Christian Cult in Ashdod Defies Ban on Public Gatherings with Impunity

April 22, 2020
מבנה הכנסיה המיסיונרית, השבוע

At a time when thousands of shuls throughout Israel have been shut down due to Health Ministry regulations, and police are taking aggressive action against isolated minyanim organized by extremists, a cult in Ashdod has been allowed to hold, l’havdil, religious gatherings without fear of police intervention.

Monitoring by Yad L’Achim revealed that “Kehillat Beit Hillel,” a missionary church that serves as a branch of the “Messianic Jews” cult, has been transmitting live broadcasts of religious rituals held at its site on Ha’Orgim Street 20, in Ashdod.

“It’s possible that the number of participants is higher, but pictures in our possession show six people at the smallest ceremony and 13 attending the largest one,” a Yad L’Achim official said.

Members of the organization’s counter-missionary department notified the authorities, including the City Council and the police, of the infraction two weeks ago, but no serious action was taken, and the missionaries have continued their activities without fear of being fined or punished.

“We counted six occasions in which we notified the police in real time that the missionaries were assembling illegally in their church,” said the Yad L’Achim official. “On only one occasion did the police put a halt to the proceedings. The rest of the time, they did nothing, allowing the cult to assemble and conduct rituals – even two hours after we tipped them off, giving the exact location of the assembly and other details.

“Furthermore, after the one time the police did break up a ceremony, the cult continued to gather illegally and hold its activities – with the police repeatedly refusing to intervene. We’re talking about a Christian cult that operates in the center of Jewish cities to get Jews to convert.

“If the authorities are so strict about enforcing laws banning tefillos in closed places, there is no reason why they should have a hand-off policy toward the cults. It is infuriating that religious Jews aren’t allowed to hold a minyan in any form, and shuls are being forcibly locked by the police, while the cults are allowed to continue their operations.”

למעבר מהיר לתרומה יש למלא כאן את מס’ הטלפון שלכם

למעבר מהיר לתרומה יש למלא כאן את מס’ הטלפון שלכם

למעבר מהיר לתרומה יש למלא כאן את מס’ הטלפון שלכם

למעבר מהיר לתרומה יש למלא כאן את כתובת המייל