The Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs on Tuesday called on Israeli members of the extremist ultra-Orthodox Lev Tahor, or “Pure Heart” cult to “come home,” offering each family unprecedented absorption benefits.
In the aftermath of the drowning of Rabbi Shlomo Helbrans, leader of the “Jewish Taliban” cult Lev Tahor in Mexico, the ultra-Orthodox press in Israel has been rife with reports regarding the location of his funeral and burial, and speculation as to which member of the cult will succeed him as leader of the reclusive…
To the roughly 200 Lev Tahor adherents who followed their charismatic rabbi from country to country, Shlomo Helbrans knew the path to eternal truth.
The saga of a cult of ultra-Orthodox fundamentalist Jews whose controversial practices have led them to wander the world from Israel to the U.S., Canada, Guatemala and finally to Mexico could be heading into a dramatic final chapter.
Rabbi Shlomo Erez Helbrans, 55, leader of the “Lev Tahor” (“Pure Heart”) ultra-Orthodox sect, was found drowned in a river in the Mexican state of Chiapas on Friday, according to local media.
Oratorio, Guatemala – A community of Orthodox Jews living outside Guatemala’s capital moved out Sunday, claiming persecution because of their faith.
Two and a half years after Lev Tahor fled Canada amid a variety of legal battles, members of the ultra-conservative Jewish sect are facing a government crackdown in their new home.
Last week Lev Tahor, a small ultra-Orthodox sect that has become a reluctant globe-trotter, found itself challenged in its most recent refuge Guatemala.
According to reports from Guatemalan news agencies, the building housing members of the “Lev Tahor” cult have been raided by the Public Ministry (MP) which investigates allegations of child abuse.
A court in Guatemala indicted the ex-mayor of a small town in the Central American nation for “participating in the expulsion of a religious community.”