Synagogue of shame: The converts being coerced and exploited by the British ‘rabbi’ who follows Jesus
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On a quiet residential street in Norwich, light streams through an ornamental window bearing a Star of David. Past the entrance, which is marked by a mezuzah, visitors will find a polished menorah, Hebrew tapestries and copies of the JC.
Step closer, however, and members of mainstream Jewish communities may raise an eyebrow at the unusual rabbinic certificate on the wall and the embroidery adjacent to the ark, which carries the Hebrew name “Yeshua”.
Behind some of the familiar trappings of Judaism, this is a messianic congregation that claims to offer a Jewish life but is more akin to evangelical Christianity. Led by Andrew Sheldrake – known to his followers as Rabbi Binyamin – the “Adat Yeshua” community has attracted scores of devoted disciples.
But for aspiring Jewish converts, the bizarre organisation registered as a UK charity has been a source of pain so acute that some have considered suicide.
“Rabbi Binyamin” offers the full service: conversions, brit milahs, bar mitzvahs, weddings, burials – even a paid rabbinic internship. While he appears sincere in his belief that he offers an authentic – if not “mainstream” – form of Judaism, no mainstream Jewish bodies accept messianism as Jewish, a fact he claims to make clear to prospective converts. However, it is easy to see how those unfamiliar with messianic congregations could be deceived into believing they are joining a typical Jewish congregation.
Sarah Harvey, a senior researcher at the Information Network on Religious Movements (Inform) at King’s College London, said that Sheldrake appeared to be a typical “charismatic leader” overseeing a “culture of control”.
This, she said, included “isolating people from their extended family and creating an ‘us and them’ dynamic between the individual and their wider family and community”.
She added: “Leaders create a sense that they are protecting the purity of their community, which means it becomes very insular and leaders are not subject to dissenting or challenging voices.”
After the JC raised concerns with the Charity Commission and the Home Office, government officials opened an investigation into Adat Yeshua, particularly its treatment of the D’Costa family, whose case potentially breaches sponsorship rules. They also said they were liaising with police over potential breaches of the Modern Slavery Act.
Content retrieved from: https://www.thejc.com/news/uk/synagogue-shame-converts-coerced-rabb-jesus-ih5b8ucv.
