Canonical: https://aliennews.co.il/en/articles/avi-greif-israel-ufo-case-files Language: en datePublished: 2026-09-14 dateModified: 2026-09-14 THE PEOPLE BEHIND THE CASES September 14, 2026 **Documented** **Work type:** Israeli-source documentation and analysis # Police on a rooftop, lights above the coast: The files Avi Greif left behind A Bnei Brak report and sightings near Hadera's power station lead back to Avi Greif, an organizer of Israeli UFO research. What he collected, what he said he saw himself, and what can still be checked. By Avi Moas and [Orion](https://aliennews.co.il/en/about#orion) Orion is an AI writing and research partner. Avi Moas is the responsible editor. ![Illustration of a beach at night with a distant orange light above the sea](https://aliennews.co.il/greif-coastal-light-illustration.webp) AI generated illustration inspired by light reports along the Sharon coast. It is not a photograph of the sightings described in this article. ## The night police went up to the roof After midnight, police arrived at a building on Hatam Sofer Street in Bnei Brak following a report of an unusual light. In an article published in 2010, Avi Greif revisited a Maariv report dated October 28, 1987. His account described residents saying that officers watched from the roof, some using binoculars. He presented it as an example of police participation in sightings, without claiming to have witnessed that night himself. That distinction helps explain both the man and his archive. Greif also collected reports previously published in newspapers. Here we have his later account and its attribution to a newspaper, rather than a police incident record. Further investigation would require locating the original report and comparing it with any surviving official entry. The online page also carries system dates different from the date within the article, so the latter is the starting point for the archive search. ## A light appeared again, farther south A June 2006 report from Kan Naim and Kol Hasharon includes a personal account from Greif. He said that while driving north in September 2005 he saw an orange light above the Givat Olga area, disappearing and reappearing farther south toward Mikhmoret. He also described other reports near Hadera's power station, including a couple who said they watched a bright object between the chimneys for an extended period. These are two kinds of material: what Greif said he witnessed and what others reported. Nearby locations can help a researcher look for additional witnesses or photographs. They do not establish that observers saw the same object. Meaningful comparison needs an identifiable time, viewing direction and original image file for each observation. ## Turning an account into a case Investigating these reports does not require deciding in advance what was in the sky. In Bnei Brak, a street name and newspaper reference make a focused archive search possible. On the Sharon coast, the named places offer a starting point for mapping reported viewing directions. A detail recalled in a later interview must remain attached to its speaker and the occasion on which it was told, rather than quietly becoming a measurement made at the scene. This also provides a way to assess a collector's work. A preserved account may enable a fresh examination even when another reader rejects the original interpretation. Repetition across several publications, meanwhile, does not create additional witnesses. It can simply show how a story travelled. ## A journal, books and a community According to the National Library of Israel's account, the Israeli UFO Research Center was established in 1994, with Greif among its founders. Publication activity began earlier: a republished Haim Mazar essay identifies its original appearance in a March 1993 issue edited by Greif. These dates concern different stages, early publishing and formal organization. Greif also published two Hebrew books about UFOs during the 1990s. The journal made room for less elaborate accounts. The National Library reproduces a report from someone who went outside to turn off the irrigation and noticed a light moving and disappearing within seconds. Alongside the more familiar stories, brief observations retained times, places and witness details that might support further inquiry. We do not yet have a complete inventory of every issue. ## The disagreements belong in the record In Eli Eshed's 2009 interview, Greif said his interest had intensified following a Haifa case in 1987. He also answered criticism about giving a platform to claims of communication and healing through extraterrestrials. He argued that allowing someone to speak did not necessarily mean agreeing with them. Disagreement over the boundaries of research formed part of the community's history. It neither erases the work of preserving accounts nor exempts that work from scrutiny. According to a memorial publication in Yekum Tarbut, Greif died in a road accident in February 2012. His surviving writing leaves a specific task: locate the original Bnei Brak newspaper report and the photographs and first accounts behind the coastal sightings. Those records could now add details to stories he took the trouble to preserve. ![Avi Greif, archival portrait detail](https://aliennews.co.il/avi-greif-archive.jpg) Archival photograph. Avi Greif, a detail from a processed press image published in 2006. Photo processing: Shuli Sonego, Kan Naim. ## Sources and context The sources include Greif's article about a police sighting, a coastal news report quoting him, an interview and accounts of his publications. The original police record and original sighting image files are not attached to the sources reviewed. [Coastal reports and Greif, Kan Naim / Kol Hasharon, 2006](https://kanisrael.co.il/8777/)[Greif's 2010 article about police sightings](https://ufoisrael.com/%D7%9E%D7%A4%D7%92%D7%A9%D7%99-%D7%A9%D7%95%D7%98%D7%A8%D7%99%D7%9D-%D7%A2%D7%9D-%D7%A2%D7%91%D7%9E%D7%99%D7%9D-%D7%91%D7%99%D7%A9%D7%A8%D7%90%D7%9C%D7%90%D7%95%D7%A7%D7%98%D7%95%D7%91%D7%A8-2010/)[Eli Eshed's 2009 interview](https://www.no-666.com/2009/05/21/%D7%97%D7%95%D7%A7%D7%A8%D7%99-%D7%94%D7%97%D7%95%D7%A6%D7%A0%D7%99%D7%9D/)[National Library of Israel on the publications](https://blog.nli.org.il/mada-ufo-craze/)[Yekum Tarbut memorial publication, 2012](https://www.yekum.org/2012/04/%D7%97%D7%99%D7%99%D7%96%D7%A8%D7%99%D7%9D-%D7%9E%D7%A1%D7%91%D7%99%D7%91%D7%95%D7%AA-%D7%AA%D7%AA-%D7%9E%D7%99%D7%9E%D7%99%D7%95%D7%AA-%D7%97%D7%99%D7%99%D7%9D-%D7%9E%D7%96%D7%A8/)[Back to all reports](https://aliennews.co.il/en#latest)[עברית](https://aliennews.co.il/articles/avi-greif-israel-ufo-case-files) ## Source references * [https://kanisrael.co.il/8777/](https://kanisrael.co.il/8777/) * [https://ufoisrael.com/מפגשי-שוטרים-עם-עבמים-בישראלאוקטובר-2010/](https://ufoisrael.com/%D7%9E%D7%A4%D7%92%D7%A9%D7%99-%D7%A9%D7%95%D7%98%D7%A8%D7%99%D7%9D-%D7%A2%D7%9D-%D7%A2%D7%91%D7%9E%D7%99%D7%9D-%D7%91%D7%99%D7%A9%D7%A8%D7%90%D7%9C%D7%90%D7%95%D7%A7%D7%98%D7%95%D7%91%D7%A8-2010/) * [https://www.no-666.com/2009/05/21/חוקרי-החוצנים/](https://www.no-666.com/2009/05/21/%D7%97%D7%95%D7%A7%D7%A8%D7%99-%D7%94%D7%97%D7%95%D7%A6%D7%A0%D7%99%D7%9D/) * [https://blog.nli.org.il/mada-ufo-craze/](https://blog.nli.org.il/mada-ufo-craze/) * [https://www.yekum.org/2012/04/חייזרים-מסביבות-תת-מימיות-חיים-מזר/](https://www.yekum.org/2012/04/%D7%97%D7%99%D7%99%D7%96%D7%A8%D7%99%D7%9D-%D7%9E%D7%A1%D7%91%D7%99%D7%91%D7%95%D7%AA-%D7%AA%D7%AA-%D7%9E%D7%99%D7%9E%D7%99%D7%95%D7%AA-%D7%97%D7%99%D7%99%D7%9D-%D7%9E%D7%96%D7%A8/)