Authorities in El Salvador have extradited two Lev Tahor members, one to Israel and another to Guatemala, amid ongoing investigations into allegations of child abuse and human trafficking.
Prosecutors confirmed that Eliezer Rumpler was handed over to Israeli authorities following his January arrest after crossing into the country from Guatemala. Rumpler, a dual U.S.-Israeli citizen, is accused of overseeing the abuse of students. According to prosecutors, the students were allegedly forced to disrobe before being subjected to beatings.
Separately, 23-year-old Jonathan Cardona was extradited to Guatemala to face a slate of serious charges, including child abuse and human trafficking, Guatemalan officials announced. Cardona’s case is linked to a months-long investigation into Lev Tahor’s activities in the Central American country.
In December 2024, Guatemalan authorities conducted a major raid on a Lev Tahor compound in the rural town of Oratorio, southwest of Guatemala City, where they rescued 160 minors and 40 women from dangerous living conditions. Prosecutors alleged widespread mistreatment of children, prompting international concern and condemnation.
Founded in the 1980s, and originally based in Israel, the cult has been forced to relocate multiple times in recent decades, encountering legal challenges and child welfare investigations in Canada, the United States, Mexico, and Guatemala. In 2013, a contingent of Lev Tahor followers resettled in Guatemala, where they have remained under periodic government scrutiny ever since.
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There are important, powerful, prestigious rabbis constantly bombarding us with their message regarding enlistment in the IDF, They are investing major efforts to raise 100 million dollars and i believe they have already raised tens of millions of dollars. The children and other victims in Lev Tahor are probably considered shevuyim (captives), the perpetrators are at the very least rodfim. I understand that these are very serious situations which frequently trump all other concerns, for example I believe that in some circumstances, it is serious enough to warrant chilul shabos. Has anyone heard a peep from the above mentioned rabbis about this matter?
Forget the brain washed adults get the children out of their reach and get them help bring deprogrammed
Please YWN. Not the right time to be posting this. We need more unity during wartime, not less.