By COLlive reporter
A couple who have recently moved to a Jewish neighborhood in Chicago has been exposed to be non-Jews posing as Orthodox Jews, with the mission to influence others.
Rabbi Levi Notik of Chicago has informed the community that the couple who go by the names David and Rivkah Castello were recognized by a visitor from Brooklyn to be a couple who had been exposed there last year.
David and Rivkah Castello moved to West Rogers Park in Chicago a few months ago, and they dress, act and behave like Frum Jews, and Daven in local Shuls, Rabbi Notik warned. Rivkah works as a babysitter for young children in the neighborhood.
David looks like a Frum yid, wearing the traditional clothing and sporting long peyos.
When asked, the couple admits that she is not Jewish, and he claims his maternal great-grandmother was.
Notik says that he met with the couple, and they did not deny being in the neighborhood “on a mission to specifically live among the Frum community and actively influence others.”
“They have beliefs of Kefira and Christianity,” Notik says. “He doesn’t deny any of it, on the contrary, he insists that he is correct in his way, and has no regrets.”
Notik says by Hashgocha Protis, a Sofer in town from Williamsburg, Brooklyn, saw David Castello in Shul, and recognized him immediately, alerting others to the imposter.
The couple has done the same thing in Brooklyn last year (at Beis Midrash Razlo and other Shuls) until they were exposed and told to leave, the visitor said.
After doing research, Notik discovered that the couple has ties to the international Christian group Global Gates, whose vision according to their website is “to see gospel transformation of the world’s most unevangelized people groups who have come to global gateway cities, and through them reach their communities around the world.”
The newsletter for JCFI, a Church in Texas, ran an article on the couple in 2016, describing their mission to infiltrate a Chasidic community. The couple lists their top five projects they were working on through 2017 are:
1) the planting of a Hasidic-friendly Congregation,
2) a 24/7 Prayer Wall for the Hasidic Community within the next six months,
3) Holiday Outreaches by giving out gifts with tracts,
4) Charity Bags For the Sabbath,
5) Personal Discipleship with Hasidic believers and evangelism within the community. This endeavor will continue until every Hasidic person has a chance to hear the Gospel.
The couple also goes by the names Dovid Costello, Rebekah – Rivkah Joy Weber, as well as Dovid and Rivkah Michael.
They have been asked to leave the Chicago community.
In a statement on Friday, May 17, David Garrison, Executive Director of Global Gates said: “The Costellos are not employees of nor are they in any way associated with Global Gates. They were previously employed by Global Gates for less than a year. Their relationship with Global Gates ended in July 2017. Global Gates has no further comment.”
They should arrange debates with them so they can be assisted in learning Emes and why the Rebbe MHM will help every human being.
המתאבק עם מנוול מתנוול
thats their wish
A yiddishe panim is always a yiddishe panim!
Nu, so is it a Yiddishe panim?
Hes saying you can tell hes a goy.
Well, this is a good one!Be careful and try to convert him to judiasm.
We don’t try to convert anyone to Judaism. It has to be from his own initiative and commitment.
This article should be published in all the cities and countries. We should translate it in all languages possible and post it in bakeries, supermarket etc…
When you say ‘we’ are you including yourself or you’ll just manage the project from your armchair and slippers !!!
Similarly, BEWARE of following, liking, and sharing Hananya Naftali’s social media posts even though they are fabulous pieces about Israel. Hananya Naftali believes in Yushka and missionizes to his fellow Jews when he has the chance. The xtian media carried his article about how he missionized to his fellow soliders when in the IDF and proudly covered him being hired by Netanya to run his social media.
I knew he was Xi’an lover but didn’t know he was actually a “believer”. Hashem should send him and all others a yeshuah bkarov!
Pun intended?
Thank you for making me aware of Naftali. I always felt something was ‘off’ about that guy listening to him on his videos about Israel, and now i’ll know not to like or share them. How could Bibi hire someone like that for such a visible and critical role to get information out?! No wonder Israel is losing the social media war. I found this article on Google about how Hananya Naftali, who posts many nice videos about Israel on social media is also a missionary. Blogger and mother of 12, Varda Meyers Epstein, who made aliyah at age 18… Read more »
I learned in an (lhvdl) Xian college in a pastoral program. When trust is the first thing to create when wanting to impart anything, and differences stand in the way, the art is to be Just like the people you’d like to communicate with. Walk, talk, dress, eat, etc., just like the target market, and then it’s the easiest sell. It’s called contextualization.
Disgusting
Not going to lie,this is scary.
rabbi Levi notik has what it takes. proud to be part of your community.
Obvious insanity; if one is Jewish, they should be taught as much as possible, in order of the campaigns, and told without room for question, that discussing such non-Jewish perspective is absolutely out of the question, for Jews in any location! Rather, they should be encouraged to look after a fellow Jew (if they are one), encouraging use of Tefillin, candle lighting, Torah study, and attending Shuls. It’s inappropriate for such matters to ever, ever, be spoken to a Jew, anywhere. It’s divine providence that they can be influenced by Lubavitchers, with clear boundaries, as the Rabbanim acted, and it… Read more »
They were living in Flatbush for a while and were discovered as well, kicked out and moved further,
Oy vey
Isn’t there a lady in our community doing something similar by trying to get us to be Muslim friendly and teaching the Quran ? She reaches out to all groups and invite them all to Islam interfaith get together! No one is doing anything about it.
Jews should not be learning Islam but Islam is not AZ and Jews are permitted to pray (Jewish prayers) in a mosque. This is the ruling of Rav Ovadia Yosef and many others including the Rambam who I realize is not Chabad.
Jews pray at the Cave of Machpelah which is a mosque. BTW
How can you say Maaras Hamachpela is a mosque? Have you ever been there? The place the yidden daven at is a full blown shul. Hevron has had a Jewish community since what they call the old yeshuv. While one section has been turned into a mosque, this is the burial place of the avos. There are opinions that disagree with your view of Islam, and do say it is infact avoda zara, but as for maaras hamachpela, Jews have been davening there since at least Calev (see Rashi prasha shalch lecha, beginning of the second aliyah)
The rogatchover held that it is avodah zara and the rambam only wrote that not to antagonize the Muslims he lived with.
People know she is Muslim, though. She is open about it. These people are hiding the fact that they aren’t Jews, so that they can trap Hasidim
Perhaps he learnt in Morristown?
They should be arrested for this!!!
This is America – they have the right to live wherever they want, it’s not a crime – but they certainly are fools and wrong.
It is illegal to knowingly tell lies to people in order to gain any material benefit. He was working in a kosher supermarket, hopefully not as a mashgiach. She was gaining the confidence of parents to babysit for them for money. All that time, they knew that if they told the truth, they would not be hired for those positions. (Yes, you are allowed to restrict religious functions like mashgiach and domestic roles in your home like supervising your children by religion.) Fraud is illegal. Presenting yourself as something you are not to fool people is illegal. Hell, just saying… Read more »
For what? What crime have they committed? You feel that insecure with your beliefs that you need to have someone who isn’t arrested. Those people just have a different vision of the world, what they do is a little sneaky but not a bases to have them arrested.
they are teaching the kids Christianity without telling the parents if i am a parent i have a right to know what my kid is learning
Many times these people prey ( pun intended) on vulnerable people. Families going through hard times etc. Read an article about people doing this in Israel.
Don’t engage. Kick them out like a cancer.
Rabbi Notik was in touch with Jews for Judaism concerning this incident and I am glad we were able to be of assistance. Unfortunately, I receive calls from Shluchim about missionary activity in Chabad Houses at least once a month. For resources to help with this issue please visit JewsforJudiasm.org
Rabbi Bentzion Kravitz
Founder – Jews for Judaism
That happened in my community about 20 years ago but instead they were posing as BTs. Their kids were enrolled at our local school and they learned weekly with the Rabbi of the shul.
After a couple years the family came clean to Rabbi and thanked him for teaching the Hebrew/Torah so now it will be much easier to proselytize when they move on their mission.
The community was shell shocked when we found out the truth about the family.
With such individuals you should NOT engage in any manner! Even if they are in fact Jewish they are dangerous and would do anything to convert Jews to their religion. They should be kicked out of any shul or community they attach themselves to. They are the after Jewish souls and nothing else. THey are a danger to the Jewish community.
Do not engage with these individuals. That is what they want and crave. Even if they are Jewish by birth they are a danger to the Jewish nation and no debate or convincing will change their mind. They are out to save the Jewish souls. Best to kick them flying!!
There are missionaries like this in every Jewish community
The Gemarah says that the NEKEYAI YERUSHALAYIM would be careful with whom they sat together in a meal – how much more-so to stay away from these miscreants
Except this one is not funny at all –
They might not fool us but they can fool non observant jews who wish to learn more about judaism
Unfortunately, this is true. I personally know of someone who was becoming a baal teshuva at that time and he would attend a “rabbi’s” lecture quite often, where this “rabbi” would speak about yoshka in positive terms and encouraged his listeners to read more about him. B”h he would also go to a chabad house every now and then where the people upon hearing this encouraged him to stop attending this “rabbi’s shiurim” and explained that this person is not preaching jewish ideals.
Scammmers who use religion as a front are punishable by law and should be arrested and prosecuted so they don’t dare to try again
What law are you referring to?
This is not a law and they are not scamming.
Think People.. why Is there a 19 brocha in shemona Esrie, Nothing new, evry one can calm down and stay focused on more important stuff.
Someone should follow them to keep track of their whereabouts, to make sure they don’t go to another community.
Great idea!! Are you offering to pay him by the hour while he’s following them? How about you offer to follow them yourself!!
As happy as I am that this couple of Christian missionaries were identified…the conspiracy theorist in me wonders how many Jewish leftists posing as Orthodox have infiltrated our communities as well.
While I personally think that Orthodox Jews have no business being politically leftist, a political argument among two Jews is very different from an argument over Yashke between a Jew and a Christian missionary — especially a Christian missionary posing as a Jew. The latter is dangerous. The former is potentially troublesome and exasperating, but not a matter of actual danger to a Yiddishe neshamah.
I am saddened to see this
Just relax and take it easy, no one has been hurt.
They should look at https://outreachjudaism.org/debate/
Is this a real jewish org or a missionary org?
Our little chabad shul in Jerusalem was recently infiltrated by xtian missionaries posing as frum Jews. Their (fake) names are Eliezer Bograd, Noe Bograd, Shayna Michelle Detwiler, and Jordan Levy. Beware.
We are all getting stuck on this. But MUST go reach out to our kids and check what damage was done to them from this type of pp. They work fast and try to brainwash the kids through Hypnosis against Yedishkit and against there parents!!! they do this and young kids from babies and up!! This is being done daily to many of the Jewish kids all over the world!! They abuse them in many ways – a goy is a goy and he has pleasure from abusing our kids in any way possible. Search online you will see many… Read more »
They’ll end up in Israel before you know it. I suppose they registered their kids in Gan? He got an Aliyah? People have eaten their food? Dangerous people. Do communities have to do background checks on any new family? It reminds me of when my first child was getting married. I took the Kesubah to the Rav (in Crown Heights) who wasn’t interested! How could he take the achriyus of of knowing we are Halachic Jews? We weren’t born here, no family in US, so it was our word. I was shocked! When WE got married in the UK we… Read more »
With in a day of being exposed they moved, and are now living in Montreal!! Beware!
The Montreal rabonim checked into it and said it’s not true they are still in Chicago
According to an email a friend sent me, the pictures on top of this article do not match the missionaries but are pictures of a different couple altogether, a frum family in Montreal.
–Toby Katz,
Miami
Toby- tell your friends to beware! This is the couple, I have met them. The names match the picture, anything else is likely a lie. They can not be trusted.
Whenever they move there should be an article on col about them and then they’ll keep on moving.
The photos of Rivka with a nap-sack was taken in a non Jewish place
They plant seeds in each community they come to. They plan kefira in the kids they had a kesher with babysitting and in shuel
Each Parent MUST speak to there kids and hear what they spoke to them about
Shame. Monsters like this go deliberately to a place where they can deceive others, and then–when they are exposed as the liars they are–suddenly play the “religious persecution” card.