The new State Department report on worldwide freedom of religion gives Israel a failing grade with regard to our level of religious tolerance. Countless numbers of complaints have been submitted to the American authorities, accusing the chareidi ant-missionary organization "Yad l'Achim" of "harassing and occasionally assaulting" missionary activists, and accusing the Israeli government of turning a blind eye when the attacks happen.

According to the extremely detailed report, written by the United States Secretary of State on the topic of religious freedom in Israel and the occupied territories, "The Yad l'Achim organization claims to have saved 174 souls from the clutches of the [Messianic and evangelical] mission during the year. The organization's semi-clandestine Counter-Missionary Department, headed by Rabbi Alex Artovski, also claimed to have dozens of informants and infiltrators in the Government and in Christian or Messianic Jewish congregations, enabling the organization to force the closure of 18 religious meeting places and expel 12 ‘top-ranking’ missionaries from the country during 2008.”

In addition, the report quotes the Jerusalem Institute of Justice (JIJ) as alleging that "Yad L'Achim succeeded in such activities by pressuring landlords, employers and Interior Ministry officials to assist its campaign against groups it deemed 'dangerous cults'."

The report also claims that "Despite harassment, the number of Messianic Jews and evangelical Christians has grown in recent years through both immigration and conversion. During the reporting period, however, increased press reporting and complaints from religious freedom activists indicated a corresponding increase in Yad L'achim and associated activism, and a growing wider backlash against the presence of evangelical Christian or Messianic Jewish congregations and missionaries living in Jewish communities."

The head of Yad l'Achim, the gaon Rabbi Shalom Dov Lifschitz, commented on the report, saying, "It is amazing to see that American law authorities have completely accepted and identified with the missionaries' version of what is going on in Israel. This is another example of the typical missionary effort to hide the truth while continuing their ruthless pursuit after Jewish souls. But we will keep working to ensure they do not succeed."