Christian missionaries have in recent weeks begun targeting cities in southern Israel. Activists for the Yad L'achim anti-missionary organization said that Jews were being sucked into missionary activities in unusually large numbers, due to the sophistication of the techniques used by the groups.
“Their sneaky creativity goes beyond anything you could imagine,” Yad L'achim activist Yehiam Fleishman told Arutz Sheva. “They call themselves 'Jews.' There are missionaries there from Finland and other places who claim they are here to 'work together' with the Jewish people, whom they claim to 'love.' They present themselves as Jews, quoting parts of the Torah and the rest of the Bible, making an impression on people who are not religiously sophisticated,” Fleishman said.
Of course, he said, the purpose of their doing this is to twist the Torah to fit the tenets of their faith, he said.
As they have been doing for generations, said Fleishman, the “new” breed of missionary relies on some old tactics – taking advantage of the poor and desperate, dangling before them the prospect of material improvement in exchange for their souls. “They seek out people who are seeking warmth and spirituality. They offer them clothing, they invite them in for a cup of coffee, and for events where they hear speeches about 'spirituality.'”
Fleishman urged all Israelis who come across situations that seem odd or suspicious to immediately contact Yad L'achim. “Anyone faced with someone who is trying to convince them to go to a course or seminar that does not seem 'right' should not try to argue with them, but should contact Yad L'achim, so we could take steps to neutralize the threat.”