[EARLIER UPDATES IN EXTENDED ARTICLE]
UPDATE 2:45PM ET: Canada Border Services Agency says they have arrested seven members of the Lev Tahor cult “who are believed to be in violation of Canada’s immigration policy/laws.”
Those seven people are known to have 28 children and that kids in cases where both parents in a family have been detained and there is no alternate caregiver are now in care — though the CBS did not give an exact number.
It’s unclear how long the children will be in care.
UPDATE 2:42PM ET: Lev Tahor members told Chatham radio reporter @AshtonPatis those arrested are all Israeli citizens and their visas had expired.
UPDATE 2:40PM ET: A total of 7 people have been arrested at the Lev Tahor cult.
FIRST REPORT 1:30PM ET: According to a report by The Observer, Canadian Border Services have arrested four men and raided the Lev Tahor cult near Chatham. Authorities are going door to door, and executing “immigration warrants”. The group has been embroiled in a dispute with child protection agencies both in Quebec and Ontario over the treatment of 14 children from two families. Reporter Ashton Patis tweets that the “Fourth Lev Tahor man arrested was a teacher. Students inside the school wipe away tears, scream and pray”.
No further details are available as on this time .
[Photo via @AshtonPatis]
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24 Responses
Do you find it absolutely necessary to use the word “cult” in your headline? Does this add to Kovod Shomayim or detract from it? Did you check with the Chofetz Chaim Heritage Foundation or a local Rav to see if this is Mutor or possibly inflammatory and Loshon Hora? I am not part of this group, I am not a Chassid, but I would prefer to see more respectful and responsible reporting by your web site.
May Hashem help shut down this cult A S A P
They ARE a cult—plain and simple
#1
I’ll be surprised that my comment will be allowed and posted it’s absolutely irrelevant as long the moderators see it
Now in regards to your complaint, Is this new to you? this entire site was established as anti-frum anti Torah! I doubt if the moderators are even shomer shabbos their end is gonna be the same exact way all masisim umadichim ended
Moderators Note: We can’t help but notice your email address [email protected] comes up in a Google search on this website: http://ecstasa.com/index.php?action=user&id=1466 — Watch your step with the accusations and threats buddy. Push a few more buttons and the rest will come…..
A Cult is not the word. This is an Abusive Cult. It’s not fair for those innocent young children to live in such Abusive Cult they’re getting Abused on a daily basis. Controlling their minds to getting them to believe untrue believes in order to have control over them is called ABUSE.
They’re NOT Extremists, theyre Abusers, in the name of Extremism.
Any insular Chasidic group could easily be targeted by the authorities and similar charges of child abuse filed. This could be the tip of the iceberg.
something is wrong with the picture. unless it’s an evergreen tree no trees in Canada have leaves on them at this time.
Whatever you wish to call it, it does have all the characteristics of a cult, not of a chassidus or yeshivish communmity. Who knows, maybe women wearing burkas is right and we lost the mesorah of burkas over the years and Helbrans had a revelation that our women should dress like that.
their faulty understanding of tznius and their poor decision to separate themselves from the rest of the world in the way they did
sure has resulted in a serious case of chilul hashem
was it worth it?
However wrong their religious actions and practices may be, it is wrong, unhelpful, absurd and counterproductive for the government to seize their children from their parents and put them who knows where in some irreligious environment — but even worse the children are away from their parents.
Would YWN please post something explaining why this group should be called a “cult.” I know very little about the group, and I have no opinion about whether they are or are not a cult. YWN unabashedly calls this group a cult, and I would like to know why.
To#1, Just FYI, Back in the mid 90’s (don’t remember exact year) there was someone I knew personally, who called the leader of this cult to din torah in monsey for kidnapping his son, and the beth din said that it’s a cult and that this helbrans is a kidnapper. After he still didn’t send the boy back to his parents, with permission from the beth din, they used the family court and police to bring the child back home. He had luck that the parents are g-d fearing people and never gave out this info to the press or authorities.
Whether it is or isnt a cult, if this is true “Lev Tahor members told Chatham radio reporter @AshtonPatis those arrested are all Israeli citizens and their visas had expired.” what did they think would happen if they continued thumbing their noses at the authorities? They found an opportunity, and they jumped on it.
Maybe it is kvod shamiyim to distance ourselves from a very questionable individual who does very strange things and has been condemned by leading Chasidish groups.
We don’t want the world to think frum people are as troubled as Helbrans and his followers.
I don’t think it’s proper for YWN to post a picture of a fellow Jew being arrested.
I would ask this picture to be removed.
Kol haKovod to Canada for upholding its Immigration Laws.
As for these sadists, I have no problem with them spending Seder nite in a Canadian jail or detention center, without Matzo & wine.
@nfgo3
Google “lev tahor” and watch the documentary by “The Fifth Estate”
FYI another frum website referred to Helberan’s followers as “people who wear clothing that frum people wear”
That is very well stated.
15… Thats assuming it is a Jew being arrested.. I have my doubts
Why are so many commenters rushing to condemn YWN instead of condemning the sadistic cruelty to these children….
SHAME ON YOU
Why are we even defending these creeps they are a cult and the question is are they frum or like every cult playing a roll. As for the government taking the children that’s their job to defend and protect these children
To the editor keep up the good work they need to be exposed
Comment #1 – Why do you feel it’s necessary to obtain permission for calling Lev Tahor a cult? Would you do likewise with a non-Jewish cult? Probably not. Does the fact that they wear kapotos and have peyos change things? It really shouldn’t. And since when did the Chofetz Chaim Heritage Foundation become a Posek? Last time I checked, it was merely 501c3 that tries to spread a good word, and nothing more..
Comment #15 – If a fellow Jew does something that warrants arrest, there should be no problem publishing such photos. What are we trying to hide? If this is who some of us are today, then let it be known and shown.
when the goyim here in canada report they dont say outright that it is a cult and the YWN report says cult again and again
Thank you Canada, for doing something to end this evil cult.
Anyone who has any knowledge of their cult and living in Eretz Yisroel i can tell you that they have been in the news both printed and tv due to ex members coming forward (children that escaped or were sent away from their parents aged as young as 14) –
What they did – Midda Knegged Midda they will suffer.
Although Canada has placed the children with Chassidish families – not with goyim or unfrum yidden –
This cult is a massive chillul hashem and swiftly may it end. Hayom! Like the Mafia who could only be convicted for tax violations so to they on visa violations so it is nowhere near as bad as it could be. Nebech
Call these people what you want. All steps must be taken to protect the children so they do not grow up being like their parents.
Terrible. I can’t bear to see my brothers and sisters denigrating our fellow Jews based on ‘reports’ ‘documentaries’ and other ‘trustworthy’ sources. Lets not make the mistake we made by the destruction of our second temple. Let us try to judge our fellow yid favorably. Only good can come from following halacha and using our (hashem given) superior intellect to understand how esav soneh es yakov even drives the media. In the zchus of our collective favorable judgement upon others may all of us acheinu kol yisrael together be zocheh to arichas yamim, health and nachas from our families and from the entire klal yisrael.