Astroturfing in politics has become all too common in the internet age, largely because it's easy to do. The term refers to creating fictitious individuals, groups, or organizations to make it appear as if an issue or cause is supported at the grass roots level.

When it comes to Trump hate, the left has gotten very creative in astroturfing opposition to the president. Daniel Greenfield at FrontPage Magazine reports on a supposedly orthodox rabbi who heads up a fictitious orthodox Jewish group dedicated to opposing the president.

You could find Rabbi Mike Moskowitz protesting for illegal aliens at “Moral Mincha” rallies organized by Torah Trumps Hate (TTH) and Hitoreri: An Orthodox Movement for Social Change.

Both lefty groups claim to be Orthodox Jewish organizations and with his black hat, dark suit and black beard, “Rabbi” Mike Moskowitz certainly looks the part of a real Orthodox Rabbi.

But he’s as real as Hitoreri and Torah Trumps Hate.

“Rabbi” Moskowitz is actually employed by Congregation Beit Simchat Torah, a gay non-Orthodox institution. Its clerical leader, “Rabbi” Sharon Kleinbaum, was ordained by the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College, a movement that rejects the idea of both God and the Torah. While Beit Simchat Torah’s views aren’t unusual within its movement, its anti-Israel politics have made it controversial.

During a previous war with Hamas, an exodus of pro-Israel members occurred at Beit Simchat Torah after it was caught praying for Hamas terrorists and hosting BDS bigots.

“Recent events have demonstrated that CBST is far more committed to a progressive political agenda than to the Jewish people,” Bryan Bridges, a former board member, wrote. “I couldn’t imagine raising a child in this congregation, and have that child hear, just before we recite Kaddish, the names of people who are trying to kill her grandparents.”

Bridges has higher standards than “Rabbi” Mike Moskowitz who collaborates with the institution as its “scholar-in-residence for Trans and Queer Jewish Studies”. Pro-Israel gay leaders have condemned Beit Simchat Torah’s collusion with Islamic homophobia and anti-Semitism.

Joining CBST’s clergy isn’t just an endorsement of gay rights, but of radical leftist and anti-Israel politics.

It's true that some orthodox Jews oppose secular Zionism and the creation of the state of Israel on that basis.  But “Rabbi” Moskowitz is about as "orthodox" as a ham sandwich, which makes the issues he and his group are advocating illegitimate.

I'm sure there are other astroturf organizations and individuals who attempt to fool the gullible and the easily misled into believing that their Trump hate is the legitimate expression of the grass roots. Exposing them would be a full time job. It goes to show that you can't believe everything you read on the internet - especially when it comes to virulent anti-Trumpism.