Evangelical Missionaries: Who Let Them In? Part I

Benjamin Netanyahu’s hiring of YouTube "sensation" Hananya Naftali as his new deputy social media adviser is disgraceful. As a notorious online missionary, Hananya Naftali's brazen admissions of proselytizing while in the IDF are well known. This disgraceful act from Bibi proves once again, that even in an era of anti-Torah values where anything seems possible, there are always lower levels of chillul Hashem that a society can succumb to. It exposes how far Israel's leadership has fallen. This is well beyond the challenges of secularism as it relates to a Jewish society, albeit one that very far from a Torah society. This speaks of basic Jewish identity and self-respect, so necessary for us to survive as a religio-nation. In short, when a spiritual predator of Jews whose proselytizing efforts are documented on video, can nevertheless be hired by a prime minister of Israel, something is indeed very wrong with the Jewish psyche. 

This is what happens after years of sleeping with evangelicals. Sleeping with the enemy is bad enough when it's just a one night stand. The torrid love affair with evangelicals is an enduring one.

Contrary to what too many brain-addled daati-leumi types think, evangelical money doesn't come free. The cost is high: a growing missionary presence in Israel that is more sophisticated, ambitious, and powerful than it was even five years ago. Thanks to Jewish collaboration. The reaction from the enemy is nauseating. Gloating and celebration.

The messianics and missionaries (in Israel and abroad) are celebrating because they know that missionaries are normalized in Israeli society and by the Israeli government. They understand that not only is Hananya Naftali no longer viewed as toxic, he is seen as a friend and an advocate for Israel. If in the past, Israel's anti-missionary laws were weak and ineffectual, they are entirely impotent today. Once upon a time, decent traditional secular Israelis would have wept. Today, more than a few religious Jews couldn't care less. Some are even glad.

In the aftermath of this perversion, certain voices rose up in outrage. Outrage is correct and understandable. But when did they wake up? And have they really? As I noted, the Likud has been in bed with missionaries for years. So it was inevitable that a friendly online missionary would become mainstreamed in an age of mindless, blathering, pandering, hasbara. Why not? Naftali “defends” Israel on YouTube. This is the end-goal, so why should hasbarites be surprised.

Yet the chutzpa of certain voices is beyond the pale.Some of the voices of outrage come with those who collaborate & collude with evangelicals. From the kinds of people who write books with missionaries, engage and dialogue with them, and even have tanach sessions in Knesset. Consider Rivka Adler Lambert and her "Ten For The Nations" book, which has chapters written by missionaries. She had the nerve to recently open her mouth on Facebook about Naftali. Shortly afterwards, she deleted the post when some of us "hijacked" her wall (the precise word used by an anti-missionary activist who disliked our aggressive approach) and demanded accountability from her. As these respectable types see it, Lambert should be praised. I believe that it is a clever diversion by a guilty party who is trying to sanitize her credentials from odious associations.

Similarly, Zehut's Moshe Feiglin has no credibility when he opines on Naftali yet ignores Zehut's Yishai Fleisher's enduring friendship with Hayovel missionaries, and his regular participation in the Knesset's tanach sessions with evangelical soul-snatchers. Such Torah sessions are well beyond the pale of anything acceptable in Torah society, and as such they are a clear violation of Rav Soloveitchik's strong position against any form of interfaith dialogue as expressed in his classic essay, "Confrontation". I am still waiting for JewishIsrael to explore Feiglin's failure to address this troubling issue. After all, JewishIsrael has written extensively on these issues in the past.

Take the hasbara blog Israellycool as another example. They celebrated Hananya Naftali until they could not. But even then, they gave him a slap on the wrist and refused to really tear into him. They attacked me relentlessly for calling out their soft handed approach. They never mentioned that "The Israel Project" still uses him, or gave it to "StandWithUs" for merely scrubbing him from their system. That would be hasbara suicide. The "Elder of Zion" blog had him listed for their coveted "hasby awards" in 2017. In the interest of complete candor, they recently published Varda Epstein's article against Hananya Naftali. Although it was a flawed effort which neglected many of the more difficult questions, it is nevertheless interesting that it wasn't featured on Israellycool, where her past articles were given a forum. 

My understanding is that Israellycool is now reticent to address Hananya Naftali, further proving my point that they have no spine or integrity. They get angry at me for my past assertions regarding their craven platform, and they then confirm my arguments. I am no mind-reader, but they are as predictable as the sunrise. Their mindset is clear. If it is good enough for the Prime Minister of Israel, what is any self-respecting hasbarite to do? Fight the PM and call him out? This would be a shanda for the goyim!

And even were Israellycool to go after Naftali they have a dilemma. What kind of credibility can they have, when they still ignore their own contributor Kay Wilson’s documented messianic past which she has never admitted. They will scream slander in the face of unread, ignored, evidence, yet once upon a time they made an interesting claim themselves. At the time of the incident, when she was unknown and they had no relationship with her, they were eager to get the scoop, and the following comment was posted on their blog. I bet they wished they hadn't been so ambitious. 

And what of the so-called experts who defend a Kay Wilson while touting their so-called credentials and ignore the naked facts of an unrepentant former(?) messianic?Self-proclaimed expert, Penina Taylor comes to mind. Personally, I have no patience for such disingenuous behavior. Ms. Taylor might benefit from further investigation into Kay Wilson, starting with JewishIsrael's article "Will The Real Kishkush Stand Up?" To date, Penina Taylor has never presented a public refutation of the article's contents. As I see it, her sanctimonious assurances of having "vetted" Kay (as articulated in her Times of Israel article, "The Witch Hunt") are devoid of any credibility, if she cannot answer questions. 

Tragically, certain individuals and organizations today who previously fought these issues, were bullied into submission over the years. Some of them are reticent to address these troublesome issues. Some pop up from time to time to offer their expertise. More than a few nakedly pander to the same forums and personalities who bashed them yesterday. (We have screenshots.) My advice to these weathered veterans. Call them all out, or shut your mouths and go away. Or do what the mainstream hasbara forums do and blog about celebrities and the BDS movement. But don’t lecture the few who are consistent and unafraid to demand equal accountability from everyone. It is normal to be broken by bullies, and to lose resolve. It is a tragic, but normal human reaction in the face of unrelenting bullying. If this is the case, retire gracefully and go away. Because one responds to bullies by punching their lights out, not by appeasement. 

I want to reiterate that’s Hananya's hiring is indeed an outrage and the kind of thing that should destroy a coalition (were there principled traditional/religious Jews in Bibi's coalition). Every day, the chillul HaShem grows stronger, and because he can, Bibi will continue to do what he wants. A simple and attainable goal would be to demand Naftali's firing. It will require extraordinary muscle, and I fear that at this point the collective Jewish voice is atrophied. 

In truth, the only voices that can argue such a position in good conscience are those whose conscience is clear. Not from those shtetl syndrome types who grovel before goyim and seek arrogant token gentiles to "defend" them with un-Jewish arguments. And not from those timid "hasbarites" who pine for popular attention and yearn for those coveted "hasby" awards.

To be continued......

Ignoring The Research

Several years back, JewishIsrael published a disturbing article exposing Kay Wilson's messianic past. As with all their meticulously researched articles, I have been assured that JewishIsrael stands by everything in the article. Sadly, Kay's entry as a spokesperson into mainstream hasbara circles continued unabated, since few individuals had the courage to call her out. Because Kay is a public person, she must be accountable for her past. And those apologists who ignore the evidence and "assure" us with their sanctimonious declarations that they vetted her, expose themselves as frauds who seek hasbara popularity rather than truth. Today Kay is doted upon, and her ugly past remains ignored. 

http://jewishisrael.ning.com/profiles/blogs/will-the-real-kishkush-please-stand-up

Hayovel Exposed

Our Orphaned Generation

“Woe to our orphan generation.” -Rabbi Meir Kahane

The following meme was  recently circulated on Facebook, following the outrageous spectacle of religious Jews "studying Torah" with evangelical missionaries in the Knesset. Fortunately, the meme's simple message was right on target and it was perceived as such by many sensible Jews who shared it widely on social media. Sadly I cannot give kudos to the anonymous person who created it, but I can share it and provide some additional context. I feel confident that the meme's creator would agree with my sentiments.

In the past, Yishai Fleisher and a host of other self-appointed religious Jewish advocates slandered those of at the “Stop Hayovel” blog who fight the missionary menace. Our crime? We pointed out their public associations with evangelical missionaries. We made no accusations that THEY themselves are missionaries, but we correctly pointed out that they are aligned with some of the most dangerous evangelical missionaries on the scene today.

There is no choice for any Jew who is concerned with this menace. We cannot remain silent while these outrages persist. So we must be aggressive and uncompromising as we publicize ugly truths. With this in mind, it must be said that the recent “Torah session” in the Knesset with notorious missionaries constituted an unprecedented chillul HaShem. 

Fact: Hayovel are a missionary organization. We have documented it ad nauseum for years now, along with other activists, who’ve documented Hayovel’s clever journey to plant roots in Israel. The evidence is overwhelming. 

Fact: Dr. Jim Garlow and Rosemary Schindler of the missionary Skyline Church are spiritual predators. 

To be blunt. This was indeed a “Torah” session with missionaries. This was worse than mere interfaith-dialogue, which is halachically prohibited. Yet Fleisher boasts and speaks of dreams in his Facebook post (see image on left). His dream is our nightmare. Research Skyline Church, Dr. Jim Garlow and Rosemary Schindler, yemach sh’mam v’zichram.

This abomination in the Knesset was nothing less than the fusion of baal with Torah.Something to tear kriya over, and not something to celebrate. Something against Torah and sanity. Something which trampled on Rav Soloveitchik’s ironclad ruling opposing interfaith dialogue, as found in his classic essay “Confrontation”. 

Funny how Fleisher mentions the “Schindler Society” but neglects to mention their leadership of the missionary Skyline Church, which is merged with a messianic “Jewish” congregation targeting Jews. The Tree of Life Messianic Jewish Congregation. 

So enough of this nonsense of denying what is apparent. Shame on Tuly Weisz, Yishai Fleisher, Yehuda Glick, and any other Jewish attendee. Those who wear head-coverings and purport to speak in the name of Torah will have to answer for this public abomination. Truly, we are an orphaned generation. 

• When will good Jews, both the religious leadership and laity, speak out against this outrage? 
• When will religious Jewry unite with an uncompromising voice of outrage, on an issue which should resonate across the religious continuum? 
• And when will those Jews who have the chutzpah to flaunt these associations, be excoriated and ostracized for this egregious behavior?

In the interim, I hear crickets, as Achashveirish’s feast is re-enacted with Brother Esau. The recent Knesset abomination and like-minded outrages will surely bring upon us the Divine retribution promised by the neviim. The land can only tolerate so much filth before a terrible purging occurs. And these outrages are perpetrated in large measure by those who claim to be religious Jews. 

Where There Are No Men
Indeed there are no men, or very few of them, fighting this battle. There are few women also, but in a battle where only few fight, men are outnumbered by a handful of women. The silence of the Nation is staggering. The willful blindness of others a thing to weep over. Most tragic of all are those good Jews who agree with us, but are afraid to open their mouths. Sadly, this includes some very prestigious Torah scholars.

StandWithUs? The clarion call of hasbara impotence.  I disagree.

• Don’t stand with those who enable and empower our physical and spiritual enemies with weak-kneed shtadlanus. 

• Don’t stand with those who wouldn’t know how to defeat the Arab/Islamic savages if the solution hit them in the head. 

• Don’t stand with those who align with our spiritual enemies out of fear of Islam and Arabs and a desperate need for friends. Even those of a false persuasion.

So what does one do if he gives a damn about preserving Jewish Identity? 

1. Start by sharing this post and getting involved in educating Jews about what is occurring with our tax dollars in the Knesset, and the general spiritual violence occurring in the vineyards of Samaria.
2.  Let it be known that the most recent phenomenon of relational evangelism throughout Eretz Yisrael is being aided and abetted with the help of religious Jews. Educate yourselves and spread the message. Inform your local Rabbis and religious leaders. Demand that they get involved.
3. Above all, name names! This is not an amorphous vague faceless sin. The active players are often well-known, their personal involvement a badge of honor for them. If they wish to be known, let the public know the full story. A terrible tale of Jewish complicity and collusion with today’s clever evangelical missionaries.

So much more to come. Purim Sameach!
#StandWithTorah

"Hasbara" Bullying: How Low Can They Go?

"Those who cannot debate, defame."-Rabbi Meir Kahane (May The Almighty avenge his blood)

"Passionate hatred can give meaning and purpose to an empty life."- Eric Hoffer

How low can one descend? How vile can people behave? In response to a recent back-and-forth, Israellycool’s David Lange posted this blood libel on Twitter:

Alas, I cannot respond because the bully blocked me. I felt ill when this was forwarded to me, because I consider an attack on my character as an act of war. Disagree with me if you will, hell, call me names. But don't lie about me. How monstrous to use one’s sick wife to garner support for an unrelated issue of disagreement dealing with matters which affect the entire Jewish nation. And how monstrous it is to try to demonize me, when anyone who truly knows me, will understand that I love every decent Jew. Even some of those who would stone me. Even David Lange who believes I am his enemy, and has more hatred towards me than he does fore Hananya Naftyali. First things first. The entire administrative staff is distraught over David Lange’s wife’s illness. We wish her a complete refuah shleimah (ad meah v’esrim) and our thoughts are with her during our tefilot. Heaven forbid that we should feel otherwise. And it is shameful that David Lange would so egregiously mischaracterize my actions and attempt to demonize me, because of a disagreement on an unrelated issue. I was prevented from responding to David via Twitter (where I intended to offer my best wishes for his wife’s health), since as I noted above, he blocked me from his account. I wasn’t going to bring up his wife’s illness on a public blog, but at this point when he hit below the belt in a most egregious fashion, I have no choice. David Lange is upset that I called Israellycool weak and nebbish on the issue of tackling missionaries. Perfectly reasonable that he would, considering his perspective is light years away from my own. Different sides of the playing field. He chooses to ignore Kay Wilson’s messianic past and Ryan Bellerose’s obnoxious, racist behavior. Fine. All of it is documented and we are not concerned with threats of lawsuits. But to accuse me of taking advantage of his wife’s illness? Shame on you.

David Lange, I wish only the best for your wife. From the deepest recesses of my heart. My colleagues feel likewise. Don’t you dare confuse our differences on other critical issues with insensitivity towards you or your wife. If you are still engaged in these issues, I certainly have the right and obligation to disagree. And to recirculate a well-researched article addressing critical issues of import for the Jewish nation. Don’t libel or slander me David. What you wrote is patently untrue. Debate the issues. How about reading the article first and considering the evidence? I can only imagine what hell you are going through. For this I wish you only the best. And a full recovery of health to your beloved wife, may she only know bracha in the future. Donny Fuchs

IsraellyCool's "Big" Stand: Part II

Update 1-21-18: David Lange of "Israellycool" has resorted to harassing/cyber-stalking me on twitter and email in response to the article. Additionally, he threatened me with a lawsuit, though I am quoting his own words and citing documentation for everything. He subsequently seems to have blocked me from his Twitter account so that I cannot respond. Clearly, he is a bully who cannot debate, and so he resorts to defamation in the manner of his arrogant colleague Ryan Bellerose, who has truly engaged in libel/slander against myself and my colleagues on many occasions. No one from "Stop Hayovel" is impressed nor will we be intimidated by this faux-tough guy. And if necessary, we will fight back legally. 

We are not impressed with you, David. You aren't a tough guy. You are a petulant bully, and personally I have always eaten up bullies for breakfast. How about threatening the enemies of Israel? As far as using your real name, where do you get off thinking you can get away with harassment by hiding behind a pseudonym. Ha Ha! Real tough. #hasbaramafia #hasbaranebs 

Attention hasbara bully, David Lange (aka Aussie Davis/Dave), and like-minded folk:

The administrative staff at “Stop Hayovel” and "The Judean Hammer” will not be intimidated by the impotent efforts of unscrupulous hasbarites to silence us from exposing missionaries and their enablers. Israellycool's David Lange recently became unhinged after reading our article "IsraellyCool's "Big" Stand". True to hasbara form, Lange leveled false allegations of libel and threatened me with lawsuits. What Lange didn't do was address or respond to one single point of the article. Hasbarites don't deal well with facts. Their knee-jerk response to evidence is to insult and defame. And to threaten to sue you for expressing a dissenting position.

As a notorious bully, David Lange is unaccustomed to being punched back (metaphorically, of course) in the nose. Unlike him, we at the "Stop Hayovel" blog stand up for authentic Jewish ideals, and we document everything we disseminate.We do it with disregard for popular sentiments. Threats of baseless lawsuits do not intimidate us, since everything we write is well documented. If anything, we have been repeatedly maligned with libel/slander by the likes of Israellycool's Ryan Bellerose, and countless other hasbarites. David should understand one thing. We have documentation and witnesses (who will testify) of genuine libel and slander, and if pushed, we have powerful legal resources at our disposal.

We are recirculating the article that triggered David Lange (aka Aussie Davis, Aussie Dave?). Of course we are, David. What did you think we would do? the article is a treasure trove of hasbara's weakness, hypocrisy, and penchant for pandering. The thoughtful reader can learn a lot about some critical issues and dangerous personalities on the hasbara scene today. It is the epitome of chutzpah for Israellycool to take Hananya Naftali (a miserable missionary creature in his own right) to task, yet ignore Kay Wilson's messianic past which she continues to deny, and to praise CUFI's messianic pastor Dumisani Washington.

Here is the article which triggered the ever-irritable Lange. As an aside, Israellycool is about as "right-wing" as StandWithUs, and as nebbish as same:IsraellyCool's "Big" Stand

*Note to the reader: Notice how I originally pointed out Israellycool’s tendency to show greater anger at us than missionary Hananya Naftali. I am not a prophet, but I predicted Lange's reaction, because hasbara is ridiculously predictable.

Limp-Wristed LAVI

It’s bad enough that LAVI advocates for their un-Jewish “indigenous rights” nonsense. It is equally tragic that they represent a new “peace” movement which seeks to humanize inhumane people. But they are also frauds. Their impotence on the evangelical issue is apparent. pic.twitter.com/4L7DRdKC13

— Stop Hayovel! (@SHayovel) December 20, 2017