After an Israeli woman read an online ad circulated on the internet reading “Get up and tour the land of our fathers. Free tours to all of Israel”, she became suspicious. So she contacted Israel’s anti-missionary group, Yad L’achim. They subsequently sent a member to join the tour as an undercover prospective tourist.

At that stage, right before the tour bus was ready to set out, the undercover “tourist” called in a team of Yad L’achim volunteers to warn the unsuspecting Israelis that the tour that they are about to go on is in fact run by missionaries.

Shimon Abirgil, Yad L’achim’s field coordinator told INN: “after they warned the unsuspecting tourists that the tour is designed to missionize them, the participants began yelling at the tour organizers and pushed them. Most of them did not agree to go on the tour”.

In the end, only five people, who were “Gentiles”, boarded the bus and it was later discovered that the tour included stops at churches where Jews are not allowed according to the Torah to enter.

The group behind the tours is the Israeli branch of Jews for Jesus.

Following the incident, Yad L’achim filed a complaint with the Israeli Police. Missionizing is illegal in the State of Israel.

According to penal code 174, anyone who offers money or services for free that are worth money, with the intention of religious coercion can serve up to five years in prison.

Although proselytizing is illegal in Israel, freedom of worship for Christians is upheld in the Jewish state. This makes Israel unique to most other countries in the region.

The Israeli police were not available to comment on the matter.