Y.
What will happen to them now? Will they be stripped of their Israeli citizenship and deported(assuming they weren’t born in Israel), or can they be arrested for fraud?
Yad lachim is amazing
Thank you VIN for posting this story. Rabbi Lifschitz is a tzaddik. I know for a fact he has never taken one cent salary from Yad L’achim. 100 percent for heavens sake. Thank you vin
There is no need for 17 questions. All you need ask is “Do you still believe “J” is divine and your PERSONAL savior?” They will NEVER lie about this. You can alternatively ask, “As a convert, did you renounce your belief that “J” is Moshiach and also divine?” Again, no true “believer” will lie becasue to do so means, for them, eternal damnation. it is an fool proof test.
Hey fella’s, wher exactly is LEV l’achim?? it’s been quite a few years that we heard anything from them… meanawhile YAD l’achim seems it’s as active as it gets…
so why exactly did they feel the urge/need to open that other organisation LEV l’achim???
Some of those fakers even wear their tzitzis out and they take very short haircuts and wear black hats and the whole shmear.
Somehow, we once spoke to a “frum” couple at a relative’s house and through a very simple conversation, we realized we were talking to Christians who dressed to trick everyone. Luckily, a few other people there also saw through the weak attempt to trick us all.
Too bad the Christians don’t realize that they will never find Jews standing on the street and trying to convert Christians. We will not try to convert anyone, because they can already be saved by just being honest, good, peaceful people. Hashem did not create them for no reason.
The rabbis are 100% correct to review the conversions!
I re-read the title of this article, i can’t help myself : 60 —> mistake = how pathetic !!
it’s not even the first time I hear about things like this in Israel, I think there is a real controversary about the conversion business in Israel. I wonder if it’s really serious to convert there ?
Thank you VIN for posting this story. Rabbi Lifschitz is a tzaddik. I know for a fact he has never taken one cent salary from Yad L’achim. 100 percent for heavens sake. Thank you vin
It would also be helpful if the questions being asked of the prospective convert are not just yes or no questions, but require a lengthy response. Perhaps a description of HOW they came to the realization that yoshke was not the messiah and that the non-testament is false. Make sure they express clearly that the person whom they are “denying before man” is the J of the non-testament, regardless of what names they are accustomed to calling him. A clear denial of him and all his claims and his followers’ claims about him is what you need to hear. Some may say “he himself didn’t claim to be the messiah” – yet his followers and writers of the nt made this claim on his behalf, and by some of his statements he directed adoration toward himself rather than to Hashem. Others may say he didn’t claim to be G-d, yet again, round-about statements he made in the nt and actual sins he committed against the Rabbis and other Yidden clearly show him to have been a sinner. Do not allow the prospective convert to beat around the bush. You need to get a clear denial, said more than once in more than one way. Plant people in their life who will pretend to show an interest in xianity and can catch them off guard.
I truly believe that this is amazing work. Yad L’Achim does so much! Kiruv! Anti-Missionary work! Pidyon Shvuyim! I visited their offices in Israel, truly a site to behold all the amazing work they do. They told me to tell anyone visiting Israel to do the same. Thank you vosizneias for tis news. keep it up !
Those chassidic communities which make a habit of crying out for “salvation” (which in Hebrew is the name by which messianic missionaries call their yoshke) should BEWARE, because this practice gives license & opportunity to phoney-convert-missionaries among us to OPENLY pray to their idol yoshke – in our face, so to speak.
The title should be corrected! 60 is not a mistake! 1 or 2 is a mistake. 60 is ablatant disregard for any semblance of normalcy. If these people in the “rabbinate” had normal jobs, they would have been fired fromt hem a long time ago. Without Rav Lifschitz, head of Yad L’Achim stepping in, who knows how much longer this outrage would have continued???? Missionary activity is a huge problem in Israel as is well known> They have millions upon millions of dollars at their expense to try and convert Yidden. Shame on such a “rabbinate”!!! 60 is not a mistake
Thank you vin> Please keep us updated on more such news> Maybe have Yad L’achim send you all their news. thanks, a loyal fan