In order to protect our community, we have to understand the nature of the problem and realize that there are actually two entirely different threats that confront us. Their goals, tactics and mind control techniques are totally different.
One group is Jews for Jesus and Messianic/Hebrew Christian groups. They preach standard Christian beliefs such as that there is a man that should be worshipped as a g-d, that there is more than one G-d, and that the entire Torah that was given forever was somehow replaced by belief in Jesus. They realize that Christianity doesn’t sell to so they teach regular Christianity but they “package” it and make it look like Judaism. They fool people by pretending that they are really Jewish.
When they snare someone Jewish into their beliefs, they have an emotionally charged ceremony where this person yells out repeatedly in front of a large crowd “I believe”! The messianic “Rabbi”, who of course is actually a Christian missionary in disguise, then says that “now that you believe, if anyone ever gets you to try to think, then turn your brain off because it’s only Satan trying to get to you.” This is a form of “mind-control” brainwashing that is used by cults to gain control over someone else’s ability to think.
They also prey on the emotionally weak and vulnerable and use “love-bombing” to try to emotionally capture people. They also use the cult tactic of “information control” and preach that only the group leader knows how to interpret the Bible so that all of these decisions must be made by him. (Note: these people look and sound very rational. However once you start to hit the raw nerve that their beliefs are questionable – then all sorts of psychological barriers and mental blocks start to fly out at you. They use several assorted cult-like tactics – but they do not possess anywhere near the full qualities of an actual cult.
§ They invite you to come to their “synagogue” (which of course is really a church in disguise.)
§ They invite you to their Passover Seder – and try to shove a Christian explanation into everything [three matzos – for the three gods].
§ 55 million born-again Non-Jewish Christians are trying to “share the faith” with any Jew they see. They make the initial contact and then pas you over to a Jewish professional missionary.
§ They dress to look real Jewish and offer ESL and citizenship classes in their churches or with their planted spies.
§ They invite you to “bible study” classes where they throw their out of context and mistranslated “proof” texts at you.
§ They plaster billboards and bus stops and subway trains with the message that they are trying to teach “true” Judaism.
§ They also conduct massive public concerts and leafleting campaigns – all in an effort to snare Jewish souls.
They are listed as an absolute, total cult by every major reference work on modern cults. They exercise much greater degree of control over people’s lives and thoughts. They are extremely dangerous precisely because they don’t look like a cult. They don’t dress in pajamas while selling flowers on street corners – but they are just as brainwashed. Because they look so sincere and well meaning (and I have no doubt that many really do mean well) it is extremely easy to get fooled by them.
In addition to the standard “mind
control” & “information control” tactics, they threaten their members with
going to Hell forever for doing the types of things that might release them
from their control. They force even family members to totally ignore and abuse
anyone who escapes from their group. Parents who escaped died in the hospital –
and their children refused to visit their “satanic” parents whom “are eternally
damned sinners”. They have 3,000 people who are total robot/slaves who eat,
sleep and work in the 40 buildings of their cult center in
They are taught that it is forbidden to read other people’s opinions. They are trained that they are helpless and their only hope of salvation is through their Watchtower/J’s Witnesses Organization. It is like their all-powerful mother who is has all the answers and is above all questioning.
§ They printed out 9 billion pieces of literature that they hand out and give away on door-to-door visits. If you see an “Awake” or a “Watchtower” magazine – it’s from them.
§ They try to get you to a “family values” study group that looks on the surface like pure secular advice. Once you’re there they’ll nail you with their religion and quotes from their bible.
They believe in the New Testament, but many of their important beliefs and priorities are different than most Christian groups. They are likely to throw “proofs” at you that have nothing to do with why they think Judaism is wrong; just that “prove” that their strange beliefs are true.
They don’t try to put on a Jewish act as much as the Jews for Jesus do. They view Russian/Bukharian Jews as being an easy target to focus on – but they go after anybody.
§ Once they get you to a home “family values” study group, then they try to get you to a small bible study group in their “Kingdom Hall” center.
§ Everyone one of them that has been involved for a while and gets baptized is to some extent a missionary who spends as much time as possible to bring in all of their family, friends etc. They all receive professional missionary training and learn how to influence others and how to resist efforts of others to change them.
Now that we have a better understanding of the unique nature of the different cult/missionary threats to our people – we will all be in a better position to protect ourselves and our families.
If you know of anyone who needs help – call the Counter Missionary Hotline at (718) 263-STAR.
STAR Outreach
Rabbi Chaim Muskat, Director