Members of the Lev Tahor cult have found a new residence after wandering from Guatemala to Iraq, Turkey, Albania, and Moldova, with a group of them having apparently settled in Sarajevo, the capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Local Bosnian media outlets reported on the cult, quoting residents who expressed fears about their presence in the city, noting that “the leaders of this cult have been charged with the worst crimes.”
One resident was quoted as saying: “The women are dressed in burqas, covered, as well as the girls. Men and boys are dressed the same. The moment I open my door, I see one of them watching me from the porch or the yard. I feel anxious and worried. We’re afraid for the children.”
Residents emphasized that “there’s no place here for this group” and “we insist that they leave.” Some of them even said: “We’ll sell our houses. We don’t want to live in an environment in which we don’t feel that our children and families are safe. Should we wait for something to happen? They don’t have a place here. No excuses are acceptable. We want a solution.”
One resident said that he read on the Internet that the group is “an extremist religious group that is fighting charges of kidnapping, marriages of minors and child abuse.”
(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)
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30 Responses
Leave them alone already. They pose no threat to anyone, they are no more a cult then Reform Jews. Ok, they marry the children but so did everyone just two hundred years ago or less.
How are they able to fly around the world? I thought the Lev Tomei cult are extremely anti any kind of vaccine?
Are we ok with people practicing the religion of their choice ONLY if it is a religion we approve or do we think that people who practice putrid religions should also have the freedom to practice it? Obviously, criminals need to pay for their crimes and cannot hide behind religion but so long as they are not breaking any laws why can’t we leave them alone?
until recently, certain chassidic sects allowed 15-17 year olds to get married even though it was against the law where they resided – why doesn’t that bother anyone in the heimish world? because the religion they practice is approved by frum society?
I pray to hashem that none of my children ever chas veshalom stray into other religions such as christianity, islam or lev tahor and will fight tooth and nail if any of them chas veshalom flirts with such an idea so i understand the revolting feeling lev tahor gives us on a personal level but do we or do we not believe in the freedom of religion?
Besalel: Until 4 years ago it was legal for 14 years olds to marry anywhere in New York State.
As much as I oppose Lev Tahor, these comments seem to stem from anti-Jewish feelings more than anything else.
Previous kool aid drinkers on board— actually turning Christian is better than this .
Are the ones with the brown hoods the men of the cult?
If you think Lev Tahor is a normal group of people, watch this: https://youtu.be/m95BTIEpvOc
P.S. Credits to shiezoli for the video.
This is not about freedom of religion. A country may offer freedom of religion. But Torah Law does not permit anyone to alter it to suit their preferences or cultish beliefs. There is no question at all that what this cult pushes is NOT Torah Law. Very little resemblance exists between what they do and true Yiddishkeit. Except that they call themselves Jewish. And that is the beef. On top of all that blasphemy, they are horrifically guilty of massive and obscene levels of abuse and violence. That is the justified fears of any of the countries that ended up becoming their hosts. Canada, US, Mexico, Guatemala, etc. They get identified, and once the heat turns up, they look to relocate. I daven they should disband, let all their victims go for treatment for their trauma, all the perpetrators to be arrested and locked away for the rest of their lives. LT has proven to be a stubborn cancer, and the Torah world as well as the secular world needs to be rid of these apikorsim once and for all.
besalel, really now. Are we speaking against Christians and moderate Muslims? No, we are not. We are speaking against a cult, a cult that looks scary and is scary. This has gotten out of hand. They should’ve been disbanded when they were still situated in Monsey 30 years ago.
Agreed. LEAVE THEM ALONE!!!!!!!!!
‘We want a solution’ – quote from the above article by an unnamed resident. That sounds like a Nazi yms, what a disgusting resident if that is a true quote.
Lev Tahor has done nothing wrong, stop slandering Lev Tahor!
ready:
Are you back? Are you returning to push the agenda of apikorsus on us? LT is not just a cult, but one that blasphemizes. It claims that these abusive baalei aveiro are fulfilling commandments of the Torah. That’s a dirty lie, and you know it. This is not lashon horah. This is warning anyone from getting involved in anything these missionaries do. And that is a chiyuv. From the flogging, to the ridiculous diets. From the masquerade in burkas (in the name of tznius) to the elimination of Torah Shebe’al peh. The allegiance to the leader – avodah zarah. Stop your evil now. And may all of Klal Yisroel be protected from these menaces. May all victims be rescued, and all the resho’im imprisoned. And when you guys get locked up, I will visit to provide you all with some stones to grind your wheat.
This reporting sounds anti semitic, leave them alone already.
The issue with Lev Tahor is that their leaders make their own decisions, whereby, every other Jewish sect collaborates with each other. Also, they have weak Mesorah as Rabbi Helbrans,as well as, many of their leaders did not grow up FFB.
Lev Tahor is a wicked and vicious cult. The leaders commit torture to men, women and children. If there is any way to disband this group, it should be done regardless of any amount of difficulty involved. Lo saamod al dam re’echo.
All commentators who say otherwise are either oblivious to all that has been reliably uncovered about these resha’im, or more likely, those commentators are closely connected to them, or are actually them.
Leave them alone. They are no harm to anyone else other than themselves. If they choose this lifestyle, let them be.
This is all Motzi Shem ra, you will all burn!
ready now, You say they have done nothing wrong, however the article quotes ” I see one of them watching me from the porch or the yard. “, . I personally would feel uncomfortable having a neighbor Peeping Tom. Its weird.
And lets not cheapen the term Nazi by throwing it around.
I am not at all pro Lev Tahor but the reaction of the local residents is pure anti-Semitism and has nothing to do with real fear of harm unless they believe that Jews bake matzah with the blood of Christian children.
“We want a solution.” sounds particularly eerie, reminiscent of the Final Solution which is probably what these people want. And that coveted solution includes you, me and every Yid worldwide however we dress and whatever style of observance or non-observance.
Lev Tahor is a cult, not a religion. They abuse the children and disturb normal family life. This is not bigotry, it is honest reporting. I fear for all the members.
Besalel-at this point, the child marriage is probably one of the lesser problems on the totem poll. The abuse, denigrating and ideology is more important.
Watched an interesting interview with escapee Mendy Levy (I think)-the 2 male “representatives” from Lev Tahor on the video just made food of themselves, acted like immature adults trying to justify their behavior.
I guess they now have a Jewish problem.
Maybe they read about them on Yeshivaworld.com.
Maybe they will suffer from anti semitic behaviour because of this.
Maybe Yeshivaworld should clarify that they may be a danger to themselves, but not to general society.
Poor Bosnia!!
Dangerous persons who should be stopped. The list of crimes are long and the they should be prosecuted as well as there men’s behind them.
Interesting is the fact that some of there members or former members are ready to everything to get same Dollars. For example they kidnapped just recently a US?- Israeli citizen, who they believed his family is rich. He is a so called half orphan……. They have a lot of help in Monsey and Boro Park. Same Mexican Ger family in Monsey, illegal in the US….. Same guy in Boro Park rises money for them. And two Yeshivot were same of there of their (former) members are connected to: Derech Chaim in Boro Park and Torat David in Monsey……
Leave them alone.
All these big talkers here don’t do anything about the reform heretics or the open orthodox apikorsim. Why pick on Jews who daven and learn Torah. If you classify them as a cult they are no different than any chassidisha group.
@ Elazar Valk
You are 100% wrong!!! That are terrible, EVIL People! They beat and hit and molester kids!! And they do so much more Evilness!
This is definitely a cult, based off of Yiddishkeit. As long as they exist all we can do is daven and there should be an organization (maybe there is already?) to make a pesach for anyone who wants to leave
The fact is they live by following the strict interpretation of the TORAH law, are we not supposed to follow the law, one Media misconception or term used is marriage of minors and we Jews should know by Torah Law a minor is less than Bar and Bat Mitzva, hashem said the Torah will never change. So what if the marry Teenager’s according to the goish law. They are not breaking the Jewish Law. Wich should be our concern. Punishment I think again that according to the Torah you need 2 witness that saw in the same moment to make that claim not 2 o 3 lame excuses of NETFLIX: UNORTHODOX SERIES. The truth is that people leave ultra orthodox keilot, and most of them leave angry. And bring this lame false accusations on the public.
WHERE in the TORAH, SHULCHAN ARUCH, TOR ETC do we find it is a mitzva to believe what the Goish authorities claim, or the apikorsim instead of the words of other religious JEWS?.
What I do find in the Torah is that Afilu we consider them as our enemies, if they are still jews Hashem commanded us TO HELP THEM, NOT TO FALL. “if you see the donkey of your enemy falling on his weight, HELP HIM”. So my dear fellow Jews I do think we have been in galut such a long time that now we are forgetting what our holy creator wrote on his Torah “the little I know” please go back and read your chumash, nochemol and nochemol until it heals you.