Members of the International Inter-Religious Association for
World Peace have been making concerted efforts to penetrate
chareidi areas in Jerusalem. On Monday Mayor Lupoliansky
asked the heads of community administrations not to cooperate
with this dangerous missionary organization.
This organization is currently organizing a "Peace Gathering"
slated to take place in Jerusalem during Chanukah, but it was
recently identified by the heads of Lev L'Achim's anti-
missionary department as the operational branch of the
Moonies (Unification Church), based in Korea and the US.
The missionary group, headed by a Korean named Sun Yung Moon,
was mentioned as early as 16 years ago in a report by the
Tassa-Glazer Knesset Commission, which was appointed by the
Israeli government to investigate the dangers and damage
caused by cults in Israel. The commission determined that the
Moonies pose one of the greatest threats to the public
welfare.
A delegation of high-ranking members of the missionary group
arrived from the US several weeks ago. Using a number of
rooms at the Ramada Renaissance Hotel in Jerusalem as their
base, and in coordination with the Israeli Moonie group, they
are running a large operations headquarters with generous
funding and resources to organize an enormous gathering whose
participants will supposedly include representatives from
Korea, Japan, the US and Europe. Organizers say 2,000 people
from around the world have already arrived in Israel to
participate in the gathering and another 1,000 are expected
to arrive by the end of this week. They hope numerous
Israelis will also take part.
As part of preparations for the gathering many rabbonim were
invited to participate in a special convention scheduled to
take place on Monday at the Ramada Hotel. Mayors and heads of
local authorities were invited to a weekend at the Plaza
Hotel in Jerusalem at the missionaries' expense, aimed at
increasing the number of participants in the Peace
Gathering.
Lev L'Achim activists discovered Peace Gathering organizers
are being headed by Hod Ben-Tzvi of Maaleh Adumim, the head
of the Moonies' activities in Israel, who has long used the
issue of "peace" to promote his missionary work.
In Iyar, Ben-Tzvi held a conference for Jews and members of
other religions at the Hyatt Hotel in Jerusalem. The climax
of the conference was the signing of the Jerusalem
Proclamation. In reports several conference organizers and
participants sent to Moon they explicitly noted their success
in bringing the participants of members of the two religions
to their goal, Rachmono litzlan.
Lev L'Achim activists sent urgent letters to various figures
and issued urgent calls to rabbonim and public figures
warning them not to cooperate with these missionaries,
chas vesholom, whose only goal is to induce Jews to
abandon their faith.
Jerusalem Mayor Rabbi Uri Lupoliansky, who participates in
many international events held in Jerusalem because of his
high rank, canceled his scheduled appearance at this
conference after Lev L'Achim activists alerted him to the
true nature of their scheme. He ordered all municipal
departments not to cooperate with the group.
According to reports cult members also tried to visit
official institutions and organizations in the city and were
accommodated in some cases. The Jerusalem Association of
Community Centers (Matnasim), for instance, even provided
extensive assistance and asked heads of community
administrations to host the missionaries.
Lev L'Achim has reiterated warnings to all institutions,
organizations and public figures in Jerusalem not to be lured
by the smooth-talking Israeli representatives in the cult and
not to allow them any access to chareidi institutions.
Following a report in the Hebrew edition of Yated
Ne'eman on Monday many individuals contacted Lev
L'Achim's anti-missionary department to thank them for
publicizing warnings to limit the threat, saying cult leaders
had requested to meet with them and to tour various
institutions.
