Lev Tahor, the radical Jewish cult accused of raising their children in squalid conditions and referred to as the ‘Jewish Taliban,’ has operated for more than a decade as a religious charity with millions of dollars flowing through its accounts, the Toronto Star has learned.
The movement headed by Rabbi Shlomo Helbrans amassed nearly $6 million in assets at its peak and regularly pulled in annual revenues of hundreds of thousands of dollars for the operation of its reclusive community in Ste-Agathe-des-Monts, north of Montreal, according to financial filings.
Congregation Riminov was registered as a tax-exempt religious charity in 2001, shortly after Helbrans moved from Israel to Canada,and has seen a rapid rise in its financial performance under its stated goal: “The operation of a synagogue and provision of assistance to those in need.”
From a draw of $114,865 in its first year, Congregation Riminov brought in more than $1.9-million in 2005 and claimed land and property assets of $5.6 million in 2006, The Star reports. Congregation Riminov lost its charitable status in 2007 for not filing mandatory information with the Canada Revenue Agency. But a new charitable organization, the Society for Spiritual Development, was registered in 2004, aiming “to create a centre for meditation and prayer, (to) establish schools, to develop spiritual and religious ideals (and) provide assistance to needy people,” according to its annual filings with the federal tax agency.
“We do a lot of stuff. We do our schooling, synagogue, our kosher (food) stuff. There’s also the books we are printing,” Mayer Rosner, a Lev Tahor leader in Chatham-Kent, Ont., who served as vice-president of Congregation Riminov from 2003 to 2007, told The Toronto Star.
Annual revenues for “The Society for Spiritual Development” between 2004 and 2010 ranged from $20,000 to $36,000 while the organization spent between $15,000 to $89,500 carrying out its operations.
But in 2011, the community received a donation from an unnamed registered charity to the tune of $4.3 million, CRA filings show. In 2012, the Society for Spiritual Development transferred $3.3 million to another Jewish charity in Quebec, the Canadian Friends of Holy Land Institutions.
Lev Tahor’s Rosner refused to say who provided the $4.3 million but confirmed it was for an unspecified development that “didn’t work out.”
An Israeli source with knowledge of the Lev Tahor group told The Star community members survive mainly on government welfare payments that are given to the group’s leadership. The money is allegedly then rationed out to the 40-odd families, which has been described as a method of exerting control over members.
“Already the payments to families in Quebec are generous. It’s what, $1,700, $2,000 for a family that has five or six children?” said the source in Israel who has assisted former Lev Tahor members. “But the money doesn’t go to the families. The money goes to the sect’s leadership.”
Photo/ National Post
(Jacob Kornbluh – YWN)
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8 Responses
the crook was driven out of Monsey–Israel Canada what he did to cildren———-menuval His Org .has the right name Lev Tomai how did he pick such a good name????
These groups are mavens are grants, exemptions, government programs, tax deductions, etc.
The bottom line is ALWAYS MONEY, and in this case LOTS OF IT!
Sit tight, everybody. Humpty Dumpty is about to have a greeaat fall.
I knew it was only a matter of time. Cherche la gelt
these so called jews are nothing but the erev rav the same erev rav that was in the midbar u will see one day the ground will open up and swallow them . its horrible just to loo at the way they treat their women & children , dressing their women and girls like muslems , I hear that this group is looking into going to Iran , very good they surely belong there with all the talibans.
They are not in any shape or way part of am yisrael they do not act like respectful yidden.
A lot of haters. Take it easy folks.
#5. Agree. This imho is religious freedom. Prove it that people are being forced to stay there, etc. and then I’ll start believing this hateful article sorry jacob kornbluh. it’s about time you as well as other brothers start finding good in yiddin rather than only gossip or even Bologna Just making up stuff without any justification or proof other than you don’t approve is just motzee sheim rah! Not nice! Hurting us all. and promotes anti semitism.! Thanks!
1) The real question here is who are the nutcases who are supporting this shameful institution?!
2) #4 – It would be appreciated if you would think twice before commenting. You’re words are utter nonsense without any proofs or basis. Most of these people are just misguided Baalei Teshuvot(except of course for the crooked money greedy leaders). This is akin to the Kaballah Cult.
$4.3M from an unnamed charitable organization?
It was a real-estate deal that was masterminded as how to launder the money and use it to purches some properties, for others!!! same time by doing that(using their tax emption) they avoided the taxes due to the Canadian goverment that has Rachmonus and took in this monster Shlomo Hell-branz into Canada. The person who they did this laundering for gave them a nice cut $$$$$$$$$$$
This might be shocking,brcause after all this cult is very holy, but Nachman (the son of the gangster who led this elegal project)knows it’s true!!! this is not made up, Cult leaders wwhen you get caught you will feel the pain you have caused to so many inisint women and children.
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“Lev Tahor’s Rosner refused to say who provided the $4.3 million but confirmed it was for an unspecified development that “didn’t work out.” thats a lie Rosner is looking for a way out of this. why would he refuse to name the contributer? because they broke the lay by “money laundering”.