A South Korean Christian organization's mass distribution of missionary materials to hundreds of synagogues across Israel has sparked alarm among Jewish religious leaders, who are calling it an "emergency situation" and warning of heightened missionary activity during wartime.
Yad L'Achim, a prominent ultra-Orthodox Jewish organization that has operated in Israel since 1950 to counter missionary work and preserve Jewish religious identity, reports that the New York-based "Hora" organization, led by South Korean clergy, has been sending large sets of Christian evangelical books to synagogues throughout Israel. The materials currently being distributed, presented in an imposing format, allegedly attempt to reinterpret Jewish biblical texts through a Christian missionary lens.
Beyond its anti-missionary work, Yad L'Achim is also well known for conducting complex rescue operations to help Jewish women and their children leave abusive situations in Arab villages, often coordinating with Israeli security forces to extract them safely.
For decades, Yad L'Achim has been at the forefront of efforts to prevent Christian missionary activity in Israel, where proselytizing to minors is illegal and attempts to convert Jews are highly controversial. The organization maintains a network of activists and hotlines across the country to monitor and counter missionary efforts.
"This is a particularly serious activity that exploits the difficult period of war affecting our nation," said Rabbi Benjamin Kluger, a senior cult and missionary affairs advisor at Yad L'Achim. "The missionaries are trying to take advantage of the public's emotional vulnerability during this time, using sophisticated tactics to disguise their true intentions."
South Korea, from where this campaign originates, ranks second globally in sending Christian missionaries abroad, with Israel reportedly being a priority target. "They invest enormous resources in attempting to convert Jews, particularly those living in the Holy Land, as part of their ideological mission," Kluger explained.
In response, Yad L'Achim has issued urgent warnings to city rabbis, neighborhood religious leaders, and synagogue administrators throughout Israel, urging vigilance against these materials that they say are disguised as innocent religious texts. The organization has established an emergency hotline (*9234) for reporting missionary materials and has called for their immediate destruction if discovered.
While Israel maintains strong relationships with Christian organizations and tourists, especially in its tourism sector, active missionary work remains a sensitive issue. For organizations like Yad L'Achim, such missionary activity is seen not just as unwelcome proselytizing but as a direct threat to Jewish spiritual integrity during a vulnerable time.
The campaign by the South Korean group is seen as particularly concerning due to its scale and sophistication. The materials, which include large-format books with biblical commentary, are designed to appear similar to traditional Jewish religious texts, making them potentially deceptive to synagogue congregants.
Yad L'Achim officials note that South Korean missionary organizations have significant resources at their disposal and have identified Israel as a prime target for their evangelical efforts.
Religious authorities are especially concerned about the timing of this distribution effort, which coincides with a period of national crisis in Israel. "During these difficult days, when the people of Israel are fighting for their physical survival, we know that our spiritual foundation is crucial to our success," a Yad L'Achim spokesperson stated. "We cannot allow missionaries to undermine this foundation through deceptive practices."
The organization has called for increased vigilance among synagogue administrators and community leaders, urging them to carefully screen all donated religious materials and to immediately report any suspicious items to their hotline. They have also launched an awareness campaign to educate the public about the sophisticated methods used by missionary groups to target Jewish communities.
0 Comments