Cultic Studies Journal, Vol. 6, No. 1, 1989, Page 44
Law enforcement. This relates in particular to the following laws:
a. Consumer protection laws
b. The Non-Profit Organization Law 5740-1980
c. Laws and regulations in the sphere of taxation and foreign currency
d. The Psychologists Law 5737-1977, and the Law for the Practice of Hypnosis 5744-
1984
e. The Law for Entry into Israel 5712-1952
It is recommended that the competent authorities charged with law enforcement, each in its
own field, initiate an investigation which will enable the gathering of information for the
purpose of enforcing those laws. If necessary, help will be supplied by the Israeli Police
Force. The Israeli Police Force will arrange assistance for the required investigation.
It is our recommendation that consideration be given to the possibility of making the
following amendments in the field of legislation:
a. In the Ministry of Health --extending the authority of the Ministry of Health to
supervise courses in which use is made of psychological techniques aimed at
modifying an individual‟s personality or behavior. This should be done in order to
ensure that only qualified professionals are involved and in order to prevent
injury to participants.
b. In the Ministry of Justice --to make it a requirement for groups which attempt to
recruit members from among the population at large to reveal to the recruit
relevant facts such as: the true name of the group, whether the group is a
branch of a larger umbrella group, and what the name of that larger group is, the
aim of the group and its nature.
Non-disclosure of the above will be considered a civil wrong and/or a criminal
Postscript
The preceding report received wide coverage in Israel and generally was favorably judged
by the public and media. One prominent journal commented that “the work of the
Committee was impressively thorough and disclosed shocking and disturbing findings. ..it
should be widely distributed and read” (Koterit Rashit, February 11, 1987).
Several of the groups reacted very angrily. T.M., Emin, and est prepared extensive written
rebuttals of the Report and lobbied vigorously against dissemination and publishing of its
contents.
The Minister of Education accepted the findings and recommendations of the Report in their
entirety and set up a special committee to oversee the implementing of the Report‟s main
recommendations. This second Committee submitted its report at the end of 1987 and set
out as its principal recommendation a detailed proposal for a permanent body to be set up
under the patronage of the Ministry of Education called “The Centre for Preventing Harms
Caused by Cults (“New Groups”),” whose principal tasks would be those recommended by
the Report. The proposal envisaged a modest annual budget of about $140000.
Due to severe cutbacks in the State budget and in particular to the Education Ministry‟s own
budget, the proposal has been frozen. The Minister of Education, however, requested all
government ministries to enforce their specific areas of responsibility more vigorously. As a
result, a few modest steps were taken. The Ministry of the Interior refused entry into Israel
of the founder and head of the Emin, who is a British citizen. It is also examining very
much more carefully all requests of suspected cults or new groups to be granted status as
Law enforcement. This relates in particular to the following laws:
a. Consumer protection laws
b. The Non-Profit Organization Law 5740-1980
c. Laws and regulations in the sphere of taxation and foreign currency
d. The Psychologists Law 5737-1977, and the Law for the Practice of Hypnosis 5744-
1984
e. The Law for Entry into Israel 5712-1952
It is recommended that the competent authorities charged with law enforcement, each in its
own field, initiate an investigation which will enable the gathering of information for the
purpose of enforcing those laws. If necessary, help will be supplied by the Israeli Police
Force. The Israeli Police Force will arrange assistance for the required investigation.
It is our recommendation that consideration be given to the possibility of making the
following amendments in the field of legislation:
a. In the Ministry of Health --extending the authority of the Ministry of Health to
supervise courses in which use is made of psychological techniques aimed at
modifying an individual‟s personality or behavior. This should be done in order to
ensure that only qualified professionals are involved and in order to prevent
injury to participants.
b. In the Ministry of Justice --to make it a requirement for groups which attempt to
recruit members from among the population at large to reveal to the recruit
relevant facts such as: the true name of the group, whether the group is a
branch of a larger umbrella group, and what the name of that larger group is, the
aim of the group and its nature.
Non-disclosure of the above will be considered a civil wrong and/or a criminal
Postscript
The preceding report received wide coverage in Israel and generally was favorably judged
by the public and media. One prominent journal commented that “the work of the
Committee was impressively thorough and disclosed shocking and disturbing findings. ..it
should be widely distributed and read” (Koterit Rashit, February 11, 1987).
Several of the groups reacted very angrily. T.M., Emin, and est prepared extensive written
rebuttals of the Report and lobbied vigorously against dissemination and publishing of its
contents.
The Minister of Education accepted the findings and recommendations of the Report in their
entirety and set up a special committee to oversee the implementing of the Report‟s main
recommendations. This second Committee submitted its report at the end of 1987 and set
out as its principal recommendation a detailed proposal for a permanent body to be set up
under the patronage of the Ministry of Education called “The Centre for Preventing Harms
Caused by Cults (“New Groups”),” whose principal tasks would be those recommended by
the Report. The proposal envisaged a modest annual budget of about $140000.
Due to severe cutbacks in the State budget and in particular to the Education Ministry‟s own
budget, the proposal has been frozen. The Minister of Education, however, requested all
government ministries to enforce their specific areas of responsibility more vigorously. As a
result, a few modest steps were taken. The Ministry of the Interior refused entry into Israel
of the founder and head of the Emin, who is a British citizen. It is also examining very
much more carefully all requests of suspected cults or new groups to be granted status as
