Monday, May 3, 2021

Wild allegations about a Christian missionary spending years posing as a rabbi in Israel in order to convert Jews to Christianity

Here's the start of one lengthy write-up:

In the ultra-Orthodox enclave in Jerusalem where [he] now lives, he was often called on to perform marriages, circumcisions and other sacred Jewish rituals. He was even hired to write Torah scrolls, handwritten copies of the first five books of the Hebrew Bible, in a task typically reserved for the most devout and highly trained scribes. 

But for 15 years, [he] was apparently living a lie. The father of five with the black hat, beard and side curls was fluent in Judaic texts and traditions but living a double life: Born...in Salem County, he was actually a Christian missionary sent to the Holy Land to convert Jews, according to two anti-missionary groups whose accusations have captivated Israelis in recent days. 

[His] tale has grabbed headlines across the Jewish state, where religious leaders see a growing trend of covert missionary work by evangelical Christians.