WTF happened to Joseph Cohen to turn him into Yousef Al-Khattab?

[david1967]

This guy is born a secular Jew in New Jersey.  He then becomes religious and joins the anti-Zionist group, Satmar, and moves to Williamsburg, Brooklyn.  He marries and has three kids.  He then decides to leave Satmar because he is disgusted by their "corruption", becomes a Zionist, and makes aliyah.  He moves to Gush Katif in the Gaza strip.  He becomes disgusted again with the lack of religiousness, lack of piety, and, what he claims, is the deception of the Rabbis, since he did not get any straight answers about Judaism.  During his time in Israel, he meets a Muslim from the UAE who discusses Islam with him.  He then decides Islam is the true religion.  He, his wife and kids all convert to Islam, and they move to Morocco.  He not only becomes a religious Muslim, but a radical Jihadist.  He starts the websites revolutionmuslim.com and jews for allah.org.  He also returns to the U.S with his family, working as a bike messenger? and/or rickshaw driver, pulling tourists around Manhattan.  He has recently made news by posting on his website the hope that Allah kills all the Jews.  He recently praised Hasan for the Fort Hood shootings.  He is supposedly on an FBI watchlist. 
What happened that turned him away from Judaism and into a radical Muslim?

[muman613]

Mental illness also afflicts Jews... This is all I can think... Why does someone change his life so many times, he will find only death in Islam.

[New Yorker]

He's a weak minded deranged sick twisted f**k, if he had met a Scientologist that day instead of a muslim he'd be worshipping L. Ron Hubbard and fearing the alien Xenu.

[The One and Only Mo]

This is truly an odd, odd case.

[Ulli]

He's a weak minded deranged sick twisted f**k, if he had met a Scientologist that day instead of a muslim he'd be worshipping L. Ron Hubbard and fearing the alien Xenu.

I think you are right.

[Kahane-Was-Right BT]

Based on your story, if that is in fact the sequence of events for this guy then I will say it is clear to me.

From the beginning, he wasn't looking for Judaism or real spirituality, he was looking for something extreme and crazy that he could devote his life to because his was otherwise meaningless and pathetic.   He wanted a very radical cause that could control every facet of his life because it exerts tremendous control over its adherents.  He wanted to give up his intellect and free will.   This is reflected in his initial move toward Satmar hasidism from a secular life.   It is rare that a secular Jew is drawn to satmarism because 1. they do not do outreach and they even think that outreach is wrong, and 2. they have really nutty ideas that no one could possibly believe unless they subscribed to a rabbi that said them and said person felt the rabbi was "infallible" or at least impossible for him to be wrong intellectually in Judaism.   And that is how the Satmar feel about their rebbe and his very skewed hashkafa (philosophy) in Judaism.   That he cannot be wrong and no amount of disproof will sway them.   So they are on a very extreme end of Judaism and if that initially attracts someone to Judaism from a secular life, it is in my honest opinion an indication that such a person is trying to engage in escapism, he can't face who he really is and is trying to run away from it all.  Running away from his life.   And drawn to the fact that it is so radical.

Then he must have heard so much Satmar propaganda about how "evil" the zionists are and read in the papers as well about how the settlers are public enemy #1 when it comes to the goyim and even self hating Jews, and so this equates to Radical in his mind.  Since the satmar "whipping boy" and reason for all of life's problems are "zionists" hey they must be even more radical and crazy than Satmar are.  So he decides he's going to be "even more crazy" by latching on to settler style Judaism in Gush Katif settlement.   

He is shocked to find that these people are not crazy, but warm, loving, wholesome, patriotic and spiritual (authentically spiritual) people who have nice family lives and try their best to connect with G-d.  Contrary to what the evil media has to say and to what Satmar has to say about them.   It was not the radicalism he was looking for.   He can't live a "normal" life because then he must confront who he is.  Whether it's bad childhood experiences or he doesn't want to work out his faults or afraid that he doesn't have good qualities, whatever it is I don't know.  But he's running from something.

And when he saw how "normal" the settlers were, he realized that their true enemies are the craziest of all - the Arab Muslim nazis.   THAT is "authentic" radicalism in his book because it is so destructive.   And that is what he was looking for all along.   It (Islam) is a power-based "religion"/political ideology where if you don't do as I say (or as Allah says, or as Muhammad says, etc) then I chop your head off.   This is exactly what little Joey Cohen has been looking for from the beginning.   Because it is a front.  An escape.   A facade of insecurity where he can play the "part" of Islamic bully and not have to confront who he really is and work out his real problems.

I think Joey Cohen reads like an open book.  He is an insecure childish imbecile who thinks that bullying someone constitutes "religious devotion."   

[The One and Only Mo]

Based on your story, if that is in fact the sequence of events for this guy then I will say it is clear to me.

From the beginning, he wasn't looking for Judaism or real spirituality, he was looking for something extreme and crazy that he could devote his life to because his was otherwise meaningless and pathetic.   He wanted a very radical cause that could control every facet of his life because it exerts tremendous control over its adherents.  He wanted to give up his intellect and free will.   This is reflected in his initial move toward Satmar hasidism from a secular life.   It is rare that a secular Jew is drawn to satmarism because 1. they do not do outreach and they even think that outreach is wrong, and 2. they have really nutty ideas that no one could possibly believe unless they subscribed to a rabbi that said them and said person felt the rabbi was "infallible" or at least impossible for him to be wrong intellectually in Judaism.   And that is how the Satmar feel about their rebbe and his very skewed hashkafa (philosophy) in Judaism.   That he cannot be wrong and no amount of disproof will sway them.   So they are on a very extreme end of Judaism and if that initially attracts someone to Judaism from a secular life, it is in my honest opinion an indication that such a person is trying to engage in escapism, he can't face who he really is and is trying to run away from it all.  Running away from his life.   And drawn to the fact that it is so radical.

Then he must have heard so much Satmar propaganda about how "evil" the zionists are and read in the papers as well about how the settlers are public enemy #1 when it comes to the goyim and even self hating Jews, and so this equates to Radical in his mind.  Since the satmar "whipping boy" and reason for all of life's problems are "zionists" hey they must be even more radical and crazy than Satmar are.  So he decides he's going to be "even more crazy" by latching on to settler style Judaism in Gush Katif settlement.   

He is shocked to find that these people are not crazy, but warm, loving, wholesome, patriotic and spiritual (authentically spiritual) people who have nice family lives and try their best to connect with G-d.  Contrary to what the evil media has to say and to what Satmar has to say about them.   It was not the radicalism he was looking for.   He can't live a "normal" life because then he must confront who he is.  Whether it's bad childhood experiences or he doesn't want to work out his faults or afraid that he doesn't have good qualities, whatever it is I don't know.  But he's running from something.

And when he saw how "normal" the settlers were, he realized that their true enemies are the craziest of all - the Arab Muslim nazis.   THAT is "authentic" radicalism in his book because it is so destructive.   And that is what he was looking for all along.   It (Islam) is a power-based "religion"/political ideology where if you don't do as I say (or as Allah says, or as Muhammad says, etc) then I chop your head off.   This is exactly what little Joey Cohen has been looking for from the beginning.   Because it is a front.  An escape.   A facade of insecurity where he can play the "part" of Islamic bully and not have to confront who he really is and work out his real problems.

I think Joey Cohen reads like an open book.  He is an insecure childish imbecile who thinks that bullying someone constitutes "religious devotion."   

I blame the schools.

[mord]

The only one he bullies is his wife

[GoIsraelGo!]

He's a weak minded deranged sick twisted f**k, if he had met a Scientologist that day instead of a muslim he'd be worshipping L. Ron Hubbard and fearing the alien Xenu.

I agree with you. Weak minded people are excellent brainwashing candidates for islam. muslims rely on these individuals to follow their cult and help spread their propaganda.

Sickening to know people like that exist.


                                                               Shalom - Dox 

[Kahane-Was-Right BT]

The only one he bullies is his wife

He thinks that online threats, supporting the threats of Muslims, and picketing with angry signs cursing out Jews is bullying the Jewish people.

[Moshe92]

Interesting analysis, KWRBT. That makes a lot of sense.

[Aces High]

Here is my theory about him:  Besides being a stupid a-hole, he has no way of really making a decent living, as  running messages through town by bicycle, doesn't really pay the bills.  So this Islam thing  is his new angle, as being a Jew convert to islam, and preaching death to Jews.  This is his attempt at getting some kind of donations and support for himself and his family, at the expense of the Jews.  He is the eternal loser, and never amounted to anything in his life.  

[Ulli]

Here is my theory about him:  Besides being a stupid a-hole, he has no way of really making a decent living, as  running messages through town by bicycle, doesn't really pay the bills.  So this Islam thing  is his new angle, as being a Jew convert to islam, and preaching death to Jews.  This is his attempt at getting some kind of donations and support for himself and his family, at the expense of the Jews.  He is the eternal loser, and never amounted to anything in his life.  

Yes, this is for shure a great part of his character. Somebody who wants to be someone great, but didn't has the capacity for it. So he joins Islam, where he is someone special by birth and perhaps also by intellect compared with his new fellows. 

[Kahane-Was-Right BT]

Interesting analysis, KWRBT. That makes a lot of sense.

Thanks.  I also think that Satmar was less appealing to him because of their pacifism, which does not stroke his ego and does not suit his insecurity problem.  Also the satmar are chesed-oriented.   what does joey do for others -  I don't think he's interested in that.

[Yaacov Ben Yehuda]

honestly he should be beaten up severely! why hasnt he received a serious beating yet?? I seen him on fox news and the anti american and anti Israeli hate he was spewing was unreal...where are the patriots? why does this scum get a podium? its not hard to find this dude and bash his brains in...especially if he's on the fbi watch list....why is he even allowed to speak in public?

[mord]

Heres Geraldo making a fool of yossela Cohenon the radio   

[The One and Only Mo]

Hashem will handle both of these terrorists.

[Ulli]

What a Nazi Pig! "Whats your name, Moishe?" he said on this show openly. I am shure he would have joined the Waffen SS in WWII!

And he said, "Let me talk to this man for a second." to Geraldo. As he discovered that Geraldo is Jewish.

Jews are no human? This is really Nazi stuff.

[The One and Only Mo]

It's unbelievable! How come nobody tried to kill him yet? And he lives in Queens for crying out loud, I can easily kill him if I had a heter.

[Yaacov Ben Yehuda]

It's unbelievable! How come nobody tried to kill him yet? And he lives in Queens for crying out loud, I can easily kill him if I had a heter.

thats what i'm sayin...why is he not clipped off the face of the earth already?  if i lived in NYC he would be approached by me and many of my goons...it would be over for him

[Spectator]

What a Nazi Pig! "Whats your name, Moishe?" he said on this show openly. I am shure he would have joined the Waffen SS in WWII!

And he said, "Let me talk to this man for a second." to Geraldo. As he discovered that Geraldo is Jewish.

Jews are no human? This is really Nazi stuff.

I don't think he had been admitted to Waffen SS (he is still Jewish), but the Nazis would have been happy to have him in Judenrat!

[The One and Only Mo]

There has to be a way.

[Yaacov Ben Yehuda]

any NYC jtf'rs here? why havent you approached this scumbag yet? beat him up at least....a good ol fashioned [censored] kicking stomp down would be appropriate for this piece of wannabe muslim trash! 

[The One and Only Mo]

any NYC jtf'rs here? why havent you approached this scumbag yet? beat him up at least....a good ol fashioned drek kicking stomp down would be appropriate for this piece of wannabe muslim trash! 

He's probably armed, and it's not worth the legal ramifications. Plus, the FBI probably watches him closely. All he is is a big mouth at this point. But Hashem will have his day with this trash.

[ag337]

He's a punk, a coward, a waste of air, and a nobody who is starved for attention.

Give me a break.
Only an imbecile like him changes the religion that he was raised with after chatting with someone on the internet for a couple of hours.

If he really believes Radical Islamic ideology, why doesn't he carry out one of his so-called missions of jihad?
Instead, he is preaching on corners in N.Y. City to nobody and posting ridiculous YouTube videos that incite people to laugh and mock him instead of listening to his meaningless rantings.

All bark and no bite.
A desperate attention hungry buffoon.

He is a loser, a zero, and a nonexistent threat; he doesn't even deserve this thread to be about him.
JMHO