Colombian authorities have expelled members of the Lev Tahor Jewish sect, whom they suspect of sexually abusing children. The rescued children went to the care of American authorities.
Colombian authorities announced Monday that they have expelled nine members of the ultra-Orthodox Jewish sect Lev Tahor who are accused of sexually abusing children. This happened more than a week after 17 minor children were saved from the power of this group. TASR informs about it according to the report of the AFP agency.
- Colombian authorities have expelled members of the ultra-orthodox Lev Tahor sect.
- The sect is accused of sexually abusing minors.
- 17 children removed from sectarian power were saved.
Authorities have released footage of members of the sect going through security checks at Medellin airport before boarding a plane bound for New York. There they were to be taken over by the American authorities.
The children flew to the USA
A spokesman for Colombia’s migration office said some of the children abused by the sect flew on the same plane to the US, where they will be placed in the care of the authorities. These children come from several countries, including the United States and Guatemala.
Lev Tahor, meaning “pure heart” in Hebrew, was founded in Israel in 1988 by Shlomo Helbrans, who later fled to Canada due to accusations of sexual abuse. Some members of the sect settled in Guatemala in 2013. They practice a form of Judaism in which women are covered from head to toe in black tunics.
A global investigation
The group is under investigation for child abuse in several states, including Canada and Mexico.
It is estimated that the community consists of approximately 50 families from Guatemala, the USA, Canada and other countries. In December 2024, the authorities in Guatemala rescued 160 minor children from farms inhabited by Lev Tahor members, who, according to the prosecutor’s office, were abused and raped.
