Detailed information obtained by the Yad L’Achim anti-missionary organization, which has been at the forefront of combating missionary activity for more than 70 years, points to a new method of operation by a well-known missionary sect.

As part of its effort to convert as many Jews as possible, the group has established an informal network of cafés operating in cities across Israel. According to Yad L’Achim, the cafés are intended to serve as a “third space” for missionary outreach, targeting people who would not invite Christian missionaries into their homes.

The initiative is described in the missionaries’ internal fundraising materials as the “Third Space Model”—a place that is “neither home nor workplace, where conversations and personal relationships can be built.”

According to those materials, the missionaries acknowledge that most Jews will neither attend a church nor invite people identified with missionary activity into their homes. As a result, they are now focusing on meeting people in places that appear natural, neutral, and non-threatening.

The publications state explicitly that this model is intended to replace the distribution of missionary literature in public spaces with what they describe as a more sophisticated approach that could draw in unsuspecting Jews by creating opportunities for missionary conversations outside the framework of everyday life.

Yad L’Achim says its investigators obtained a fundraising publication distributed to philanthropists who finance the missionary activity. The document states: “Most Jews will never walk into a traditional church, but they do sit down for coffee and conversation. That is where the seeds of the Gospel are planted.”

It further states that the purpose of the cafés is to allow people to “meet Jesus through authentic relationships, community, and the message of the Gospel.”

According to Yad L’Achim, these cafés are already operating in Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, and Haifa, with another branch expected to open soon in Be’er Sheva.

One of the cafés identified by the organization is Café Basimta on Agrippas Street in central Jerusalem, which is owned, according to Yad L’Achim, by a well-known missionary priest, a former head of the training team in Israel for the Jews for Jesus missionary organization. One of his stated goals is to spread the Christian message throughout Jerusalem.

As part of the effort to attract as many Jewish customers as possible, the cafés charge significantly lower prices than comparable establishments. According to the missionaries’ own materials, “The prices are not intended to generate profit, but solely to fund our Gospel ministry.”

According to Yad L’Achim, the cafés have already begun to produce results. An internal missionary report published in recent days states that one woman who frequented one of the cafés in Tel Aviv was recently baptized into Christianity after being exposed to the group’s activities during her visits.

The missionary organization presented the case as evidence that the model is achieving its objectives.

Yad L’Achim says the internal publications clearly reveal the purpose of the new centers and insists it will continue its efforts to combat the initiative. The organization says it is currently formulating legal and public advocacy measures in response to an escalation in missionary activity.

(YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)