Yad L’Achim Questionnaire Aims to Block Missionaries Seeking to Convert to Judaism

Yad L’Achim Questionnaire Aims to Block Missionaries Seeking to Convert to Judaism

Yad L’Achim Chairman Rabbi Sholom Dov Lipshitz recently presented Sephardic Chief Rabbi Shlomo Amar with a list of more than 60 missionaries who are either in the process of converting to Judaism or who have completed the process.

The list includes the names, addresses and ID numbers of missionaries who hid their continued faith in that man from the religious courts. Many of them completed a lengthy conversion process, including an array of tests, and emerged with conversation certificates that proclaim them to be Jews, despite their beliefs.

With the help of the certificate, they managed to infiltrate Torah-observant communities, even gaining acceptance to religious schools.

The religious courts could not have imagined that these innocent-looking converts continued to belong to messianic Jewish cults and hoped to preach their doctrine among Jews.

Rav Amar was shocked at the facts that were presented to him and welcomed the plan put forward by Yad L’Achim’s chairman to put a stop to missionaries taking advantage of the religious courts.

Rabbi Lipshitz presented a list of 17 specific questions that are to be put to everyone seeking to convert. All of the questions require a yes or no answer. He explained that according to the beliefs of these missionaries, it is forbidden to deny a straight-out question regarding their faith.

“You need to know exactly what to ask and how, in a way that won’t leave room for doubt,” he said.

The questionnaire was immediately adopted by Rav Amar, who is also the nassi of the Beis Din Hagadol.