Search Results for “lev tahor”

LEV TAHOR: Guatemalean Police Probing Child Abuse Allegations Inside Cult’s Compound

August 29, 2024 1:15 pm 6 Comments

Guatemalan authorities are currently investigating serious allegations of child abuse within the Lev Tahor cult, a community already facing accusations of forced marriages. This past Friday, authorities attempted to check on the condition of children living on a farm owned by Lev Tahor in Oratorio, located southwest of Guatemala City. Despite having a court order, officials reported that access to the premises was restricted by members of the cult. “We’re very concerned about the situation within the community,” said Lucrecia Prera, a lawyer representing the state in matters concerning children and adolescents. “There are reports that there are (forced) marriages, that there are pregnant girls, that there is abuse within the community.” One of the most alarming allegations involves a teenager who was reportedly forced into marriage at the age of 13. According to Prera, the girl sought help earlier this year to return to her home country. Following a court hearing on Friday, Lev Tahor sect took to social media to accuse authorities of engaging in “a reprehensible campaign of persecution against our community, motivated solely by religious intolerance and discrimination.” The cult also accused Israel of playing a role in “instigating these actions.” Authorities estimate that around 100 minors are currently living within the community, which comprises roughly 50 families from Guatemala, the United States, Canada, and other countries. Despite a judge being granted access to the premises on Friday and observing 29 children, Prera noted that the investigation remains inconclusive. “We cannot be certain whether the allegations (of abuse) are true or false, since we have not been allowed to carry out our work properly,” Prera said. In response to accusations of persecution, Prera firmly denied that the investigation was politically or religiously motivated. “It’s very important that people know that it’s not political persecution, it’s not religious persecution. What we are seeking is to ensure the comprehensive protection of the rights of children and adolescents within the community,” she said. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

After 7 Years: Brothers Who Escaped Lev Tahor Try To Visit Their Mother, Are Cruelly Driven Away

August 20, 2024 2:15 pm 18 Comments

Yoel and Mendy Levy, brothers who escaped from the Lev Tahor cult years ago, have tried to visit their widowed mother several times in recent months after eight long years of separation but have been cruelly driven away each time amid threats to their lives. The brothers have sent many letters to their mother over the years but the cult members refused to give them to her. A month ago, Mendy finally obtained permission from the cult leaders to see their mother. He booked two tickets to Guatemala but when the brothers reached the compound, they were blocked by cult members who claimed that their mother didn’t want to see them and threatened to harm them if they didn’t leave the compound. “We burst into bitter tears,” Mendy said. “Because we know the truth. Our mother loves us and how could it be she said she didn’t want to see us?” They returned to the States but had a breakthrough in the weeks afterward when one of the cult members, Uriel Yosef, personally assured them that they could meet their mother. They again traveled to Guatemala. But when they arrived there, Uriel Yosef wasn’t “available” and they were again denied entry. One of the cult leaders, an El-Salvadorian who joined the cult, even approached them holding a shechita knife and threatened to harm them if they didn’t leave the area. The brother tried again several days ago but this time they came with their a bodyguard. But to no avail – they were again expelled from the area amid threats to their lives. Donate to the Levy brother’s efforts in helping their family inside the cult and exposing the Lev Tahor abuse: Zelle or PayPal – [email protected] (YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)

JUSTICE SERVED: 3 Lev Tahor Cult Leaders Sentenced To More Than A Decade In Prison

July 10, 2024 8:15 am 6 Comments

Three brothers from Monsey, leaders of the Lev Tahor cult, were sentenced on Tuesday to lengthy prison terms for their roles in the kidnapping of a 14-year-old girl and her brother six years ago. The court found that the brothers orchestrated the abduction to return the children to their community, aiming for the girl to resume an underage marriage. U.S. District Judge Nelson Roman handed down sentences of 14 years for Shmiel and Yakov Weingarten, and 12 years for Yoil Weingarten. Interestingly, the victim, referred to as Jane Doe, expressed support for the brothers in court and urged leniency, describing them as rescuers rather than kidnappers. The victims, Jane and John Doe, were among six children of Sara Helbrans, the daughter of Lev Tahor’s late founder, Shlomo Helbrans. The children had been living in Guatemala with the Lev Tahor community, which had relocated there after fleeing child welfare investigations in Canada. The kidnapping plot began when Sara Helbrans objected to her 13-year-old daughter’s marriage to 19-year-old Yaakov Rosner. Unable to prevent the wedding, she eventually escaped Lev Tahor with three of her children and moved to Brooklyn. Later, when her husband took three of the children to Mexico to obtain new passports, authorities intervened and sent the children back to their mother in New York. Sara obtained a Family Court order granting her custody and prohibiting contact from the father. Despite unsuccessful legal challenges, the Weingarten brothers persisted in their efforts to retrieve the children. On December 8, 2018 – in middle of Shabbos Chanukah – they kidnapped Jane and John Doe from a home in Woodridge, NY. The children were taken to a hotel, changed, and then driven to an airport in Scranton, Pennsylvania. Nachman Helbrans accompanied them on a subsequent journey to Mexico where the children were hidden in a house until December 18, 2018, when the property was raided, and some kidnappers were arrested. However, the children remained missing until authorities located them nine days later and arrested Shmiel and Yoil Weingarten. Yakov Weingarten later attempted another kidnapping, which was thwarted. Judge Roman’s sentencing took into account the serious nature of the crimes, yet recognized the harshness of potential sentences. The prosecution recommended sentences of more than 12 years for each brother, citing their roles in the kidnapping and subsequent actions, including perjury and obstruction of justice. Speaking in court, the brothers remained unrepentant. Shmiel Weingarten described the prosecution’s efforts as an attack on Lev Tahor, while Yoil and Yakov reiterated their twisted belief that their actions were sanctioned by the Torah. The victim, Jane Doe, also pleaded for their release, asserting that their imprisonment was causing her ongoing suffering. Prosecutors, however, emphasized the dangerous precedent set by the brothers’ actions and their lack of remorse, arguing that they posed a continuing threat. Specifically, they expressed concerns that the Weingartens would resume arranging child marriages and kidnapping escapees from Lev Tahor upon release. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

JUSTICE: 3 Lev Tahor Members Convicted Of Kidnapping Two Children On Shabbos From The Catskills

March 27, 2024 9:05 pm 9 Comments

Three members of the infamous Lev Tahor cult – Yoel Weingarten, Yakov Weingarten, and Shmiel Weingarten – have been found guilty of kidnapping a 12-year-old boy and a 14-year-old girl, and then spiriting the girl outside the United States to continue an illegal and forced marriage with her adult “husband.” The kidnapping occurred on a Shabbos in December 2018, when Lev Tahor cultists kidnapped two children from the Teller family, who had escaped the clutches of the cult and traveled to the United States just a month earlier, and were spending Shabbos in Woodridge, NY. Their mother, Mrs. Sara Feiga Teller, is a sister of current (now jailed) Lev Tahor leader, Nachman Helbrans. She is married to Aron Aryeh Teller, rosh yeshivah of Lev Tahor. Yaakov and Shmiel Weingarten were extradited to the United States in 2022 to face charges over the kidnapping. “The defendants’ conduct — which included forced child marriages, physical beatings, and family separations — is unthinkable and has caused irreparable harm to children in their formative years,” said U.S. Attorney Damian Williams, who prosecuted the case. “Whether in the name of religion or any other belief system, subjecting children to physical, sexual, or emotional abuse will never be tolerated by this Office. With Wednesday’s verdict, all nine Lev Tahor leaders and operatives charged for these heinous crimes have been held to account, and will spend decades in prison for their evil acts. The three Weingartens join the monsters who ran the lev Tahor cult, Nachman Helbrans and Mayer Rosner, who were sentenced in 2022 to twelve years in prison. Editor’s Note: YWN has been at the forefront of fighting the Lev Tahor cult for more than 15 years, with dozens of articles published over the years. YWN has spoken to many victims of the Lev Tahor cult who managed to escape. To say they were terribly abused sexually, suffering constant violent beatings, forced starvation and other horrific abuse, understates the atrocities they endured. The world is a safer place now that these monsters are behind bars. Our hope is that the rest of the leadership in charge of this cult are arrested and thrown behind bars. YWN has received many, many emails and phone calls from desperate parents and siblings of cult members who were unfortunately sucked into this nightmare and have lost contact with their loved ones. Most importantly, all possible efforts should be made to save children who are being dragged around the world now as this cult is on the run. Rescuing these children is literally Pikuach Nefashos. Lev Tahor was founded and led by Shlomo Helbrans, from the 1980s until his drowning death in Mexico in 2017. Since then, the leadership has moved into the hands of his son Nachman Helbrans, along with Mayer Rosner, and Yankel and Yoel Weingarten – who are even more radical and aggressive than the late founder. Thankfully, they are all on prison. In 2014, YWN ran an article titled “Cults and the War of the Jewish Magazines” in response to Mishpacha and Ami magazines running articles on Lev Tahor. Mishpacha Magazine had run a fifteen page “expose” on the group, essentially describing Lev Tahor as a cult that has some serious issues involving medicating children, and behaviors that resemble child abuse. Rabbi Yitzchok Frankfurter of Ami Magazine claimed the

WATCH: Lev Tahor Members Escape Mexican Jail

September 29, 2022 11:30 am 23 Comments

All the members of the Lev Tahor cult who were arrested a week ago in Mexico escaped their jail on Wednesday at midnight. However, two Lev Tahor members who were accused of serious crimes are still in Mexican custody as they are being held in a separate prison. The cult members bribed the guards in order to escape. A video of the “escape” shows the guards refraining from making efforts to stop the cult members from fleeing. Earlier on Wednesday, local Mexican media reported that three Lev Tahor members who weren’t arrested demonstrated outside the jail, demanding the release of the cult members. According to a Mexican report, during the raid, the children were distanced from the adults out of fear that the adult members would kill the children rather than allowing them to live outside the cult. In the video below, the children of the cult seem to be expressing their anger toward their guards. (YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)

Mexican Police Raid Lev Tahor Compound, Arrest 26 Members

September 27, 2022 8:10 pm 10 Comments

Mexican police raided a local immigration facility near the border with Guatemala on Friday and arrested 26 Lev Tahor members, Israel’s Foreign Ministry stated on Motzei Shabbos. The raid, which took place in the city of Tapachula, was carried out by dozens of police officers and welfare officials. Two of the cult members, a Canadian citizen and an Israeli citizen, were arrested for alleged human trafficking and sexual offenses punishable by about 20 years in prison. Yisrael Amir, who escaped the cult several years ago, and several of his relatives, paticpated in the raid in order to identify his four-year-old son. His son was found and transferred to his custody and the two flew to Israel together. According to a Channel 12 News report, Amir has been working on a plan to bring his son to Israel since he escaped the cult three years ago. He reportedly worked with former Mossad agents to formulate a plan to save his son amid reports of the children in the cult being abused and neglected. Amir told Channel 12 that his one dream from the moment he escaped the cult was to save his son from what he himself experienced there, what Amir called “a nightmare.” “I couldn’t leave him there,” he said. בנו הקטן של ישראל עמיר, צעיר שברח מכת "לב טהור" – הושב לזרועותיו בעקבות הפשיטה במקסיקו, והם נחתו בארץ pic.twitter.com/673mM6Brxr — ynet עדכוני (@ynetalerts) September 27, 2022 ישראל עמיר, שחילץ את בנו מהכת החרדית-קיצונית במקסיקו בתגובה ראשונה: "הגשמתי חלום בערב ראש השנה. מהרגע שברחתי בעצמי מהכת, הייתה לי משאלה אחת – להציל את הבן שלי מהסיוט הזה. עכשיו אנחנו בבית – נחים, אוכלים ובעיקר מחובקים. אני מתחיל לבנות את החיים החדשים שלי כאבא צעיר במדינת ישראל" pic.twitter.com/nsdB86aj15 — החדשות – N12 (@N12News) September 27, 2022 Five cult members are expected to be deported for staying in the country illegally and the rest of the cult members at the compound were transferred to the Mexican Welfare Ministry. The Israeli consulate in Mexico reported that despite attempts to persuade them, the children and families who have guardianship orders in Israel refused to return to Israel. “Our request to deport them to Israel is expected to be answered positively but we wouldn’t want significant force to be used against them and a violent deportation. It should be noted that in light of the residency certificates they somehow obtained, they may be able to remain in Mexico.” (YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)

3 Lev Tahor Members Sentenced To Prison This Week

September 11, 2022 10:30 pm 12 Comments

Three Lev Tahor members were sentenced to prison this week for their roles in the kidnapping of children in 2018. “This was a horrific, horrendous, crime that was committed,” Judge Nelson Roman said on Friday during the sentencing of one of the defendants, Mordechai Malka. Prior to the sentencing, Malka apologized for his role in the kidnapping but the judge dismissed his remarks, noting his lack of remorse during the trial itself, and sentenced him to 57 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release. Earlier last week, the judge sentenced Matisyahu Moshe Malka (Mordechai’s brother) and Yaakov Rosner for their roles in the kidnapping. Rosner also expressed remorse for his role in the kidnapping as well as his newfound enlightenment about the cult’s toxicity. His words were apparently perceived as sincere by the judge who released Rosner on account of the time he has served since March 2021. In contrast, Malka was sentenced to 66 months in prison. Mordechai Malka’s brothers-in-law, the Weingarten brothers, will be facing trial in the near future. Two of them have already been extradited to the United States from Guatemala in order to face trial. “I feel bad though,” said Lev Tahor survivor Mendy Levy, who escaped the cult several years ago. “Because Mordechai Malka was not really a bad guy. He was just forced to do what he did by the Weingartens, Nachman Helbrans, and Mayer Rosner.” (YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)

Has The Lev Tahor Cult Disbanded?

July 10, 2022 1:30 pm 16 Comments

After years of wandering the world and many of its leaders being sent to prison, the Lev Tahor cult has essentially disbanded, three cult members told Kikar H’Shabbat. According to the report, cult members are scatted in a number of countries around the world in recent months. A small number of members are still in Guatemala and are trying desperately to rehabilitate the cult. Some cult members returned to Israel and have been seen on the streets of Jerusalem in recent days. This past Friday, some cult members were also spotted in London buying food for Shabbos. תפרסם שהכת לב טהור הגיעו ללונדון, צילמתי את התמנות האלו לפני שעה pic.twitter.com/PlNqTHwwzs — צבי (@AtVQaOWRyA2VZyc) July 8, 2022 (YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)

Brothers Who Escaped Lev Tahor Revisit Cult’s Former Site, Daven at Murdered Father’s Kever

June 8, 2022 7:15 am 9 Comments

Yoel and Mendy Levy, two brothers who escaped from the clutches of the Lev Tahor cult, returned to the site of their captivity in Guatemala to daven at their father’s grave, whose death is directly attributable to the cult’s leaders. The boys’ father, Yehoshua, died at the site of group’s settlement in the South American country from severe neglect, with Lev Tahor leaders refusing to allow him to obtain critical medical treatment. Yehoshua sadly passed away and was buried in a forest not far from the Lev Tahor camp. After Yehoshua’s death, cult leader Nachman Helbrans – now serving a lengthy sentence in a U.S. prison – decided that the family’s children should be taken from their mother and placed in other homes. Yoel and Mendy subsequently escaped from the group and currently live in Canada. In their visit to their former torturous home, Yoel and Mendy roamed the grounds of the former camp and davened at their father’s kever. Their mother is still sadly a member of Lev Tahor. YWN WHATSAPP STATUS UPDATES: CLICK HERE to join the YWN WhatsApp Status. YWN LEVAYA WHATSAPP GROUPS: CLICK HERE to be added to an official YWN WhatsApp Group. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

CONVICTED: 2 Lev Tahor Leaders Found GUILTY of Sick Kidnapping

June 2, 2022 11:17 am No Comments

Mordechai and Mattisyahu Malka, two top officials in the Lev Tahor cult, have been convicted in White Plains federal court of kidnapping following a three-week jury trial. The two were key participants in the kidnapping of a 14-year-old girl and a 12-year-old boy from their mother in Woodridge, New York in December 2018. The kidnappers smuggled the children across the U.S. border to Mexico, where they reunited the girl with her adult “husband,” who she had “married” when she was 13 years old. After the children were recovered and returned to their mother, the defendants and their co-conspirators tried to kidnap the children a second time in March 2019. Two co-conspirators, Nachman Helbrans and Mayer Rosner, were previously convicted of kidnapping and sexual exploitation charges in connection with this case after an October 2021 trial and have each been sentenced to 12 years in prison. Evidence presented at the Malka’s trial showed that in October 2018, the mother and her children escaped from Lev Tahor’s compound in Guatemala, arriving in the United States in early November 2018. Also in November 2018, a Brooklyn family court granted her sole custody of the children and prohibited the children’s father, a leader within Lev Tahor, from communicating with the children. After the mother fled and settled in New York with her children, Mordechai Malka and other Lev Tahor members devised a plan to return the children to the Lev Tahor cult. In December 2018, the kidnappers took the children in the middle of the night – on Shabbos – from a home in upstate New York and transported them through various states and, eventually, to Mexico. Mordechai Malka and his co-conspirators used disguises, aliases, drop phones, fake travel documents, an encrypted application, and a secret pact to execute on their kidnapping plan. At the time of the kidnapping, Lev Tahor leadership was seeking asylum for the entire Lev Tahor community in Iran. Following a three-week search involving hundreds of local, federal, and international law enforcement officers, the children were recovered in Mexico and returned to their mother in New York. Then, in March 2019, members of Lev Tahor again tried to kidnap the children. The leader of Lev Tahor, Nachman Helbrans, attempted another kidnapping of the children while incarcerated in Westchester, New York. Mattisyahu Malka acted as the operative on the ground to execute the attempted kidnapping. Mordechai, 27, and Mattisyahu, 30, Malka were convicted of one count of conspiring to commit international parental kidnapping, to unlawfully use a means of identification, and to enter by false pretenses the secure area of an airport, which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison. Mordechai was also convicted of two counts of international parental kidnapping, which carries a maximum sentence of three years in prison for each count. Mattisyahu was also convicted of one count of attempted international parental kidnapping, which carries a maximum sentence of three years in prison for each count.

2 Lev Tahor Leaders Extradited To The US From Guatemala

April 25, 2022 7:45 am 17 Comments

Two Lev Tahor leaders who were arrested last year in Guatemala have been extradited to the United States to face trial. Yaakov and Shmuel Weingarten are facing charges of suspected kidnapping and abuse of children. The kidnapping attempt was purposely carried out on Shabbos to make it more difficult for the parents to pursue them. Yaakov Weingarten was arrested on the first day of Pesach last year. The brothers’ father, Yisrael Weingarten, is serving a 30-year prison sentence in the United State for serious criminal offenses. Another brother, Yoel Weingarten, was also arrested in Guatemala for kidnapping and child abuse and is facing extradition to the US. The measure follows last month’s sentencing of Lev Tahor cult leaders Nachman Helbrans and Mayer Rosner to a 12-year prison sentence for the same kidnapping and other serious offenses. According to the US Department of Justice, Lev Tahor leaders not only engaged in kidnapping but “embraced several extreme practices, including invasive monitoring of members, frequent beatings, and forced marriages of minors to adult members. Children in Lev Tahor are often subject to physical, sexual, and emotional abuse.” (YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)

MONSTERS SENTENCED: Lev Tahor Cult Leaders Nachman Helbrans And Mayer RosnerSentenced To 12 Years

March 31, 2022 12:38 pm 30 Comments

A federal judge has sentenced Lev Tahor cult leaders Nachman Helbrans and Mayer Rosner to 144 months (12 years) in prison followed by 5 years of supervised released for the 2018 Shabbos kidnapping of two children who escaped the cult Back in November of 2021, Helbrans and Rosner were found guilty on all six charges they faced, including conspiracy to travel with intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct, and conspiracy to commit international parental kidnapping. Several other Lev Tahor cultists have been arrested in connection with the case, including brothers Yoel, Yaakov, and Shmiel Weingarten, who were picked up by Guatemala authorities earlier this year. They are expected to be extradited to the United States to face charges and a trial. Three others in the United States are reportedly cooperating with authorities. YWN has been at the forefront for more than 10 years fighting the Lev Tahor cult – with dozens of articles over the years. YWN has spoken to many victims of the Lev Tahor cult who managed to escape. To say they were terribly abused sexually, suffering constant violent beatings, forced starvation and other horrific abuse, would be an understatement. The world is a safer place now that these two monsters are behind bars. Our hope is that the rest of the leadership in charge of this cult are arrested and thrown behind bars. YWN has received many, many emails and phone calls from desperate parents and siblings of cult members who were unfortunately sucked into this nightmare and have lost contact with their loved ones. Most importantly, all possible efforts should be made to save children who are being dragged around the world now as this cult is on the run. Rescuing these children is literally Pikuach Nefashos. Lev Tahor was founded and led by Shlomo Helbrans, from the 1980s until his drowning death in Mexico in 2017. Since then, the leadership has moved into the hands of his son Nachman Helbrans, along with Mayer Rosner, and Yankel and Yoel Weingarten – who are even more radical and aggressive than the late founder. In 2014, YWN ran an article titled “Cults and the War of the Jewish Magazines” in response to Mishpacha and Ami magazines running articles on Lev Tahor. Mishpacha Magazine had run a fifteen page “expose” on the group, essentially describing Lev Tahor as a cult that has some serious issues involving medicating children, and behaviors that resemble child abuse. Rabbi Yitzchok Frankfurter of Ami Magazine claimed the exact opposite – and ran the following sentence below their headline, “The unjust persecution of a group of pious Jews, and the unsettling silence of the Jewish community.” (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

Lev Tahor Spotted Fundraising in Crown Heights

February 15, 2022 9:45 am 14 Comments

Uriel Goldman, a prominent member of the Lev Tahor cult, has been spotted knocking on doors in Brooklyn to fundraise for the organization. Goldman, who is a member of the so-called Lev Tahor “hanhala” and who serves as their spokesman, was recognized by a woman in Crown Heights, who phoned Crown Heights Shomrim to warn them of Goldman’s presence. Goldman has reportedly been residing in Boro Park for the last few months as he attempts to raise money for the group as many of its leaders sit in prison for their inhumane crimes, including kidnapping and child abuse. According to multiple people who Goldman asked for donations, he claims that the group doesn’t have money for even the basic necessities – despite the group having recently had the funds to buy dozens of plane tickets in an attempt to get the group to Iran. Do not give “tzedakah” or any form of assistance to Uriel Goldman. RECEIVE YWN BREAKING UPDATES IN LIVE TIME: YWN WHATSAPP STATUS UPDATES: CLICK HERE to join the YWN WhatsApp Status. YWN WHATSAPP GROUPS: CLICK HERE to be added to an official YWN WhatsApp Group. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

WATCH: Curious Locals Speak To Lev Tahor Members At Their Latest Stop -NORTH MACEDONIA!

February 14, 2022 10:30 pm 11 Comments

In their latest destination in their recent wanderings in the Balkan area of southeast Europe, a group of Lev Tahor members is now residing in North Macedonia. As YWN reported, Lev Tahor members left Bosnia a week and a half ago and briefly crossed into Montenegro before continuing to Albania. Apparently, they weren’t granted permission to stay in Albania and crossed into neighboring North Macedonia, where they are now temporarily residing. Their strange attire has attracted much attention from their neighbors, who have been videoing the Lev Tahor members and posting them on social media along with footage of group members from security cameras. In one video posted on Monday, locals can be heard trying to engage one of the Lev Tahor members in conversation, asking him in English: “Do you work? Do you study?” The Lev Tahor member can be heard responding that “we came here to visit,” but the rest of the conversation is drowned out by the loud voices of the locals speaking to each other. The locals have apparently done their online research because as the Lev Tahor member turns to go back inside, one of the locals asks him: “You’re Lev Tahor, right?” The Lev Tahor member doesn’t respond and heads toward the door, where another Lev Tahor member beckons him to come back in. RECEIVE YWN BREAKING UPDATES IN LIVE TIME: YWN WHATSAPP STATUS UPDATES: CLICK HERE to join the YWN WhatsApp Status. YWN WHATSAPP GROUPS: CLICK HERE to be added to an official YWN WhatsApp Group. (YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)

Lev Tahor Members Leave Bosnia, Cross Into Albania

February 7, 2022 7:30 pm 7 Comments

A group of Lev Tahor members left Bosnia through the Deleuša border crossing last week on Thursday evening and briefly crossed into Montenegro before continuing to Albania, local Bosnia media reported. The report comes after Bosnian Human Rights and Refugees Minister Miloš Lučić announced last week that the cult members will be deported from the country in the wake of the opposition of local residents to the cult members’ presence in their neighborhood after reading about the allegations of child abuse and kidnapping against them. “These are citizens of the United States, Canada, and Guatemala who have caused public unrest recently, based on claims that they are members of the radical Lev Tahor sect,” the BiH media outlet stated. The report noted that the group left the country prior to the expiration of their stay, under their own direction, respecting the legal regulations regarding foreigners, adding that Bosnian authorities had determined that the cult members did not pose a threat to national security. The report added a brief description of the cult: “Lev Tahor is a conservative group of Jews. It currently has about 250 members and literally means ‘pure heart’ from the Biblical passage: ‘Create in me a pure heart, G-d, and renew a steadfast spirit within me’ (Psalm 51:10).” “They have strict rules regarding food and their prayers are longer and louder than those in other Jewish denominations.” “The leader of the group, Shlomo Helbrans, was born in 1962. He and his followers, who often change their place of residence, have been repeatedly accused of child abuse.” Prior to their departure, Lev Tahor members took the unusual step of allowing local media reporters into their residence and agreeing to be photographed. (YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)

Lev Tahor Women Speak To Media, Describe Horrifying Experience In Iraq

February 3, 2022 9:30 pm 17 Comments

Following the report that Bosnian authorities are deporting 24 members of the Lev Tahor cult who had taken residence in the capital city of Sarajevo, cult members took the unusual step of allowing local media reporters into their residence. After a long period of time during which cult members refrained from allowing photographers into their compound and shying away from interviews, on Wednesday, local Bosnian news outlet N1 interviewed and photographed the cult members. N1 wrote: “After several rejections, the N1 team was received by members of Lev Tahor at their temporary home in Istocna Ilidza. Two members, Esther and Chayeh, spoke about their way of life, raising children but also about numerous accusations against their community. This group of 37 should leave Bosnia and Herzegovina soon, and they do not want to reveal their next destination, because they claim that they are constantly persecuted because they are different.” Esther told N1 that she was born into Lev Tahor and isn’t interested in knowing about other ways of life. She said that the Lev Tahor members were happy in Canada but then the social services “knocked on their doors.” “They came, they came, they came, trying to make us send our children to their public schools,” she said. “But we know that’s not the way we want to raise them. It is not written that way in our holy book, to learn various things like that man came from an animal, from a monkey. I will not allow my children to learn such things.” Esther said that the discrimination became unbearable and after three families were summoned to court, they realized they had to leave. “We knew what that meant, we knew the next step was to take our children away and then we decided to leave,” she said. Chaya, originally from Belgium, joined Lev Tahor when she was 24. She admitted to N1 that her husband is in the US awaiting trial on charges of kidnapping but claimed it was a misunderstanding based on a family conflict. “He is still awaiting trial, he has no right to bail, as if it is a danger to the community, for the United States, he has been there for 2.5 years, without good reason, he didn’t commit any crime, he only helped save the child from his mother and her friends who abused him.” The woman told N1 that now they are persecuted wherever they go but their worst experience was in the Kurdistan area of Iraq, where they were interrogated for days due to the numerous accusations against their community. “We tried to get in touch with the Red Cross, human rights organizations, but they took away our phones, kept us trapped with very little food, just enough to survive, without beds, showers, clothes to change,” Chaya said. “When they let us go, the children already had fungus on their feet for the first time in their lives. On Saturday afternoon they carried us to the airport, holding our arms and legs, taking our children from our arms, and today the children live in fear, they talk about it, my daughter hurt her arm because she clung to me.” The reporter ended the article by describing some details about the cult members’ living space. “The men pray in the house next

Lev Tahor Cultists Being Forced Out of Bosnia

February 2, 2022 9:00 pm 10 Comments

Bosnian authorities are on the verge of kicking 37 members of the Lev Tahor cult out of their country, the latest blow to the demented “Jewish Taliban” cultists. The three dozen Lev Tahor adherents are believed to have arrived in Bosnia-Herzegovina in November 2021, where they have been living quietly while trying to stay under the radar. Despite not having knowingly broken any laws, Human Rights and Refugees Minister Milos Lucic announced on Tuesday that 24 Lev Tahor members were being forced to leave the country on February 5th, and the rest of the group will follow on February 20th. This latest shunning is nothing new for Lev Tahor. The group has been accused of numerous crimes against humanity, including kidnapping and forced child marriages, and have spent the last few decades searching for a country that is willing to accept them and their twisted beliefs. Many of the cultists have been tossed from the United States, Canada, Guatemala, and Mexico in recent years. They have also tried to get asylum in Iran, though their plan to get to the Islamist country fell apart when they were deported from Iraq to Turkey. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

WATCH: Local Bosnian Tries To Befriend Lev Tahor Members

January 31, 2022 7:45 am 23 Comments

As YWN reported last week, some Lev Tahor members have taken residence in Sarajevo, in the latest of a series of destinations since leaving Guatemala. Neighbors of the cult members told local media that they are perturbed by the cult members’ presence in their vicinity and they want them removed from the area. Meanwhile, at least one young local resident decided to befriend the cult members. In a video obtained by B’Chadrei Chareidim he’s seen talking to the cult leaders in English and offering to assist them with whatever they need, adding that many locals and the media are saying negative things about them but he personally doesn’t believe them. The cult leaders seemed very interested in connecting with the young man and wanted to exchange phone numbers but were unable to do so because the encounter took place on Shabbos. They agreed that the man would come back the next night and meanwhile gave him some snacks as gifts. He also asked them how long they were staying and they answered him that they don’t know. It’s likely that the cult members received a ninety-day residence permit in the country and afterward will have to leave or file an extended asylum request. (YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)

WATCH: Lev Tahor Cult Spotted In Bosnia, Perturbing Local Residents

January 27, 2022 1:00 pm 30 Comments

Members of the Lev Tahor cult have found a new residence after wandering from Guatemala to Iraq, Turkey, Albania, and Moldova, with a group of them having apparently settled in Sarajevo, the capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Local Bosnian media outlets reported on the cult, quoting residents who expressed fears about their presence in the city, noting that “the leaders of this cult have been charged with the worst crimes.” One resident was quoted as saying: “The women are dressed in burqas, covered, as well as the girls. Men and boys are dressed the same. The moment I open my door, I see one of them watching me from the porch or the yard. I feel anxious and worried. We’re afraid for the children.” Residents emphasized that “there’s no place here for this group” and “we insist that they leave.” Some of them even said: “We’ll sell our houses. We don’t want to live in an environment in which we don’t feel that our children and families are safe. Should we wait for something to happen? They don’t have a place here. No excuses are acceptable. We want a solution.” One resident said that he read on the Internet that the group is “an extremist religious group that is fighting charges of kidnapping, marriages of minors and child abuse.” (YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)

Israeli Man Desperately Seeking to Save Son From Lev Tahor

January 3, 2022 9:30 pm 7 Comments

An Israeli man who escaped the Lev Tahor cultists two years ago, Yisroel Amir, is now working with former Mossad agents as he attempts to rescue his 2-year-old son from the group’s clutches, The Jerusalem Post reports. Amir’s efforts have taken on new urgency recently as Lev Tahor attempts to move their group to Iran, which, if successful, would make it exceedingly difficult to rescue his son. It is also possible – even likely – that, instead of providing them refuge, the Iranian regime would use Lev Tahor members as a bargaining chip with Israel or publicly execute them to send a message. So far, Lev Tahor attempts to cross into Iran via Kurdistan have failed, with members of the cult caught in the country deported to Turkey, from which they were extradited back to Guatemala. Amir’s team has been able to gather some intelligence on the group, including an updated picture of his son, and photos of children sitting in cages. Additionally, the team has revealed that mothers entrapped by the cult have been ordered to kill their children and commit suicide if authorities ever penetrate the cult. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

HORROR EXPOSED: Lev Tahor Leaders Told Mothers To SHECT THEIR CHILDREN If Outsiders Enter [SEE THE VIDEO]

November 23, 2021 12:30 pm 49 Comments

In a video produced by Lev Tahor survivor Mendy Levy, he speaks about the shocking abuse and neglectful conditions he endured during his years in the cult. In one hair-raising segment of the video, a female Lev Tahor survivor is heard talking about the instructions of Lev Tahors leaders to the women of the cult to literally “shecht” their children in the case of authorities trying to take them away. She said that the cult leaders called them to a meeting and told them that there were threats from the authorities that their children will be taken away from them. “So he said that when the authorities come, the men will all go and talk to them, and meanwhile all the women will gather here together with their children. Then each mother will take their children and just as shechita is performed, each mother will take a knife take a knife and cut…” “Take a knife? Kill with a knife?” the interviewer interrupted to ask in astonishment. “Yes,” she responded. “He said to take a knife and cut. Close the eyes of the children and cut. Because you have many children, you should start with the small ones so the big ones can understand what they’re seeing. And you as mothers tell them that it’s very painful for you to do but it’s necessary because of the ones that are coming to take the children away. And better the children will die, better that the children should be dead rather than living with a goy. He said it will be considered like the shechita of a pure korban.” “Then we got scared,” she concluded. (YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)

Majority Of Lev Tahor Members Left Guatemala, Several Remain To Sell Possessions

November 17, 2021 6:15 pm 4 Comments

The majority of Lev Tahor members have left Guatemala and are now scattered between a number of countries, including Turkey, Romania, Brooklyn, Iraq, and possibly Mexico, Kikar H’Shabbat reported. Several cult members stayed behind in the Central American country to sell the cult’s possessions to locals. The large compound they were living in, which included a shul and a Talmud Torah, also held a large amount of equipment, including a flour grinder, washing machines, ovens, and even printing machines. In recent days, a group of Lev Tahor members who entered Moldova earlier this month were deported from the country and sent back to Turkey. (YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)

28 Lev Tahor Members Deported From Moldova, 2 Escape

November 15, 2021 12:05 pm 4 Comments

A group of Lev Tahor members who entered Moldova earlier this month were deported from the country and sent back to Turkey, B’Chadrei Chareidim reported. Two Lev Tahor members managed to escape when Moldovan police raided the hotel where the cult members were living. However, the police are reportedly unconcerned, saying that there’s nowhere for the two escapees to go and they will eventually be detained. Chief Rabbi of Moldova Rav Pinchas Saltzman, in cooperation with the Moldovan government, offered to allow Lev Tahor members under age 18 to remain in Moldova but the offer was refused. After Rav Saltzman heard that the group of 30 Lev Tahor members had entered Moldova earlier this month, he quickly made urgent efforts to ensure that additional groups be refused entry into the country, fearing a rise of anti-Semitism if the cult would settle in the former Soviet republic. His efforts were successful and subsequent groups who tried to enter the country were refused entry. Lev Tahor members are currently scattered around the world, with members in Guatemala, Romania, Brooklyn, Iraq, and possibly Mexico. RECEIVE YWN BREAKING UPDATES IN LIVE TIME: YWN WHATSAPP STATUS UPDATES: CLICK HERE to join the YWN WhatsApp Status. YWN WHATSAPP GROUPS: CLICK HERE to be added to an official YWN WhatsApp Group. Last week YWN reported that two leaders of the Lev Tahor cult were found guilty by a jury on all charges pertaining to the 2018 Shabbos kidnapping of two children who escaped the cult, and now face life in prison. Nachman Helbrans and Meyer Rosner, two Lev Tahor officials who were involved in the kidnapping, were found guilty on all six charges they faced, including conspiracy to travel with intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct, and conspiracy to commit international parental kidnapping. Several other Lev Tahor cultists have been arrested in connection with the case, including brothers Yoel, Yaakov, and Shmiel Weingarten, who were picked up by Guatemala authorities earlier this year. They are expected to be extradited to the United States to face charges and a trial. Three others in the United States are reportedly cooperating with authorities. (YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)

What Did Lev Tahor Leaders Write To Their Followers After The Trial?

November 11, 2021 1:00 pm 26 Comments

Following the conviction of Lev Tahor leaders Nachman Helbrans and Meyer Rosner on six criminal charges, they wrote a letter to their followers, who are currently traveling the world in a search for a country that won’t “persecute” them. They started out the letter by writing that they were only doing the will of their Father in Shamayim. “These days, Rabbeinu, has been judged by the wicked Roman kingdom and they accused us of all their claims, and there’s a great furor that the leader of the sadistic cult Lev Tahor has been convicted.” “Yes, we are happy to inform the Yirei Hashem that the fact that we’re guilty of transgressing the evil Roman laws isn’t something new but we’re guilty of this in every generation – of keeping the Torah HaKedosha and it’s considered a zechus and kavod for us.” “The Torah Hakedosha commanded us not to delay the marriages of our sons and daughters,” the letter stated and then quoted sources from the Chumash and Gemara on the topic. “We are subject to the true Da’as Torah from generation to generation and ada’raba in this generation we are obligated to be moser nefesh on this more and more and therefore we make efforts to marry our sons and daughters as early as possible and we have no fear of those who mock the ratzon Hashem.” “And yes, the indictment began that the reshaim acted on behalf of a woman who left our kehilla, and forcibly kidnapped her married daughter from her husband against her will, saying she is still a minor according to chukos hagoyim. They forcibly took her to the wicked United States, where the wicked Eirav Rav held her in a psychiatric hospital and afterward in a closed house under the guard of an unmarried man. The girl cried out but there was no one to help her, she appealed to every possible source to take her out of her captivity but all her cries for help went unanswered.” “When Rabbeinu heard this, he traveled especially to save her although he was well-aware of the inherent danger in it, and he took advantage of the first opportunity to save her, even on the day of Shabbos Kodesh (a source was quoted here from the Shulchan Aruch that one must save someone who is pursued, even on Shabbos). “Even after the reshaim admitted that the poor woman herself asked for help, they still convicted Rabbeinu with the crime of ‘kidnapping’ and they added other charges, that we helped her return to her husband, and according to their abominable laws, getting married k’das Moshe V’Yisrael is an obscene act that is illegal.” The letter continued that Lev Tahor has hundreds of proofs that the woman was “tortured” by her captors and that she married her husband willingly and with the consent of her parents…”but it’s clear to anyone who participated in this trial that they’re fighting against Hashem and His Moshiach.” The leaders then continued with their complaints that the court refused to hear their version of the story but “all the baseless stories of our enemies and pursuers were accepted with great respect.” The letter concluded with many quotes about serving Hashem under all circumstances, saying that despite their persecution, their spirit won’t be broken and “all

GUILTY ON ALL CHARGES! Two Lev Tahor Cult Leaders Face Life in Prison after Jury Finds Them Guilty of 2018 Kidnapping

November 10, 2021 12:29 pm 39 Comments

Two leaders of the Lev Tahor cult have been found guilty by a jury on all charges pertaining to the 2018 Shabbos kidnapping of two children who escaped the cult, and now face life in prison. Nachman Helbrans and Meyer Rosner, two Lev Tahor officials who were involved in the kidnapping, were found guilty on all six charges they faced, including conspiracy to travel with intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct, and conspiracy to commit international parental kidnapping. “The defendants engaged in a brazen kidnapping of a minor girl in the middle of the night, taking her across the border to Mexico in order to reunite her with her adult ‘husband’ to continue their sexual relationship. These charges send a clear message that the sexual exploitation of children will not be tolerated,” US Attorney Audrey Strauss said when the cultists were charged in 2019. Several other Lev Tahor cultists have been arrested in connection with the case, including brothers Yoel, Yaakov, and Shmiel Weingarten, who were picked up by Guatemala authorities earlier this year. They are expected to be extradited to the United States to face charges and a trial. Three others in the United States are reportedly cooperating with authorities. RECEIVE BREAKING UPDATES IN LIVE TIME: YWN WHATSAPP STATUS UPDATES: CLICK HERE to join the YWN WhatsApp Status. YWN WHATSAPP GROUPS: CLICK HERE to be added to an official YWN WhatsApp Group. Reports indicate cult leaders have suggested death as better alternative than life outside the cult. YWN has been at the forefront for more than 10 years fighting the Lev Tahor cult – with dozens of articles over the years. Lev Tahor was founded and led by Shlomo Helbrans, from the 1980s until his drowning death in Mexico in 2017. Since then, the leadership has moved into the hands of his son Nachman Helbrans, along with Mayer Rosner, Yankel and Yoel Weingarten, who are even more radical and aggressive than the late founder. In 2014 YWN ran an article titled “Cults and the War of the Jewish Magazines” in response to Mishpacha and Ami magazines running articles on Lev Tahor. Mishpacha Magzaine had run a fifteen page “expose” on the group, essentially describing Lev Tahor as a cult that has some serious issues involving medicating children, and behaviors that resemble child abuse. Rabbi Yitzchok Frankfurter of Ami Magazine claimed the exact opposite – and ran the following sentence below their headline “The unjust persecution of a group of pious Jews, and the unsettling silence of the Jewish community.” DOJ statement: Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that NACHMAN HELBRANS and MAYER ROSNER were convicted in White Plains federal court of child sexual exploitation offenses and kidnapping following a four-week jury trial. The defendants, leaders of an extremist Jewish sect called Lev Tahor, masterminded a scheme to kidnap a 14-year-old girl (“Minor-1”) and a 12-year-old boy (“Minor-2”) from their mother in Woodridge, New York. The defendants then smuggled the children across the U.S. border to Mexico, where they reunited Minor-1 with her adult “husband” to allow him to continue his illegal sexual relationship with Minor-1. U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: “Nachman Helbrans and Mayer Rosner brazenly kidnapped two children from their mother in the middle of the night to return a 14-year-old girl to an illegal sexual relationship

New Details On Lev Tahor’s Attempt To Enter Iran

November 9, 2021 8:30 am 11 Comments

A Kikar H’Shabbat report on Monday revealed new details about the attempts of the Lev Tahor cult to enter Iran or other Middle Eastern countries. The report said that as is well-known by now, Lev Tahor leaders sought asylum in Iran while still living in Guatemala. However, after a long period of time passed and their request wasn’t answered, about 15 cult members traveled to the Kurdistan area of Iraq and met with a government official in an attempt to convince the authorities to allow the cult to settle there. “We’re a group of 300 people and we just want a place where no one will interfere with the fulfillment of our customs,” they said. The official never got back to them with a clear answer but the cult members quietly worked toward bringing groups of cult members to the country. However, their attempt at operating under the radar was a complete failure as Guatemalan authorities did everything they could to stop them, at the request of US and Israeli officials. In addition, Guatemalan authorities have been carrying out repeated raids of the group members still in the country even after the members left their compound and scattered in small groups in hostels and hotels. According to Kikar, the cult leaders are still doing everything they can to convince Iran to allow them entry. Although the leaders say they are just looking for a place that won’t interfere with their lifestyle, in reality, they are searching for a country where the US and Israel have no influence and the Islamic Republic, the archenemy of Israel and the US, is a prime choice. A group of 72 Lev Tahor members who were deported from Iraq to Turkey tried unsuccessfully to enter Romania and Moldova. They are now trying to gain entry to Syria, Lebanon or Albania. (YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)

Moldovan Chief Rabbi: Lev Tahor Tried To Enter Syria, Lebanon Or Albania

November 7, 2021 8:00 pm 7 Comments

Chief Rabbi of Moldova Rav Pinchas Saltzman spoke to B’Chadrei Chareidim on Sunday about the attempt of Lev Tahor members to enter Moldova. “After the Iranian government refused to accept them, a first group landed in Moldova overnight Thursday,” Rav Saltzman said. “I only found out about it after they landed and from that moment we began to make the most of our connections. We appealed to the Moldovan President, government ministers, and local security authorities.” “Our appeal was accepted. Another group of Lev Tahor members landed in Moldova on Shabbos (!) and they were sent back. A second group that wanted to board a flight on Shabbos from Turkey to Moldova were not permitted to board the flight.” “They’ve been wandering from place to place. They’ve created many many problems around them by marrying minors, abducting children, and an extremely non-standard lifestyle. We were afraid that after many years of no anti-Semitism in Moldova, it would suddenly return.” “I heard that they tried to be approved for entry in Lebanon, Syria, and also Albania – they weren’t accepted there either. They’re quite nervous since they don’t have many choices left and they may have to be deported to either Israel or the United States.” Rav Saltzman also made a generous offer. “I’m prepared to fully commit – anyone from the group under age 18 who comes to Moldova – we’ll accept them with love to live and eat at our expense.” (YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)

Moldova Refuses Entry To Lev Tahor, Chief Rabbi Writes Urgent Letter

November 6, 2021 6:55 pm 12 Comments

A group of Lev Tahor members tried to enter Moldova on Thursday but were refused entry into the country. As YWN reported last week, 72 Lev Tahor members who traveled from Guatemala to Iraq were forced by local authorities to board a flight to Turkey, where they were held by Turkish authorities in a building near the Istanbul Aiport for several days. At least 30 members of the group then entered Romania, with other reports saying that all 72 members entered Romania. The Romanian authorities apparently later changed their mind about allowing the cult members to stay in the country and they continued to Moldova, B’Chadrei Chareidim reported on Friday. However, the authorities in Moldova also refused to allow them to stay in the country and told them to return where they came from. According to the report, some of the members returned to Turkey and others are still searching for a country that will allow them entry. In the early hours of Friday morning, the Chief Rabbi of Moldova, HaRav Pinchas Saltzman, sent an urgent letter to Moldovan President Maia Sandu requesting that she ban the entry of Lev Tahor members, explaining that Lev Tahor is a dangerous cult whose members have been indicted for terrible criminal acts. [The full letter can be read below.] Rav Saltzman added that the presence of Lev Tahor in the country could lead to a severe increase in anti-Semitism and their entry should be banned at all costs. Rav Mendy Chitrik, the Ashkenazi Rav of Turkey and president of the Alliance of Rabbis in Islamic Countries, told B’Chadrei: “I hope they don’t come to Turkey and instead will be sent to Israel or the US so that the children can be taken care of by welfare authorities and its leaders will be brought to justice. In any event, we have no intention of assisting them in any way.” (YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)

30 Lev Tahor Members Enter Romania, Hundreds Are Leaving Guatemala [VIDEO]

November 4, 2021 7:30 pm 10 Comments

Thirty members of the group of 72 Lev Tahor members who have been held in a building near Istanbul Airport in Turkey since Tuesday morning, have entered Romania, Kikar H’Shabbat reported on Wednesday night. Other reports, including Turkish media reports, stated that all the members of the group were sent to Bucharest at their own request after spending three days in Istanbul. The Turkish report added that the group members held 19 Canadian passports, 24 American passports, 1 Portuguese passport, and 28 Guatemalan passports. Komşu kabul etmemişti! Türkiye’ye gönderilen “Lev Tahor” tarikatı üyelerinin akıbeti belli oldu https://t.co/E0oDOUqYE3 pic.twitter.com/ELHUdHeeVN — AKİT TV (@akittv) November 3, 2021 The group had traveled together from Guatemala to the Kurdistan area of Iraq but after only several days in the country, Iraqi authorities forced them to leave, putting them on a flight to Istanbul. Meanwhile, an earlier Kikar report revealed that the hundreds of Lev Tahor members in Guatemala have made a final decision to leave the country due to constant police raids. In recent years, the group members have lived in a large compound in the Central American country but they have now left the compound and are scattered in small groups in guest houses, hostels, and hotels. However, Guatemalan police are raiding the hotels and hostels as part of an investigation into cases of children who were reported missing. A group member told Kikar that they searching for a country to live in where they won’t be harassed. Below is a disturbing video of the group when they are still in Iraq, in which many children and some of the women seem to be in great distress. (YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)

“My Life Has Been A Nightmare Since My Daughter Joined Lev Tahor”

November 4, 2021 8:00 am 6 Comments

R., a US citizen who lives in Israel, is living in a nightmare for five years, Ynet reported. It began when his daughter got married to a regular Chareidi bochur with a difficult family background. After the wedding, the couple moved to Israel and settled in Geula. “He learned in Brisk and was a regular bochur,” R. said. “After five years, a tragedy occurred in his family and one of his relatives connected him to a Mekubal. After the meeting with the Mekubal, he began davening most of the day instead of learning in Kollel.” R. financially supported his daughter and her family and they were in day-to-day contact but then the situation deteriorated. “My daughter was editing the sefarim of a Mekubal. When the Mekubal passed away, my son-in-law became even more extreme. He’s a charismatic person and he dragged my daughter along. She believed all the lies and the religious ideas.” “They continued to send their children to regular Chareidi schools in the period before they fled to Guatemala – a period of about five years. All along, we hoped that things would improve. The son of that Mekubal was connected to Lev Tahor. He got into trouble with the authorities and convinced my son-in-law to join the cult. The extremist ideology caused them to change their opinion on Zionism and Israel but it was apparent that despite their relative extremism, the group in Geulah wasn’t as extreme as the Lev Tahor group outside Israel. But the one who led the group wasn’t a strong leader and another group of followers decided to travel to Guatemala.” “We received a phone call from my daughter that she was there. I asked my daughter how they financed the trip. She received misinformation that some organization paid for it. She was instructed what to answer and what not to say. They were ordered to maintain complete secrecy.” “Then suddenly she went underground. All the phones were cut off or were ‘unavailable.’ It’s already over a week that she’s not in touch.” “I’m extremely worried about the lives of my daughter and grandchildren,” he said. “The risk is worsening every minute. Iran is much more dangerous than where they are now.” “Even now there are very serious issues. When my grandchildren called me, they complained of stomach aches and other physical ailments. My daughter told me strange stories. But I really don’t know what happens at the camp in Guatemala. She said they get bread, pumpkin seeds, and fruit. They don’t eat meat, chicken and fish. She says they get vitamins. I told her that she shouldn’t take the ‘vitamins’ under any circumstances but I don’t know if she listened to me. She’s convinced that her way is correct and it will bring the Moshiach.” (YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)

“We Don’t Want Lev Tahor Here,” Iraqi Official Says

November 3, 2021 4:30 pm 7 Comments

Over 70 Lev Tahor members have been held in a building near Istanbul Airport in Turkey since Tuesday morning, where they were forced to fly by Iraqi officials from Erbil Airport in the Kurdistan region of Iraq, B’Chadrei Chareidim reported. ֶThe Lev Tahor group had managed to successfully leave Guatemala and reach Iraq in an attempt to eventually enter Iran but were detained by Iraqi officials and forced to leave the country. An Iraqi official told B’Chadrei: “We don’t want [Lev Tahor] here. They already caused trouble in Guatemala, Canada, the US and Mexico and there are unpleasant stories about them. We’re not looking for people like that, we know they’ll cause trouble here also. We’ll do everything we can to prevent them from returning here.” Meanwhile, US, Israeli and Guatemalan officials have been in touch with Turkish and Iraqi authorities in order to ensure that they don’t grant entry permits to the Lev Tahor members. The cult members may soon have no choice but to enter Israel. B’Chadrei also spoke with a member of the Jewish community in Turkey who said that “the faster Lev Tahor leaves the country the better.” (YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)

WATCH: Dati Leumi Rav Drinks L’Chayim With Lev Tahor To The State Of Israel

November 2, 2021 4:30 pm 2 Comments

Rabbi Eliahu Birnbaum, a well-known Dati Leumi Rav in Israel, drank a L’Chayim to the state of Israel together with Lev Tahor members this past April. Rabbi Birnbaum is the founding director of Ohr Torah Stone’s Emissary Training Programs and he travels around the world mentoring rabbis and teachers in the outreach and education organizations Ohr Torah Stone (OTS) dispatches to Jewish communities around the globe. He also researches Jewish kehillos around the world. In a video of the unusual scene, Rabbi Birnbaum is heard speaking and lamenting the fact that he’s not in Eretz Yisrael for Yom Ha’atzamut and the mesiras hanefesh he took for him to be with Lev Tahor instead. He also mentions that “tonight is Yom Hazikaron for fallen IDF soldiers. I was in the Lebanon War.” “I told Rav [Uriel] Goldman that it’s mesirus nefesh for me to be here today,” he said. “You’re not with me on this but today is Yom Ha’Atzmaut in Eretz Yisrael. And in our view – b’seder – it’s also a machlokes – but it’s also a neis from Hakadosh Baruch Hu. So I’m going to make a l’Chaim both in honor of the kehilla…and lichvod Yom Ha’Atzmaut. L’Chaim.” “L’Chaim,” the Lev Tahor members replied, and one of them added: “I understand the mesirus nefesh. Definitely.” (YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)

THE SAGA CONTINUES: Lev Tahor Group Detained By Army In Kurdistan Area, Transferred To Another Country

November 1, 2021 1:30 pm 13 Comments

A group of about 70 Lev Tahor members, including men, women, and children, managed to successfully leave Guatemala and reach the Kurdistan area this past Thursday, Kikar H’Shabbat reported on Monday. However, only 24 hours after they reached the Kurdistan area, local military forces raided the building they were staying in and detained the group. They were transferred to a compound on a military base, where the soldiers brought them fruits and vegetables to eat. On Motzei Shabbos, the soldiers brought the Lev Tahor members to the airport and tried to force them to board a flight but refused to tell them the flight’s destination. Pandemonium ensued as the Lev Tahor members refused to board the flight without knowing its destination. Eventually, the soldiers gave up on forcing the group to board the flight and brought them to a room in the airport, where they were placed under heavy guard and banned from leaving the area. On Sunday night, a large number of soldiers and guards forced the Lev Tahor on a private plane and they were flown to an unknown destination. Lev Tahor members still in Guatemala told Kikar that they are unaware of where their fellow cult members were taken to but they believe that it may have been Turkey. (YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)

Watch: Two Lev Tahor Leaders To Be Extradited To US From Guatemala

October 31, 2021 10:00 am 20 Comments

A Guatemalan court last week approved the extradition of Lev Tahor leader Yaakov Weingarten and his brother Shmuel Weingarten to the US to stand trial on charges of kidnapping and abuse of children. An extradition order for a third brother, Yoel Weingarten, is expected to be approved in the coming days. Yaakov Weingarten was arrested about seven months ago by Guatemalan security forces on the first day of Pesach after attempting to kidnap children on Shabbos, a tactic used by the cult to thwart the parents from pursuing them. According to the US Department of Justice, Lev Tahor leaders not only engaged in kidnapping but “embraced several extreme practices, including invasive monitoring of members, frequent beatings, and forced marriages of minors to adult members. Children in Lev Tahor are often subject to physical, sexual, and emotional abuse.” “We are grateful for the excellent cooperation from our partners in Mexico and Guatemala who helped us hold these leaders of Lev Tahor accountable for their behavior,” FBI assistant director William F. Sweeney Jr said in April. “International borders will not stop the FBI from pursuing justice and enforcing violations of our laws, especially when you target children. The behavior alleged today is outrageous, and there is no justification for it whatsoever.” (YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)

FAKERS: Anti-Zionist Lev Tahor Cult Members Praise Israel In Video

October 21, 2021 8:00 pm 2 Comments

A video has come to light of two Lev Tahor members praising the state of Israel, a stark departure from their usual vehement anti-Israel and anti-Zionist rhetoric and quite risky since they currently are engaging in efforts to reach Israel’s archenemy Iran. Uriel Goldman, who is now in the Kurdistan area along with two other cult members, is seen in the video praising Israel for its behavior during its recent war with Gaza and in previous operations, when the Israeli army does everything it can to avoid harming civilians. The Zoom video was recorded shortly after Operation Guardian of the Walls, which took place in May. Goldman’s praise of Israel is not only completely uncharacteristic of normal Lev Tahor rhetoric but it is especially ironic considering the fact that their bid to enter Iran is based on the claim that the cult is “persecuted by the Zionist authorities in Israel.” Another one of the cult’s leaders, Shmiel Weingarten, is seen in the video sitting next to Goldman. Weingarten was arrested in Guatemala on the first day of Pesach in a joint US and Guatemalan raid on charges of suspected involvement in the abuse and kidnapping of children. “I just learned a big lesson from what’s going on in Gaza – all this stuff,” Goldman says in the video. “You know what? The people who are attacking the humanitarian acts that Israel do is like a joke. I just thought of it in the last few days. The people are saying: ‘How come you’re attacking children? There are casualties with children, and they’re attacking so many…’” “And it’s nonsense because you know how they [Israel] so care about things, much more than Americans. But there are people that are always going to have – ‘we found a new thing about Israel, Israel – this, that.’ And it’s just people who hate Israel and use every single thing…like to attack.” “And we thought sometimes – people about our [Lev Tahor] community is the same. That always they find some new things and new findings. ‘I heard someone said this, said that.” And it’s like…what’s going on?” “So you understand what I’m saying? I know that Israel tried to do the best they can if and when it’s a war. But we are laughing when they say: ‘Oh, what the Palestinians -nebach…they’re attacking them. It’s a joke. Between me and you – everybody knows it’s a joke.” Shana Aaronson, the Executive Director at Magen for Jewish Communities, which assists families who have relatives in the cult, responded to the video by stating: “This video is another example of the lies of the cult leaders, who show how much of their behavior is based on an attempt to control cult members, and is not based on religion as they claim.” “They lie about kashrus issues in order to keep certain food from cult members, they are mechallel Shabbos in order to ensure the continued existence of the cult, and they are lying about the ultimate destination of their journey and are not informing cult members that they intend to enter Iran. The state of Israel must end this saga and arrange for the international arrest of some of the cult leaders and bring the children back to Israel.” “We are also calling on the

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