The following is a report by Sun News:
A third Lev Tahor child is now at SickKids hospital in Toronto, severely dehydrated from a hunger strike, a spokeswoman for the group says.
“We do not know how many children are hunger striking, as no contact is allowed with them,” Pamela Palmer said.
Earlier this week, she said two kids were refusing food – to protest being separated from their parents – and one was at the Toronto hospital after returning to Canada from Trinidad and Tobago where they had been intercepted by authorities after fleeing Canada.
Palmer now says three kids were admitted to SickKids.
The children were among nine members of the ultra-orthodox Jewish community detained in Trinidad and Tobago while en route to join other members who had gone to Guatemala.
Their parents were waiting for them in Guatemala when the children were intercepted and flown back to Canada, Palmer said.
Six children remain in Guatemala.
Palmer said another two children, named in a Quebec court apprehension order, were intercepted in Calgary.
The Jewish sect has had a very public dispute with child welfare authorities over allegations of child abuse.
More than 200 Lev Tahor members left Quebec last fall as a child-welfare probe closed in. They settled in Chatham just days before a Quebec court ordered 14 kids from three families be taken into temporary foster care.
A judge later ordered the group to stay put in Chatham-Kent while an appeal process unfolded.
The 14 children left Chatham days before Lev Tahor’s appeal of an Ontario judge’s order upholding the Quebec decision.
Lev Tahor has denied the allegations of child abuse and neglect, including of forced marriages of girls as young as 14. The group says it’s being persecuted because it teaches its own kids and doesn’t follow Quebec’s secular education system.
Palmer said high-profile Toronto lawyer Clayton Ruby was expected to meet Lev Tahor members Monday afternoon to discuss their circumstances.
Ruby told QMI Agency Monday he wasn’t representing Lev Tahor, but Palmer said the group is trying to gather enough money for a retainer fee.
(Source: Sun News)
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5 Responses
So Canada will let the kids starve themselves to death (or force feed them tied down to a hospital bed for a year or two) rather than allow them to return to their own parents.
How wise.
Another news source is reporting that the 14 year old is now unconscious and was rushed to the hospital.
soo sad!
This children and all the children should be removed from there. This cult should be destroyed, that’s simple logic, how to do it that’s an other storie
Quebec didnt care a flip about the community (I do not call the community a cult!) until, a fry relative in Israel started contacting the likes of Canadian Jewish Congress flipping out and making noise.
What really did it, was phone calls from an angry and vengeful government of Israel, who was very upset when upon not giving permission to some of the community to fly to Canada, so they went to Jordan so they could go. This really irked Israel, who made lots of calls and has been busy since putting pressure to crush the openly ANTI-zionist group. Some of the community members travel to Belgium and Iran, are to say the least involved with Neturei Karta. THis is one of the main reasons they are persecuted.
Other reasons include, (but Quebec couldnt care less before) homeschooling, not teaching them french or english (most of the kids know enough in reality), and the great unforgiveable crimes, raising girls to be housewives, marrying more closely in accordance with the dictates of Hazal. Not giving girls/ young women formal education in a classroom with books 5-6 hours day realy freaks them out.
THe above is all true, and is perfectly in order according to halacha, and the marryikng younger and raising girls.young women to be housewives and mothers is extremely commendable!
THe rest, allegations of torture and poor hygeine are like things thrown in to inflate the charges, keywords, word dropping to set off alarm bells in peoples heads.
This group, is persecuted, from the day they irked State of Israel, and with the actions of a fry relative in Israel. Nothing more to see, stop slandering them, and saying all the horrible things!
I visited them in Ste Agathe. THe teffilah in the SHul was incredible. I wish them my best, and will continue to condemn Motsei Shem Ra that is levelled against them.