Source: TW
Most people have heard of Sabbatai Zevi in the 1600s and Simon bar Kokhba in the 130s AD, as failed Jewish messiahs.
But I don’t think people are aware of how common messiah claims in Judaism have been. Going to back to even before Jesus.
I would say between 25-40 total.
Judas the Galilean, Simon of Samaria, Theudas, the Egyptian, just to name 1st century claims alone.
A Jew named Serenus in the 7th century claimed to be the Messiah in Syria and thousands of people as far as Spain believed him until he got captured and recounted his claims to save his life.
Jacob Frank claimed to be the reincarnation of Sabatai Zevi in the 18th century. Recently the Rebbi, from Chabad-Lubavitch was thought to be the messiah and now after his death, you can still see posters and signs in Brooklyn NY hoping for his resurrection.
I can go on and on and maybe list at least 25-30 off the top of my head. It would be too long.
But one of the most shocking stories of Messiah claimants comes from Crete in the year 400AD. Moses of Crete, claiming to be the real Moses, convinced the Jewish population of Crete that he would lead them to the promise land through the sea back to Israel. He ordered his followers to march off a cliff into the Mediterranean; a mass suicide event, and Moses vanished.