Tel Aviv, 3 December 2012
To: My friends of 30 years,
Scientologists in Israel and world-wide
I discovered Scientology in 1979. I progressed steadily on the Bridge and today I am an OT5. I apply Scientology every day and in all areas of my life.
In the years 1986 to 1993 I lived 7 years in Norway and Denmark where I opened a branch of U-Man, a company for testing personnel which operated under a WISE license. My company gave services in Norway and Denmark. During those years I was on lines at AOSH EU and did my OT5. In 1991 I went to Flag where I did L11.
In 1993 I returned to Israel and a year later joined staff at the Tel Aviv Org where I served as the Public Relations Officer for two and a half years. At the same time I worked with children with study and behavior difficulties, applying LRH Study Tech. Today I work as an educator, continuing to apply successfully the Tech.
I came to Scientology in 1979 following a friend of mine whom I have not seen half a year. I observed in him amazing changes. His communication improved tremendously, he became effusive and full of affinity, bright, well-spoken. I wanted this too. He took me to the Scientology “Shalom” Center on Ha’Yarkon Street in Tel Aviv. A small place, packed full with people, busy and happy. People were smiling, coming and going.
“What is this?” I asked. They said, “Scientology.” “And what is that?” I continued. They answered, “It’s a philosophy to make the able more able.” I listened, I looked, I came and I won … The Communication Course was amazing. The tiny course room was packed full … if I did not come on time, I’d have to sit on the window sill. And the wins were accordingly huge.
Every piece of Tech, even the smallest, changed me into another being, more able – just like LRH promised. “What is true for you is what you have observed yourself.” This sentence alone rehabilitated my whole beingness. And since then, no person could ever enforce upon me his reality or his “truths”, if I did not observe them myself.
“Look, don’t listen” – Wow! This was an acknowledgement to my existence. From that moment on, no teacher, parent or leader, could tell me, using authority of age, experience or education, something that I have not seen or experienced myself and forced me to agree with him. That was a life-changing win!!! That was one sentence that I really understood.
And since then, there were quite a few things I did not agree with – even when reading Scientology materials. I never hesitated to go to the Course Supervisor or to the Ethics Officer at the Org or to any Tech Terminal, and express before him my disagreement. Knowing that his response will be: listening to me and showing me the proper materials, LRH references, asking me to look at more data. Usually I could see things from a new viewpoint and then agree (or not…) because I saw or realized. No one forced his views on me, no one showed me phrases out of context, no one threatened me and I was never afraid to talk … I am still not afraid! Back then, I did not have to calculate how much my thoughts will cost me in hours of “ethics investigation” before my next step on the Bridge.
When I studied ARC, I really understood the truth of life. I realized that I have arrived at the most sane and intelligent place on this planet. For what is intelligence if not an understanding of the reality of life? And what is communication, if not an understanding of the realities of others and of life? … And affinity was everywhere …..
When I learnt about the suppressive personality, what it really does, what are its intentions and what motivates it, I could easily spot Suppressive Persons. You certainly remember the datum, “They suppress their fellow men because all are Martians intending evil and destruction …,” right? How many such people did we spot? Oops … not 30 a month, right? Because there aren’t such quantities of SP’s being made or born.
Here I am today, more that 30 years later, observing that for many years the amount of affinity around me is declining, the number of people with an independent viewpoint is shrinking. Seeing that people are afraid to talk or to even listen – because somebody might find out and then, exhausting Ethics Investigations, menacing and expensive, lurking around the corner.
And the reality – I am demanded to accept a reality that is not mine. Suddenly, there are lists of Suppressive Persons, people I have known for many years. No matter how much I examine their actions, I cannot find one suppressive act and usually the opposite is true.
Is it not true, then, that the person who today establishes the criteria for declaring SP’s, is himself inflicted with the idea that, “all are Martians intending evil and destruction …,”?
And so I set out to look for my old friends, intelligent and happy. Those who do not seek impressive buildings, plastered with expensive wallpaper. The environment around me was no longer my group. This is not what I came for, yet since my wins were really great and stable, they could not be shaken.
And so I started to look for my old friends. One by one I found them in other places. Here’s what I found out: I agree with everything written in Debbie Cook’s letter, in Luis Garcia’s letter, in the letters of Renata and Claudio Lugli, in the letter published by Dani Lemberger.
With great sadness I remove myself from the Church of Scientology. At the same time, I am happy to discover that there is a large group of my former friends, people who are free thinkers. Those who are not willing to be led by writings that were not written by LRH, that do not even resemble the spirit of his true writings.
I salute their courage in being pioneers. I join with joy the Independent Scientologists and am proud to see that again, we the Israelis are bold, innovative trailblazers. I am happy that I have an independent organization, DrorCenter, which is busy, in communication, full of affinity and caring.
Dror’s purpose is to set Man free and to build a truly “Ideal Org,” one that is not vain and ostentatious. (A suggestion – maybe we should all sit down and demo in clay the concept “Ideal”, this could be interesting …). At DrorCenter, the Advanced Levels are available for me and for all, standardly. Again I have a group!
I have to thank Tami and Dani Lemberger who were there ready with the only Advanced Org in the Middle East. They made it possible for me to return to the place that I was missing for almost twenty years.
This letter is sent with love and with hope that many more will realize that Scientology can no longer be identified with an organization headed by a man who is terrified. A man obsessed with the idea that he must suppress others and the whole organization he heads so as to preserve his own survival.
Tsipi Andersen
Moving On Up a Little Higher 