A group of missionaries entered 770 on Tuesday wearing Christian missionary symbols and asked to put on tefillin while filming and documenting the scene. They were confronted and removed from the shul.

Those familiar with the incident described it as a familiar missionary tactic. “They’re looking to create documentation that presents them as connected to Yiddishkeit,” 770 administrator Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Kratz told Anash.org. “They then use that to lend legitimacy to their belief, chas v’sholom, and draw in unsuspecting Yidden.”

Thankfully, the group was confronted and removed from the premises before they could create further damage.

Several bochurim who witnessed the incident reportedly questioned why the group could not simply be allowed to put on tefillin if they were Jewish. In response, Kratz explained to Anash.org that the Rabbonim of Crown Heights had instructed him that as long as such individuals are wearing Christian symbols or missionary insignia, they may not lay tefillin.

The rabbonim also explained that this is precisely the point of the tactic: to exploit the mitzvah for missionary propaganda and associate it with their false beliefs.

Moreover, the rabbonim said, even if such symbols are removed, no photographing, documentation, or publicizing should be permitted if it could serve the group’s missionary purposes. Such individuals should be kept at a distance, and if they enter shul premises for missionary purposes, they should be instructed to leave.

Kratz noted that this is not the first time the tactic has been attempted in 770. “This is already the third or fourth time they’ve tried the same technique,” he said. “They are attempting to photograph themselves seemingly engaged in Jewish practice, to create a misleading impression and grant legitimacy to their beliefs.”

Anash and bochurim are urged to exercise extra caution when in 770, particularly when they notice individuals filming or attempting to document activity in the shul. Such footage can potentially be used for missionary purposes or to create a misleading impression.

Anyone who notices suspicious activity should avoid engaging with the individuals and immediately alert the gabboim so that the matter can be dealt with appropriately.