Shabbetai Tzvi (1626–1676) was the most prominent false messiah in Jewish history. A charismatic mystic from Smyrna (modern-day Izmir, Turkey), he utilized radical interpretations of Kabbalah (Jewish mysticism) to win thousands of followers across the globe before devastating the Jewish community by converting to Islam. [1, 2, 3]

The Rise and Fall of Shabbetai Tzvi ...