After discussing the dangerous, hateful rantings of Rabbi Yosef Mizrachi and Rabbi Yaron Reuven, the topic should not be left without mentioning the third member of this unholy trinity: Rabbi Alon Anava. These three collaborate on various events and productions, and three-hour videos on YouTube. Like Mizrachi and Reuven, Anava has hundreds of hours of lectures, hundreds of thousands of followers on social media, and has distributed hundreds of thousands of CDs and DVDs. He's also on the faculty of a seminary for frum American girls in Tsefat.
Rabbi Alon Anava has some very interesting views.
Rabbi Anava also explains that the Vatican is connected to this Secret World Order, and they are more evil than you can possibly imagine. The Vatican is secretly a
Devil-worshiping cult which sacrifices children. They even arrange with
the Israeli Government (because they are also all puppets, controlled by
the secret Cabal) to sacrifice children to the Devil in Israel.
Imagine that - a Jew spreading a blood libel against Christians!
I know. It sounds unbelievable that anyone could say such things, or that people would believe it. But you can watch it yourself on YouTube. (I didn't have patience to listen to more than a few minutes of his craziness - the video is three hours long!)
Now, you might be thinking, "Okay, Mizrachi and Reuven are crazy, but this guy is completely off-the-charts insane! How on earth would they associate with him?"
The answer is that Mizrachi and Reuven are also detached from reality. Mizrachi believes that stage magicians are actually performing real magic, and claims that Covid can be cured by firing a hot hair dryer down your throat! And Reuven believes that plants are intelligent, understand English, and get offended if we insult them!
I don't believe that such dangerous nonsense should be tolerated.
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The marketplace of ideas says that there is an appetite for this. What is wrong with our rabbinic establishment that cannot feed that appetite with healthier substitutes. When rational judaism tips over the edge it becomes flat out heresy. This is what mystical judaism looks like when it stops being grounded.
ReplyDeleteRav Moshe Weinberger is a good substitute, but his shiurim are only audio (on YUTorah) and not as entertaining as the YouTube material.
DeleteWell said.
DeleteOur Rabbinic 'establishment' is not in the business of sensationalizing Judaism so that it can tie in to the conspiratorial zeitgeist of the connected universe. Don't forget that these 'sermons' appeal greatly to a gentile audience as well - if not more than a Jewish one.
DeleteAnd then father sets up his Crown, Corona surrounds all the world for us to pay attention. Every time we have gone away from the gentle teachings of our ancestors we have paid the Reckoning. When a nation and its people turn its back but not its face to its God what should one expect? Measure for measure. Possibly we could repent and love our brothers The Way We Wish to Be Loved We Are One then we May Merit a blessing , a little more time to repent reconciliation and reflect as individuals our actions that are causing father to be mad. Father loves America that is why he rebukes and does not destroy her with the bubonic plague. We can always change the future we are Transformers. Father says by the fruit of your lips I create let us go ask whole of heart with prayer as a nation like we are killing rattlesnakes for indeed it feels like it. God bless you God bless America and all her stalwarts
DeleteAs comedian Bill Burr said about religion, what makes one group's story any crazier than anyone elses? Based on what governments, dictorships, countries and other human beings have done to other human beings what's to say what Rabbi Anava is saying is crazy? Celebrating its 100 year anniversary, the Chinese Communist Party has killed 85m other human beings; 7x more than Hitler. I find his parsha discussions more interesting and more meaningful than anything else out there. While some of his claims may be shocking to some, this world we live in right now is beyond belief and shocking. I used to trust our goverment; now I don't. I'm open to
DeleteMy humble view is that not having a centralized hierarchy of clergy like Catholics,Jehowah's Witnesses and is a weaker form Shia Muslims,is the reason these cretins are free to spread their lunacy (and is also the reason why for instance conversions done by one beth din are not recognized by other ones). We'd need a Jewish Vatican with to whom all rabbis around the world had to obey!
ReplyDeleteYeah. Because Jews LOVE to obey! Especially other Jews.
DeleteIn this world of action we were granted free will wisdom tells us use discernment do not rely on your own understanding look to the Lord. It's all in there and it's called Torah together with discernment rocks the world baby as for me and my house we go buy Tanakh shalom
DeleteYou should all read the book "Them" by Jon Ronson.
ReplyDeleteIts about meetings he has with a variety of extremists and the common belief they all have in the secret world order.
Exactly on point to this post.
Rabbi Slifkin,
ReplyDeleteIn my humblest opinion, you are spending far to much time monitoring these clowns and seem borderline obsessed with it. Please dont let them dominate this blog page. One last humble opinion of mine, the “Unholy Trinity” are nuttier than squirrel droppings and will eventually disappear like farts in a fan factory.
Take care.
Yeah. I'm with him too. I keep resisting the urge to tell you to KNOCK IT THE HELL OFF with these guys, but you're a big boy and can do what you want. But, as a regular reader (if not commenter) of your blog, I think many of us don't share your alarm over these people. Dangerous, foolish wackjobs have always been and always will be around. It's okay for your to dedicate a post to "exposing" them. But this has been going on for the better part of a month.
DeleteIt's starting to say more about your mental health than theirs.
IK many who follow these morons.
DeleteRabbi Slifkin,
DeleteI have a feeling this was a direct result of Reuvens videos and I take back what I said earlier. Please keep monitoring and keeping us up to date.
4 men arrested for hanging ‘Hitler Was Right’ banner on bridge in Arizona
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.timesofisrael.com/4-men-arrested-for-hanging-hitler-was-right-banner-on-bridge-in-arizona/amp/
I’m beginning to think some action needs to be taken against Reuven.
I think both Rabbi Yosef Mizrachi and Rabbi Yaron Reuven, as well as Rabbi Alon Anava believe that "plants are intelligent, understand English, and get offended if we insult them!"
ReplyDeleteThe trick to say something so crazy that the crazies thinks you're crazier than them! Its not good enough to say "I am convinced that Hillary Clinton is a reptilian overlord." No. You have to be more crazy. For example, I once heard a gay say that the pyramids were used as a landing depots for spaceships.
Agree that Hillary is a reptilian overlord. I don't see how that's controversial in any way.
DeleteI agree.
DeleteI once met a Jew who believed in all the blood libel against Jews. But when I asked about the blood libel against Christians, since the Romans mistook communion for cannibalism, he denied it. He also agrees with Reuven that Jews destroyed Germany with greed and perversion. He was equally convinced that a new World Order engineered the Covid pandemic. Typical conspiratorial thinking.
ReplyDeleteCan anyone be crazier than this?
You notice on the las picture that the beards get longer as they go.
ReplyDeleteThey're the three Stooges.
DeleteThe Three Stooges -- Moe, Larry, Curly, and Shemp when Curly wasn't part of the act -- were all Jews with a strong Jewish identity. They even spoofed the Nazis before Chaplin did:
Deletehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/You_Nazty_Spy!
Yes, I know. I like the three stooges. They also made fun of Mussolini and Tojo.
DeleteWhile you are correct that this is insanity, it's a mistake to call it anti-scientific. How do you know that it's anti-scientific? What peer-reviewed scientific studies do you bring showing that lizard-men aren't secretly in control of the world? Which institutions conducted the studies, and what were the rigorous protocols behind them? Apparently, you feel that scientific rigor is unnecessary to prove this point. Instead, you just rightfully call it insanity, in an appeal to common sense. Which is fine, most of truths we know are based on common sense rather than the scientific method. But it's imprecise to call it anti-scientific if you're not using science to refute it.
ReplyDeleteDisagree. Your average appeal to common sense is a combo of reasonable epistemology and evidence. This is also the foundation of the scientific method.
DeleteYou also can't prove that the moon isn't made of green cheese. That doesn't mean you should give lectures stating it as a fact.
Delete@Big Mouth, I don't think that's correct. First of all, just because common sense is the foundation of the scientific method doesn't mean you describe every insanity as anti-scientific. Common sense is also the foundation of mathematics, would you say Rabbi Anava is "anti-arithmetic" or "anti-calculus"? Secondly, commons sense is most definitely not a good guide to what's scientific and what's not. Case in point, the idea that men descend from sea creatures is a violation of common sense, at least as much as the lizard-men theory, but it's backed up by science.
DeleteI dont think anti-scientific means what you think it means...
DeleteAmericans landed on the moon in 1969. It was made of rock. Not green, or any other colored, cheese.
DeleteProved.
The scientific method isnt limited to the natural sciences or to controlled studies. The word "science" come from the Latin word scienta which means knowledge.
DeleteAgain, common sense =/= science, no matter what the etymology of the word "science" is. In fact, science is frequently in opposition to common sense. As such, it's a mistake to conflate them.
DeleteEven if this wasn't a troll or joke, the onus is not on Slifkin, but the proponents of such lunacy to provide 'proofs'.
DeleteAgain, it's fine to use common sense to point out Anava's insanity, but it unnecessary and incorrect to call it "anti-science" when no science has been done on the topic, ever.
DeleteCommon sense said that it made absolutely no sense for doctors to wash their hands between patients. I don't want to think about the number of patients who unnecessarily died because of that common sense.
DeleteRabbi Alon Anava is an embarassment. !) Is he mentally ill ? 2)Does not believe what he pontificates, but doing so for a happy buck or for ego ? 3) Lacks critical thinking skills and lacks evidential reasoning. But are some of his opinions really crazier that what is found in religions including Judaism ?
ReplyDeleteSounds like he gets his ideas from Alex Jones
ReplyDeleteThe amazing thing concerning this triune phenomenon is the length of their videos. ?-הכח הטומא-association with the unclean?
ReplyDeleteYou've never heard of the lizard theory? It's a big thing in these circles. It was invented by a British nut named David Icke, who of course is an anti-Semite as well- indeed, "lizards" may be code for "Jews". Of course Icke goes on about the Rothschilds as well. Alice Walker, American black anti-Semite leftist darling and Pulitzer winner, is a huge fan of Icke. But this is the first I've heard Jews using it.
ReplyDeleteTolerate it? Of course not. Should they be free to spout it? Of course they should.
And whaddya know, Netflix has a series that includes the "Yiddish-speaking lizards control the world" bit.
DeleteIt can and should be tolerated. Freedom of speech is a very "Rationalist" idea. They should not be banned and deplatfomed. You're doing a great job exposing them, and contributing to the marketplace of ideas, but we should not be pushing for a deplatforming.
ReplyDeleteDo you advocate for yelling "Fire!" in a crowded building? Freedom of speech, after all.
DeleteThat's an incredibly dumb comparison.
DeleteWhy? Is advocating to kill people harmless? Even Facebook disallows it.
DeleteActually, 'Rationalist' belief makes a very strong case for threats to society NOT to be tolerated and indeed, dealt with in a manner commensurate with the potential threat to the the greater good. There are many historical examples to support that view: See Weimar. See Pre and Post Soviet Russia. etc. etc.
DeleteAvraham, Facebook decided that a comment that said "Kill All Muslims" did not violate their "community standards" when I reported it.
DeleteAvraham.... yes, a dumb comparison---because you misquoted the 'yelling fire' quote, and then misapplied your misquote...
DeleteHi, of course we all agree with the insane and outlandish nature of this Rabbi's videos, but isn't it counterproductive to point him out? I 'd rather see rationalist Judaism thrive and develop, marginalising this type of extremist?
ReplyDeleteWell, on the positive side, at least they show pictures of women, even if they are reptiles...
ReplyDeleteActually Hillary is very similar to a shape shifting alien reptile. Bill is the gilgul of F Scott Fitzgerald. So conspiracy theory...what is the definition of conspiracy? Two or more people who plan an illegal act. So there are lots of conspiracies. Some work, some fail and others are just people having a fantasy. Look there are rabbis that think that NYC will sink beneath the waves because Hashem has a bad hair day and the statue liberty is the gilgul of the colossus of rhodes. Lots of rabbis think whacky things. Nothing new under the sun.
ReplyDeleteRabbi Slifkin, I have a question. You want to deplatform and shut down these rabbis because of the dangerous things they say, and I agree that they are dangerous. But why would you allow heresies in your comment section? Surely you would agree that comments and ideas held by Alter Cocker Jewish Atheist and his ilk constitute real heresy. Wouldn't you agree that heresy spewing apostates such as Alter Cocker Jewish Atheist are also dangerous, albeit in the spiritual sense? Do you not agree that spiritual dangers are also dangers, just as physical ones? Why would you allow him a platform on your own website? Instead you should be campaigning to shut him down as well.
ReplyDeleteEasy. People think Anava and such are our brand. They're ruining our brand. Der gantze velt is mechaven that ACJA and such aren't our brand.
DeleteI'm surprised that you seem to have never heard of this conspiracy. It's one of the most common ones out there (incorporates the Illuminati). Look up Denver International Airport + New World Order. They all overlap.
ReplyDeleteI really don't see this Anava character being of deep concern nor worthy of so much attention. (Granted I'd never heard of him before today.) There are always conspiracy nutters out there. The only ones who treat them seriously are other conspiracy theorists.
The other two rabbis are a different story as it appears they are fomenting anti-Semitism, though I would still argue against censoring. Forcing a governing body (the rabbinic council in this case) though to review its members and hold them to a certain standard does seem a good tactic.
Denver International Airport?
DeleteThat's... that's...
EVERYTHING MAKES SENSE NOW!!
Followers on social media does not equal followers.
ReplyDeleteRabbi! There's an armful of religious fanatics out there who have views I never thought possible in my life. I like your reporting, and I sympathize with you. I also like your anger. But don't spend Too MUCH time with these idiots - for one reason alone: Too much reporting about these people could be misunderstood. As if these mobs matter and they definitely don't.
ReplyDeletebeside:
ReplyDeletehttps://www.theyeshivaworld.com/news/headlines-breaking-stories/375085/rabbi-berel-wein-responds-to-rabbinic-holocaust-denial-regarding-comments-made-by-rabbi-yosef-mizrachi.html
Well, the caption fits a warning to Jews to avoid Avoda Zarah.I can't believe it could be used against an orthodox Jewish Rabbis teaching the truth in the Torah. Show me a shiurim by Rabbi Reuven that's inconsistent with the Torah. Rationalist Judaism might be too rationalistic for a good understanding of the Torah.
ReplyDeleteCould Amnon Yitzchak be added to this elite group of 3? Or does the fact that he speaks in Hebrew, or that his popularity has waned, exclude him from the list
ReplyDeleteVery damaging to carpet bomb someone and unilaterally declare them evil or bad.
ReplyDeleteRabbi Anava has some very powerful and good content that even Natan Slifkin would approve of. Take this one video as an example.
https://youtu.be/x0CVg7q1QS0
Why is your obsession of attacking Rabbis about?
ReplyDeleteSurely you're willing to differentiate between "condemn a few times" and "obsession"?
DeleteYou are a vile person for talking so badly about these Rabbis, the current leaders of our generation. Everything all three of them say is backed by the written or oral Torah. Each Rabbi gives their references & hides nothing. I already knew the corrupt business of the new world order which is coming about in the form of the Great Reset by Klaus Schwab & his cronies. But this has been going on since the beginning of time because people have free will & there's always been a group of evil idiots who want to play G-d & control the population. When I came across each Rabbi speaking their Truth in their own way, I knew it was Divine. G-d answers those who call on Him, & I prayed for Him to send me a Rabbi who would teach for free because I wasn't Jewish, didn't live around Jews, & really wanted to know more about Torah & HaShem. For whatever reason, no one but Mannis Freidman was coming up on my YouTube, & my inner sense of knowing knew he wasn't the one. About a week later, I searched something & a different Rabbi came in my feed, Rabbi Reuven, & the video was about how to love HaShem for beginners. I knew my prayer was being answered right then! Then I saw the video & it was so surreal, so amazing! I knew G-d had brought me to the right place. I contacted the Rabbi who actually wrote back & helped me begin the path of Teshuvah. Rabbi Reuven is one of the kindest, most selfless people I know. These Rabbis have no agenda, unlike our government. What do they gain by telling truth & having people like you make fun of them? They already knew that would happen, so you're not creating any epiphanies for people. You're just aiding the Satan in this mindless game of control--you are trying to change people's opinion & telling them what perspective to have on Rabbis who YOU don't agree with. Well, you can have your perspective, but when you talk crap about others to try to get them to have the same perspective, that is bullying. It also shows you don't have confidence in your own perspective since you can't hate alone & must recruit others to share your same viewpoint. Truly pathetic.
ReplyDeleteWhy don't you Be quiet ?.if you don't respect what these guys are saying that's ok .But you don't have to listen or be rude .your entitled to your opinion like them.so if you can't be polite in criticism be quiet Turk hill.
ReplyDeletehttps://youtu.be/PGZaiRqM5LE
ReplyDeletethis fraud is giving dangerous misinformation about the coronavirus. I would be very hesitant to allow him to have a voice in the Jewish community, especially amongst "spiritual " Baalei Tshuva
LASHON HARA!!!!
ReplyDeleteI've listened to all three...Misrachi is not in the same League as the other two. In fact, there are several problems with the way this blog attaches the loopy, probably MH implicated, ideas of two, with all. But I'm a pretty tolerant guy, when it comes to freedom of ALL speech. I tend to focus on separate issues...as separate.
ReplyDeleteHaShem will definitely punish the Rasha that wrote this article.
ReplyDeleteThese 3 Rabbis are no doubt making an impact and creating many Baal Tshuva all around the world.
This article is nothing but pathetic jealousy. Sickening Lashon Hara, very weak.