Cultic Studies Journal, Vol. 6, No. 1, 1989, Page 24
State of Israel
Report of the Interministerial Committee
Set Up to Examine Cults (“New Groups”) in Israel
Editor’s Note
In keeping with its policy of reprinting for wider distribution important official reports
concerning cults and manipulative social influence, the CSJ is publishing an English
translation of Part I of an Israeli government report on cults. (The rest of the report
is currently available in Hebrew only.) The opinions expressed are those of the inter-
ministerial committee that prepared the report and are not necessarily shared by the
CSJ. Comments, as always, are welcome.
Preface
In February 1987 a report was submitted to the Israeli Minister of Education entitled Report
of The Interministerial Committee Set Up To Examine Cults (“New Groups”) In Israel.
The report was the result of a five-year study undertaken by a special committee appointed
in February 1982 and chaired by the Deputy Minister of Education, Mrs. Miriam Glazer-
Taasa, M.K. The Committee was interdisciplinary reflecting the complexity of the cult
phenomenon and the fact that it touched on all aspects of life and culture. Its members
comprised senior officials from the Ministries of Education, Health, Interior, Police, Justice,
Religion, and Foreign Affairs, several academic sociologists, experienced professionals in
mental health care, including the chief psychologist of the Israeli Defence Forces and the
chief psychiatrist of the Kibbutz family health clinic service.
The impetus for the setting up of the Committee was the increasing number of inquiries and
complaints concerning new groups with a religious, therapeutic, or pseudotherapeutic
orientation (known popularly as “cults”), which began to reach different Israeli government
offices at the beginning of the 1970s. The increased activity of the new groups in the years
following led to a new wave of requests at the beginning of the 1980s from ordinary citizens
touched by the phenomenon, and from different groups of professionals (doctors,
psychologists, lawyers and others), who were united in their opinion that there was real
cause for concern and that the matter should be the subject of official investigation. These
views were reinforced by the increasing number of studies and published material on the
phenomenon and the broad coverage given to the whole subject by the mass media.
The Committee‟s initial brief from the Israeli Minister of Education was to examine the
subject of “mystical eastern cults in Israel and to make recommendations on how to
respond to the phenomenon.” This mandate was interpreted by the Committee (with the
approval of the Minister) to include broadly the whole field of what was popularly known as
cult activity in Israel.
The final report of the Committee consists of over five hundred pages and is divided into
four parts. Part One contains a brief introduction to the cult phenomenon, a description of
the work of the Committee, conclusions, and recommendations.
Part Two (entitled Appendix “A”) contains a description and analysis of the practices and
ideologies of the ten cults (“new groups”) examined in detail by the Committee and includes
references to documents and writings of the groups which have not previously been made
available to the public. A special stress in this section is given to two major groups which
are active in Israel -est and Emin. The other groups examined are Scientology,
State of Israel
Report of the Interministerial Committee
Set Up to Examine Cults (“New Groups”) in Israel
Editor’s Note
In keeping with its policy of reprinting for wider distribution important official reports
concerning cults and manipulative social influence, the CSJ is publishing an English
translation of Part I of an Israeli government report on cults. (The rest of the report
is currently available in Hebrew only.) The opinions expressed are those of the inter-
ministerial committee that prepared the report and are not necessarily shared by the
CSJ. Comments, as always, are welcome.
Preface
In February 1987 a report was submitted to the Israeli Minister of Education entitled Report
of The Interministerial Committee Set Up To Examine Cults (“New Groups”) In Israel.
The report was the result of a five-year study undertaken by a special committee appointed
in February 1982 and chaired by the Deputy Minister of Education, Mrs. Miriam Glazer-
Taasa, M.K. The Committee was interdisciplinary reflecting the complexity of the cult
phenomenon and the fact that it touched on all aspects of life and culture. Its members
comprised senior officials from the Ministries of Education, Health, Interior, Police, Justice,
Religion, and Foreign Affairs, several academic sociologists, experienced professionals in
mental health care, including the chief psychologist of the Israeli Defence Forces and the
chief psychiatrist of the Kibbutz family health clinic service.
The impetus for the setting up of the Committee was the increasing number of inquiries and
complaints concerning new groups with a religious, therapeutic, or pseudotherapeutic
orientation (known popularly as “cults”), which began to reach different Israeli government
offices at the beginning of the 1970s. The increased activity of the new groups in the years
following led to a new wave of requests at the beginning of the 1980s from ordinary citizens
touched by the phenomenon, and from different groups of professionals (doctors,
psychologists, lawyers and others), who were united in their opinion that there was real
cause for concern and that the matter should be the subject of official investigation. These
views were reinforced by the increasing number of studies and published material on the
phenomenon and the broad coverage given to the whole subject by the mass media.
The Committee‟s initial brief from the Israeli Minister of Education was to examine the
subject of “mystical eastern cults in Israel and to make recommendations on how to
respond to the phenomenon.” This mandate was interpreted by the Committee (with the
approval of the Minister) to include broadly the whole field of what was popularly known as
cult activity in Israel.
The final report of the Committee consists of over five hundred pages and is divided into
four parts. Part One contains a brief introduction to the cult phenomenon, a description of
the work of the Committee, conclusions, and recommendations.
Part Two (entitled Appendix “A”) contains a description and analysis of the practices and
ideologies of the ten cults (“new groups”) examined in detail by the Committee and includes
references to documents and writings of the groups which have not previously been made
available to the public. A special stress in this section is given to two major groups which
are active in Israel -est and Emin. The other groups examined are Scientology,
