Complaint Review: ZION MESSIANIC CONGREGATION "JEWISH" CONGREGATION - Austin Texas

My heart goes out to Joe and his family.Like many other interfaith marriages and those who are going to convert to Judaism, my husband and I were victims of Congregation Zion in Austin,Texas.

Today is Yom Kippur when we fast for 24 hours and pray for forgiveness. I was not able to get transportation to a shul for services today so I am here instead. You can pray anywhere and I am hungry but persistent.

I hope the "Rabbi Guy" at Zion is also praying for forgiveness for all the harm he has caused to members of his Congregation in the past.
I am trying to forgive him but will never forget.

My husband and I went seeking a Congregation because we were interfaith marriage. I had tried Christianity and gotten mixed up with some vicious, woman-hating charismatics who should have been Muslims --and I barely escaped. My husband was NOT charismatic but he was curious about Judaism and not willing to convert. This was supposed to be a compromise where we would both feel welcome.

There was nothing about it when we first attended to suggest that this was anything other than what it appeared to be. Zion was meeting at a Spanish Baptist Church between 183 North service road and North Lamar when we started going there. There were a lot of Spanish speaking Shefardic Jews from Mexico there and a Falashi Jewish
couple from Jamaica and even Jews from Israel. We both felt that we had come home to a nurturing,loving place where we were part of a spiritual family and that we were with friends.  We paid the weekly equivalent of  our temple dues  and were glad to do so. I looked forward to going there and even signed up for a class in basic Hebrew.

The lithurgy  of the worship services was in Hebrew --with the traditional Hebrew alphabet transliterated so that everyone could pronounce it and in English and it was very deeply moving spiritually and emotionally. My husband and I felt right at home.

The Rabbi then was David Hall and his wife. It appeared to be a second marriage for both. I ran a public records search and someone of her previous married name appeared to have some real property.He had been employed as a computer technician I believe and really made the Zion web page look GREAT! They had no children living at home and a contractor in their congregation had donated them a like-new Lincoln Town Car. They also had apartments in Northwest Hills and my husband and I were both invited inside them for a visit.We enjoyed visiting with them.

Rabbi Hall was like the father my husband never had --with his white beard and kindly blue eyes.

We genuinely felt like we were family and we even volunteered to help when the organization to which all accredited Messianic Congregations belong to held its convention in Austin,Texas.  I was conned by some violinist into babysitting his infant and then he wanted to get money from ME! I met a former and present Pentecostal Mexican minister from the Valley who was barely literate but he had managed to get a lot of money working the Messianic Jewish Congregation Prosperity Gospel racket and was married to a blonde Anglo woman who resembled Jan Crouch. And there were people who played Jewish songs like Southern Baptists.

I should have paid more attention I guess but I was glad to have some place to go where I was welcome and a place to belong. People will do a lot for that.

I also saw the white plastic slop buckets that continuously were passed around for offerings like the  reverend Terrell, an ole time charismatic preacher used to do in Forth Worth.

Rabbi David apparently volunteered to work a BENNY HINN crusade and I guess from he decided to use Benny Hinn's tactics. With BENNY HINN, it is all about the money. Benny Hinn has a lot of shticks he can use depending on which will get him the most most money. He has been focusing on the fake healing services recently.

Rabbi David's shtick was spiritual warfare which to me was working magic --only his was alright because it was out of the Bible like Jesus and His disciples did, I guess. I went to two classes and he was charging big bucks for admission and getting asked to give his spiel in quite a few places. Kaballah was getting rather popular too right about this time.

In this Spiritual Warfare class, I heard some Scripture and I heard some interpretations and some interesting descriptions of out of body experiences but nothing that worked when I tried it at home.  My husband thought it might have been KABBALLAH but I thought it had been wasted time. Rabbi David really thought that he was talking with and commanding Angels.He would also go forth in his dreams and do battle with alleged witches and curse them and kill them.

Not only was Rabbi David allegedly commanding and speaking with Angels, apparently the Angels told him that I was a witch as was my husband. Times were getting hard economically and the donations were not coming in like they used to anymore.In fact, people were leaving in droves.

Our world started coming apart. We lost and kept losing our jobs, our home was vandalized, I was shot at but the law enforcement agency refused to investigate any of it -- all sorts of ugliness happened to us. It continued to happen three or four years later until we finally left the area. I DO NOT THINK ANYONE FROM ZION was to blame for the vandalism or attempted murder.

They were in their last month in the Baptist Church when I left.

There was a kind of ugliness that had taken over and I was no longer wanted or loved there. It hurt me then and it hurts me now. It devastated my husband who remained convinced that Rabbi David had cursed our home.

When we go back to Austin to visit, my husband refuses---indeed it PETRIFIED to go to the Dell Jewish Community Center because he says he is afraid that Rabbi David will be there and see him and put another curse on him and on our family. I think he also does not want to see this faker and hypocrite that he used to admire and love like a second father.

I have a lot more things I could say but Joe covered it well enough.

This Yom Kippur, Rabbi David needs to see forgiveess for ALL of the people he accused of being witches and chased out or expelled from the Zion faith community. We were not the only ones.

Yom Tov.

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THE TORAH IS FULL OF SYMBOLISM AND ALLEGORY.
WAS THE BUSH REALLY BURNING OR WAS THAT MOISHE'S ZEAL TO SERVE GOD AS HE UNDERSTOOD HIM? WITH THE TORAH, YOU HAVE TO THINK WHAT IS ACTUALLY BEING SAID HERE.

I CAN'T SPEAK FOR WHAT CHRISTIANS BELIEVE BECAUSE I  DO NOT KNOW.

I ADMIT I WAS CURIOUS TO SEE HOW JEWS AND CHRISTIANS COULD MAKE A NEW RELIGION FOR BOTH AND WHAT I SAW DID NOT IMPRESS ME MUCH WHEN I SAW IT WAS JUST A TRAP TO LURE PEOPLE IN FOR MONEY AND EGO TRIP OF ONE WEIRD DUDE.

I WAS TOLD HE USED TO SCHLEPP AROUND THE DELL JEWISH COMMUNITY CENTER CAMPUS LOOKING FOR SOME L.A .JEW --A SECULAR JEW WHO MIGHT THINK HE WAS A REAL RABBI AND GIVE HIM A FEW BIG BILLS FROM GUILT THAT HE DID NOT KNOW A REAL RABBI FROM A SELF-PROCLAIMED CHARISMATIC XTIAN. MOST CON MEN REALLY BELIEVE THEIR SPIEL WITH THIS ONE I COULD NEVER TELL,

HE USED TO TELL US THAT HE LIKED TO EAT AT HOUSTON'S STEAKHOUSE IN NORTH NORTHWEST AUSTIN WHICH IS SUPPOSED TO BE VERY EXPENSIVE. HE SAID WE COULD NOT AFFORD IT. WHAT KIND OF STEAK IS HE AFFORDING IN EAST AUSTIN? I COOK MY OWN STEAKS ---KASHER THEM --- ON MY GRILL WHEN I FEEL LIKE IT. WHY SHOULD I PAY FOR TRIEF WHEN I CAN MAKE BETTER AT HOME?

I DO KNOW THAT FOR SOMEONE TO BE A REAL RABBI --HE HAS TO BE FROM A LONG LINE OF CHASSIDIM REBBES -- PASSED DOWN FROM FATHER TO SON. REBBE SCHEERSON FROM NEW YORK ---HE OF BLESSED MEMORY -- WAS ONE OF THOSE. OR THE RABBI HAS TO ATTEND WHAT AMOUNTS TO A SEMINARY OR DIVINITY SCHOOL CALLED A YESHIVA. RABBIS ARE STILL MOSTLY MEN IN THE ORTHODOX AND CONSERVATIVE CONGREGATIONS.

SOME GUY WHO WANTS TO BE JEWISH AND CHRISTIAN AT THE SAME TIME DOES NOT PRETEND TO BE A JEW SO THEY CAN SHAKE YOUR POCKETS EMPTY...YOU HAVE TO HAVE THE PROPER TRAINING AND EXPERIENCE TO BE CONSIDERED A REAL RABBI. REAL RABBIS ARE NOT LICENSED BY CHARISMATIC BABBLING OCCULTIC WEIRDO ORGANIZATIONS THAT PROFESS TO HAVE CHRISTIAN BELIEFS. TRUTH TO TELL, I HAVE ATTENDED SEVERAL VOO DOO SERVICES WHEN I LIVED IN NEW ORLEANS BECAUSE THEY WERE A FEW BLOCKS OVER AND IT WAS NEAT TO BE CREEPED OUT WHEN YOU ARE A KID  AND THAT IS JUST WHAT THOSE CHARISMATIC PEOPLE DO.

REAL RABBIS HAVE REAL AUTHENTIC JEWISH TRAINING AND EDUCATIONAL CREDENTIALS. THEY JUST DON'T WAKE UP ONE MORNING AND DECIDE NOT TO BE A GOY ANYMORE AND THEY ARE NOW A RABBI BECAUSE THEY SAY SO OR THEY HAVE BEEN CALLED BY GOD. THAT IS MARJOE THINKING AND CHARISMATIC THINKING.

SO WHO IS IT GOING TO BE: JESUS --OR ELIJAH, MOISHE OR PAUL ?" CAN ONLY DO ONE OR THE OTHER. MESSIANIC JEWISH CONGREGATIONS CLAIM THAT YOU CAN DO BOTH BUT I THINK SOMEWHERE IN THE SCRIPTURES, IT IS WRITTEN THAT ONE MAN CANNOT SERVE TWO MASTERS. THE MESSIANIC PEOPLE CLAIM YOU CAN HAVE CHRISTIANITY AND JUDAISM TOO BUT WHAT I HAVE SEEN, IT EVENTUALLY TURNS TO THE CHARISMATIC NONSENSE.

AT LEAST THE "RABBI GUY" KNOWS SOME ACTUAL HEBREW AND HOW TO DAVEEN THE TORAH BUT DID NOT SEEM TO DO IT VERY OFTEN. I PITIED THAT POOR TORAH TOO.

I HAVE NEVER HEARD OF A RABBI OVERSEER. THAT IS A NEW ONE ON ME. AND THIS GUY BETTER WATCH IT AS EAST AUSTIN IS A PREDOMINANTLY AFRICAN AMERICAN NEIGHBORHOOD AND THEY HAVE THIS THANG ABOUT SLAVERY AND OVERSEERS AND THE OLD SOUTH AND DISCRIMINATION.

IT IS ALSO CREEPY TO SEE A MAN WHO CLAIMS TO BE A JEW DENOUNCING PEOPLE IN THE CONGREGATION BY CLAIMING THEY ARE POSSESSED BY DEMONS AND THEY ARE WITCHES AND HE TALKS TO ANGELS AND GIVES THEM COMMANDS. THIS IS THE SORT OF WEIRD LIES SOME NUT CASE LIKE BENNY HINN AND JESSE DUPLANTIS AND THE NUTS AND FRUITS AT TBN LIKE TO BROADCAST...

A JEWISH CONGREGATION IS JUST THAT --- JEWISH AND NOT SOUTHERN BAPTIST OR  PENTECOSTAL OR CATHOLIC OR METHODIST OR EPISCOPALIAN.
I SO NOT HATE SOUTHERN BAPTISTS. WE COEXIST BECAUSE I AVOID THEM AND THEY AVOID ME. JUST BE AWARE OF WHAT THEY ARE REALLY ABOUT -- POLITICAL POWER, BIGGER CHURCHES AND MORE MONEY.  THEY USED TO RUN TEXAS LIKE A TALIBAN THEOCRACY UNTIL THE FOLKS FROM UP NORTH STARTED COMING DOWN HERE AND NOW I CAN WEAR A STAR OF DAVID IN PUBLIC WITHOUT BEING BEAT UP.

A MESSIANIC CONGREGATION IS SUPPOSED TO BE A MERGER OF WHERE JEWISH MEETS  CHRISTIANITY ==EARLY CHRISTIANS WERE ALL JEWISH UNTIL THAT ALLEGED
STUDENT RABBI SHAUL AKA PAUL OPENED IT UP TO EVERYBODY AND MADE THE POLITICAL ALLIANCE IN ROME WHERE PAGAN CUSTOMS WERE ADDED TO JEWISH CUSTOMS AND MADE IT POLITICAL.

THE BAD THING ABOUT CONGREGATION ZION IS THAT WE THOUGHT THAT WE HAD FOUND A FAMILY WHO LOVED AND CARED ABOUT US AND ACCEPTED US AND THAT WE COULD LOVE AND CARE AND ACCEPT THEM TOO AND HELP OUT FINANCIALLY. AND WE COULD LEARN AND CELEBRATE OUR DIFFERENCES IN OUR INTERFAITH MARRIAGE WITH A DIVERSE GROUP OF GOOD FRIENDS, REAL FRIENDS AND WE COULD ALL WORK TOGETHER AND HELP EACH OTHER OUT.

TURNS IT WAS JUST ONE GUY'S EGO TRIP --- LIKE JIM JONES  KOOL AID OR BENNY HINN OR JIMMY SWAGGART OR THE TBN ZOO OF FAKES WHO CLAIM TO BE SUCH GOOF CHRISTIANS.

THERE WAS NOT VERY MUCH THAT WAS REALLY JEWISH AT ALL, JUST A GUY ON A EGO TRIP --A FIDDLER ON THE ROOF FANTASY --ON ACID WITH ALL OF THIS CHARISMATIC NONSENSE THROWN IN . THAT IS WHY EVERYONE LEFT AND NEW SUCKERS CONTINUE TO COME IN THINKING THAT THEY HAVE A SPIRITUAL, HAPPY, GREAT FAMILY TO CELEBRATE LIFE CYCLES WITH.

I GUESS WHEN YOUR MONEY IS ALL GONE, AND WHEN YOU COME ON HARD TIMES, YOUR WELCOME IS GONE TOO.

AND WHEN YOU HAVE A SPIRITUAL LEADER WHO IS  APPARENTLY CURSING YOU AND DECLARING SPIRITUAL WARFARE ON YOU AND IT IS MORE OCCULT THAT IT NEEDS TO BE IN A FAMILY SETTING --- TIME TO GO.

I AM SORRY FOR WHAT COULD HAVE BEEN.

THIS GUY RIPS OFF AND RIPS OUT YOUR HEART, TRUST, LOYALTY ---AND DID I FORGET TO MENTION YOUR POCKETBOOK?

STAY THE HELL AWAY FROM HERE IF YOU ARE SMART.

Which fable do you think is a scam? The one where some dude rises from the dead? Or where one spoke with a burning bush and parted seas?

Are you saying both are a scam. or neither is a scam?

Are you surprised you can't find any good Jews in Oklahoma or Texas? Did the speaking in tongues get to you..or the luxury apt? Or what happened on the cross (same thing that happened to many during the days of crucifixion)

I just do not understand this complaint. Do you know who you are and what you believe in?? Or just upset that you almost fell sucker for a scam that plays both...or neither side..it is not quite clear. Are you surprised any baptists want to convert Jews in Texas?

Look..you are LOST. Stop looking for others to help you find yourself. No fables or witchcraft or spells or voodoo will help you. You need to take charge of your life There is nothing wrong with being humble or believing in a higher power...but if you are letting this control and scam you...then you might as well join Scientology and prey to the space men.