Giving Missionaries a Mouthful

Rabbi Zalman Kravitz of Jews for Judaism spoke to Long Island teens about identifying and responding to Missionaries. On the the eve of Hoshana Raba, Rabbi Zalman Kravitz, Education Director of Jews for Judaism International, traveled to Chabad of Stony Brook to present "Missionary Impossible - The Jewish Response to Missionaries" to their Chabad Cteen Youth group. Rabbi Zalman explained how each year deceptive and manipulative missionary groups like Jews for Jesus spend millions of dollars targeting Jews for conversion. More than 275,000 Jews, he noted, have already succumbed to their collective efforts. Rabbi Zalman illustrated to the group of teens how organizations like these – and the hundreds of thousands of evangelical men, women and children they train – prey on Jews who are unprepared to protect themselves. Rabbi Motti Grossbaum, Chabad of Stony Brook's Director, described how “with his dynamic Power Point presentation and real life scenarios, Rabbi Zalman empowered students with the tools to identify and respond to proselytizing, and help their own peers.” He further commented that he “would encourage any shliach to bring this program to their community.” Before returning to Los Angeles, Rabbi Zalman also presented at Chabad Young Professionals in the Upper Eastside of Manhattan. In mid-October he will come back east to give a Shabbaton at Chabad at Duke University. These presentations are part of the newly launched Jews for Judaism Speakers Bureau.