A school identified with the Scientology movement that was booted out of Holon last year is moving to a new location – Yehud, says anti-missionary organization Yad L'achim – to the consternation of religious and secular Jews in the town. A fracas broke out last week during a special meeting of the Yehud City Council on whether or not to allow the school to settle in town, with dozens of residents very loudly making their objections clear, Yad L'achim said.

Even worse, say opponents, the Atid school, organized several years ago by parents from the Tel Aviv Scientology community to provide education to their children based on the teachings of Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard, has now been recognized by the Education Ministry. The school is now considered an “unofficial recognized school,” meaning that it is eligible for government funding and can award diplomas.

Previously, the school had conducted classes at the Mikve Yisrael Agricultural School complex, a religious institution that houses dozens of religious families. Yad L'achim, together with administrators and residents, waged a successful campaign to banish the school in 2010, but with the opening of the new school year, Yehud residents found themselves faced with the prospect of hosting the school in their town. Yad L'achim, together with religious and secular residents of Yehud, have been contacting officials in the local and national government to prevent the school from opening – so far, to no avail. Holon parents complained that the school tried to recruit students in Holon, and Yehud residents said they feared the same would happen in their time. At the meeting, the principal of the school said that she visited Scientology centers “frequently.”

Scientology is described by many as a cult that financially defrauds and abuses its members, charging exorbitant fees for its spiritual services, and has consistently used litigation against critics; its aggressiveness in pursuing its foes has been condemned as harassment. Yad L'achim has records of dozens of Israelis who have in recent years left the group, complaining of harassment and psychological damage.

In its complaint to the Education Ministry, Yad L'achim wrote that the Atid school, by using Scientology-produced material, was violating Ministry rules. In response, the Ministry said that if Yad L'achim provided appropriate evidence of its charges, “appropriate steps” would be taken.

Residents of the central Israel town of Yehud are concerned after a school affiliated with the Church of Scientology opened in their Tel Aviv suburb with the start of the new school year.

Locals had tried to block the opening of the new Atid School, but their protests were apparently registered too late. But that won't stop them and the anti-missionary group Yad L'Achim from continuing their efforts to remove the school.

The Atid School previously operated in the central town of Holon. It was started so that Israeli members of the Church of Scientology would have a place to send their children to be taught in line with their religion. But after Holon residents complained that the school was actively trying to "recruit" local children, it was forced to shut down and find a new home.

Despite the backlash, Israel's Ministry of Education has officially recognized the Atid School, meaning it is eligible for government funding, and can issue diplomas to Israeli students.

It should be noted that Yad L'Achim targets Messianic Jews with the same or greater vigor that it goes after adherents of Scientology. Only in the case of Messianics, Yad L'Achim has had greater success, but also greater setbacks.

Many Messianic Jews wishing to immigrate to Israel are blocked, at least temporarily, because of Yad L'Achim pressure on the government. Israel's only Messianic day school, Makor HaTikvah, is still struggling to gain academic recognition because of similar pressure.

At the same time, the Israeli media has enthusiastically covered the assault on local Messianics, creating a wave of sympathy from average Israelis and increasing interest in the faith of their Messianic brethren.

The new Atid ("Future") private elementary school in Yahud closed its doors this week after the city's mayor, Yossi Ben-David, gave instructions to shut it down. Anti-missionary and cult NGO Yad L'Achim reports that the school, which opened its doors in September, was Israel's first and only school run in accordance with the precepts of the scientology cult.


(detail)Anti-cult poster in Yahud
Yad L'Achim

The schools' scientology connection was not known until recently. Yad L'Achim says that the father of a pupil in the school noticed that a schoolbook his son received was not recognized by the Ministry of Education. The father – who is an educator himself – turned to Yad L'Achim, which found that the book is based upon the teachings of L. Ron Hubbard, scientology's founder.

The initial suspicion was strengthened when the NGO discovered that the school's principal is an active member of the scientology cult's Tel Aviv center.
Once this became known, residents of Yahud began holding protests outside the Yahud-Monoson municipality and next to the school. At their request, the mayor convened an urgent meeting on the subject. In the meeting, residents reportedly showed him evidence of a direct connection between the school and a scientology front organization called "The Amuta [non-profit organization – ed.] for Advanced Education in Israel."

Ben-David handed the matter over to the City Rabbi, Rav Shlomo Tuvim, who determined that the school was indeed connected to the scientology cult. Yad L'Achim says that the mayor issued an order shutting down the school this week, after the school's management was unable to provide him with necessary approvals from the Ministry of Education.