As Israeli authorities continue battling Iranian espionage efforts, prominent rabbanim and Chareidi public figures have joined a nationwide campaign urging the public to reject any contact with Iranian intelligence and immediately report suspicious approaches to authorities.

The campaign comes as Israeli security officials warn that Iran has dramatically expanded its efforts to recruit Israeli civilians, including members of the Chareidi community, to carry out espionage and other activities on Tehran’s behalf.

HaRav Yigal Cohen delivered a powerful warning in a widely circulated video message.

“I am begging you, there is no greater betrayal than seeing a Torah-observant Jew betray his own people.”

He warned that anyone cooperating with Iranian agents would ultimately face arrest, prison, and the destruction of their lives.

According to Israeli security officials, Iran’s recruitment methods are relatively unsophisticated. Rather than relying on elaborate spy networks, Tehran has largely turned to mass messaging campaigns, hoping that even a tiny percentage of recipients will respond.

One such effort occurred in May, when thousands of Israelis reportedly received text messages inviting them to “cooperate in the field of intelligence” by contacting an Iranian embassy or communicating with an Iranian cyber operative online.

“My wife gets an SMS every other day claiming to be from Iranian intelligence and offering a large reward,” said Shalom Ben Hanan, a former Shin Bet official who remains closely briefed on the issue. He noted that if Iran succeeds in recruiting even one or two people out of thousands of attempts, it considers the operation successful.

Prominent Chareidi journalist and commentator Israel Cohen has also played a central role in the awareness campaign, using his radio program and social media platforms to spread the warnings. He also helped connect security officials with rabbanim, Chareidi public figures, and community opinion leaders to ensure the message reached as many people as possible.

Cohen said the Chareidi community was initially shocked by reports that members of the community had allegedly been recruited by Iran. However, he said the public quickly understood the need to raise awareness and prevent the phenomenon from spreading.

The outreach campaign remains ongoing. Earlier this month, another Chareidi journalist and social media influencer released an additional warning in Yiddish directed specifically at the ultra-Orthodox community, urging listeners to ignore any Iranian recruitment attempts and immediately report them to the authorities.

Israeli security officials continue to emphasize that anyone receiving suspicious messages or offers of money in exchange for information or other activities should avoid responding and notify law enforcement immediately.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)