NEW JERSEY MAN POSED AS A FAKE RABBI IN ISRAEL
The orthodox Jewish community financially supported him and his dying wife as his young daughters tried to convert their classmates.
A self-professed "good Jewish boy from New Jersey," Rabbi Michael Elkohen had come a long way.
In the ultra-Orthodox enclave in Jerusalem where Elkohen now lives, he was often called on to perform marriages, circumcisions and other sacred Jewish rituals. He was even hired to write Torah scrolls, handwritten copies of the first five books of the Hebrew Bible, in a task typically reserved for the most devout and highly trained scribes.
But for 15 years, Elkohen was apparently living a lie. The father of five with the black hat, beard and side curls was fluent in Judaic texts and traditions but living a double life: Born Michael Elk in Salem County, he was actually a Christian missionary sent to the Holy Land to convert Jews, according to two anti-missionary groups whose accusations have captivated Israelis in recent days.
Elk's tale has grabbed headlines across the Jewish state, where religious leaders see a growing trend of covert missionary work by evangelical Christians.
Though missionizing is technically permitted in Israel, there are limits, including a ban on preaching to children or offering any material benefits in the course of religious conversion. Elk could be charged with falsifying his identity, immigration fraud, practicing circumcision illegally and collecting charity under false pretenses, according to watchdog groups tracking his case...
read more
