Back in 2012, one of the most remarkable stories we got to report was the stunning breakaway of an entire Scientology mission.
For years, we’d been hearing about and covering the defection of many individuals from this controlling organization. But this was something new: The entire Scientology mission in Haifa, Israel, led by its two leaders, the married couple Dani and Tami Lemberger, had defected en masse.
Since then, we’ve become friends with the Lembergers. Dani has visited us in the US, and we have visited them numerous times in Israel (where we go to visit family).
We also covered Dani’s lawsuit against Scientology, and the stunning detail that Marty Rathbun, the former top Scientology executive who had become a leading light of the “indie” movement, betrayed Dani by feeding one of his private emails to the Scientology legal team fighting Dani in court. It was one of the stunning confirmations that Rathbun had made a U-turn and shockingly became Scientology’s go-to attack dog, making videos trashing Mike Rinder, Leah Remini, and many others.
That subject came up again this weekend when we visited the Lembergers, and Dani remarked how the judge in his case had been incensed to hear about Scientology’s behavior. He said in Israel, the church didn’t even attempt to bring up the “arbitration” nonsense that is derailing lawsuits in the US. “They didn’t even try that in my case. They knew a judge here wouldn’t put up with that,” he said.
Dani had invited us to see the new digs for his “Dror Center,” the independent Scientology operation that grew out of the breakaway Haifa mission. The previous center was in an industrial part of the city, but it was destroyed by arson last year. Dani and Tami say that the crime was unrelated to the work they were doing.
But now they have bought an entire floor on a building right in downtown Haifa, and it is an impressive place, with auditing rooms, course rooms, and offices. It’s large and cheery and appears to be thriving.
As you’ll see in the video, Dani teases us about our lack of faith in the technology of L. Ron Hubbard, but well, what can we say. We may not put much faith in auditing, but we can’t help liking Dani and Tami Lemberger. They are a lot of fun to spend time with, and we will continue to visit them when we can get to Haifa.
Remains of Yolanda Klug apparently located
Police in Germany have reported that the remains of Yolanda Klug have been found. This was the young woman whose 2019 disappearance had puzzled authorities, and Ursula Caberta told us that police were beginning to look more deeply into her family’s involvement in Scientology.
Now her remains have been identified after they were found by a passer-by in a forested area. We are checking with Ursula for her thoughts on the matter.
Rizza Islam trial delayed, as expected
Once again, Rizza Islam’s day in court has been set back. His March 1 trial date, which had been moved back from October, has been moved again, this time to June 26.
Rizza is accused of taking part in a scheme that defrauded Medi-Cal of about $4 million with the use of unwitting high school students and corrupt educators. His mother Hanan Islam was considered the ringleader, but she died last year. Two of Rizza’s sisters pleaded guilty to lesser charges, and so now Rizza is the sole remaining defendant.
Thank you for reading today’s story here at Substack. For the full picture of what’s happening today in the world of Scientology, please join the conversation at tonyortega.org, where we’ve been reporting daily on David Miscavige’s cabal since 2012. There you’ll find additional stories, and our popular regular daily features:
Source Code: Actual things founder L. Ron Hubbard said on this date in history
Avast, Ye Mateys: Snapshots from Scientology’s years at sea
Overheard in the Freezone: Indie Hubbardism, one thought at a time
Past is Prologue: From this week in history at alt.religion.scientology
Random Howdy: Your daily dose of the Captain
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