"He deliberately goes out to find people to convert them to Judaism, or tries to convince them to become Jewish, but that's not part of the Jewish tradition," Korf tells New Times. Korf, who was once Facebook friends with Meza, takes issue with the Proud Boys' practice of conversions, which he says goes against Jewish teachings. Meza says he attended various yeshivas and completed a semikhah, or ordination program, and was once the leader of Birkath Avraham synagogue in North Miami Beach, though it's been closed for six years. Sometimes, Tabachnikoff tells New Times, the definition of who is truly a rabbi can get dicey. Some people may attend a yeshiva, or seminary, for personal growth and be granted the title of "rabbi" or "teacher" but never actually lead a synagogue or become a faith leader, according to Rabbi Jonathan Tabachnikoff of Nicklaus Children's Hospital in Miami. To become a rabbi, one must go through rabbinical school and gain a certain level of competence in Jewish teachings before being ordained by another rabbi. "He's not a rabbi, and if he's ordained, he's not recognized by any religious community that I know of." "He's a hack," says Rabbi Joseph Korf of Hollywood Community Synagogue. This penchant for mass conversion has put Meza at odds with Jewish people in South Florida who deny his status as a genuine rabbi. Through Torah Judaism International, Meza performs large conversions to Judaism, and actively recruits non-Jews to the Jewish faith. Meza himself lives in Hollywood, Florida.Īccording to his organization's website, Torah Judaism International, Meza is Colombian-American, attended rabbinical school at Aish HaTorah Institute for Jewish Studies in Jerusalem, and was ordained by Rabbi Yitzchok Kolakowski of New York at Yeshivat Nachlei Emunah. He created several of the Proud Boys' websites, including the official sites for the Miami and Broward chapters. Last February, Meza joined the Proud Boys and is a member of the Villain City chapter of Miami-Dade and Monroe counties. Meza remains a controversial figure not just for his association with the Proud Boys, an alt-right hate group that violently clashes with anti-fascist protesters nationwide, but also for his "unorthodox" approach to Judaism. In Florida, Jackson Health System, the University of Miami, Nova Southeastern University, and other private employers have also begun requiring workers to get the jab or face the consequences. Early last month, President Biden issued an executive order requiring that all federal employees be vaccinated within 75 days. This comes at a time when the federal government and numerous private institutions have begun mandating vaccines for employees, and several people, particularly those on the religious right, have bristled at such requirements. The letter goes on to denounce the stigmatization of substances the alt-right has touted as a treatment for COVID-19, including hydroxychloroquine, which has been found ineffective against the virus, and ivermectin, a drug commonly used to deworm horses that has sent some people to the hospital with seizures. Quoting from Genesis, the letter states that because humans are made in God's image, they should not acquiesce to "biological alterations" to their bodies. The religious exemption letter - which is sent via email after filling out a Google form - quotes several verses from the Old Testament to justify the holy objection to vaccine mandates. A Christian can embrace the message because we quote from the Bible." "This form we're giving to Christians, too. "There are people who just want the freedom to get vaxxed or not, who don't want a mandate," says Meza. Though he is vaccinated, Meza says he wants to offer people the freedom to choose. Reached by New Times over the phone Wednesday, Meza estimates that he has already provided 200 letters. A South Florida rabbi and member of the far-right group the Proud Boys is offering religious exemptions for COVID-19 vaccine requirements to Jews and Gentiles alike.Īsher Meza, who goes by "Rabbi PB" on the Telegram messaging app, began advertising religious exemption letters for people who don't want COVID-19 vaccines last week on the public Proud Boys Telegram channels.
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