Heber Jentzsch

Heber Carl Jentzsch (born November 30, 1935)^[1] has served as president of the Church of Scientology International since 1982. He has not been seen publicly since 2004.^[2]

Biography

Heber Jentzsch was born in 1935 in Salt Lake City^[3][4] and grew up in a Mormon family, and identified himself as a "believing Mormon".^[5] He is the son of polygamist Carl Jentzsch (who was excommunicated from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints)^[6] and Carl's third wife Pauline; Heber has 42 siblings.^[7] While Heber Jentzsch was never baptized into The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, his first name was inspired by the Latter-day Saint apostle Heber C. Kimball.^[6]

Jentzsch was educated at Weber College in Ogden, Utah and the University of Utah, where he graduated in 1959 with a degree in communications.^[6][8] He also studied Eastern religions.^[9]

Before joining the Church of Scientology in 1967, Jentzsch was a journalist with the Los Angeles Free Press and an actor, having a bit part in the movie Paint Your Wagon.^[10][11] The Internet Movie Database lists Jentzsch with one credited acting appearance, a small part playing a Nazi in one episode of the 1960s television series Combat!, and with an uncredited role in the movie 1776.

Jentzsch lists two pivotal events in his life: the arrest of his father in 1955, and Jentzsch himself being cured by the Scientology Purification Rundown of radiation burns he had suffered since he was 15.^[6]

On July 2, 2012, Alexander Jentzsch (Heber Jentzsch's son with Karen de la Carriere) died after an accident. De la Carriere stated that she had not seen Alexander for 2 years, because she was shunned from him after it was revealed she had been criticizing the Church. She also revealed he was suffering from pneumonia at the time he died, and painkillers had been used to mask his pain, rather than the usual treatment of antibiotics. Alexander was 27 at the time of his death.^[12]

Role

During the 1970s, Jentzsch became the public relations director of the Church's later-notorious Guardian's Office, serving as the Church's chief press spokesman.^[13] He has continued in this role since his promotion to the post of President of the Church of Scientology International. In January 1986, Jentzsch faced the press on behalf of the Church to announce the death of L. Ron Hubbard.^[14] He has often appeared in newspaper interviews, aggressively defending the church on several occasions.^[15] Despite his media prominence, Jentzsch has been called a titular president.^[16] He is sometimes described as "the leading spokesperson for the Church of Scientology International" in Church publications.^[17]

Arrest and trial in Spain

In 1988 Heber Jentzsch was arrested in Spain along with 69 other members of the organization.^[18][19] Jentzsch was incarcerated in a Spanish jail for about three weeks.^[20] He was released and fled to the United States after Scientology paid a bail bond of approximately $1 million. Sixteen people, including Jentzsch, were charged with "illegal association" and various other crimes including tax fraud and endangering public health. The trial of the indictees began in February 2001, but Jentzsch himself did not appear; the prosecution called for him to be given a 56-year prison sentence.^[21] However, the Madrid Provincial Court dismissed all but the conspiracy charge and eventually ruled (in absentia) that the prosecution had presented insufficient evidence to prove this charge as well,^[22] and in April 2002, the last charge was formally dropped. The court ordered the bail bond be returned to the Church with interest, nearly doubling the original 1988 bond amount.^[23]

Articles

• Jentzsch, Heber (2000-04-21). "Liberty, Equality, Intolerance", Los Angeles Times.
• Jentzsch, Heber (1998-02-25). "German Scientologists" (letter to the Editor), New York Times.

Sources

External links

• Scientology Biography at the Wayback Machine (archive index)
• Heber Jentzsch at the Internet Movie Database
• Biography of Yvonne Gillham Jentzsch