Oratorio, Guatemala – Jewish Community In Guatemala Resettles, Claiming Harassment

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    The founder of Lev Tahoer headed by Rabbi Shlomo Helbrans talking to his followers who prepare to leave Guatemala City, Guatemala, 25 September 2016. EPAOratorio, Guatemala – A community of Orthodox Jews living outside Guatemala’s capital moved out Sunday, claiming persecution because of their faith.

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    The 500-strong group hails from the United States, Israel, Canada, several European countries, Mexico and El Salvador.

    The spokesman of the Lev Tahor community, the US rabbi Uriel Goldman, said his people are moving to a village in eastern Guatemala because of harassment including a raid of the group’s buildings on September 13 on the outskirts of the capital.

    Guatemalan authorities said that search was carried out at the request of Israeli authorities to search for a girl who was barred from leaving Israel.

    The raid was also aimed at investigating allegations of child abuse, the Guatemalan authorities said. The community includes some 150 minors.

    “We cannot take any more,” said Goldman. “We are going to start over.”

    The group is moving to Oratorio, 50 kilometers (30 miles) east of Guatemala City. They have bought land there to build housing but will live in tents for now.

    The Lev Tahor sect left Israel, Canada and the United States amid child abuse allegations.

    “All the accusations are false. It is just ferocious intimidation,” said Guatemalan David Sandoval, referring to the child abuse allegations.

    In Guatemala, this community of Jews first settled in an indigenous Maya farming village but problems arose with local people and they moved to the capital in September 2014.

    Locals said the Jews did not respect local customs.
    Memebers of a Jewish community of aproximately 500 prepare to leave Guatemala City, Guatemala, 25 September 2016. EPA

     The spokesman of the Lev Tahor community, Rabbi Uriel Goldman, speaks to  members who prepare to leave Guatemala City, Guatemala, 25 September 2016.  EPA

    A member of a Jewish community of aproximately 500 prepares to leave Guatemala City, Guatemala, 25 September 2016. EPA


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    31 Comments
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    behiema
    behiema
    7 years ago

    ?ויצאו מגואטמלה ויחנו

    hashomer
    hashomer
    7 years ago

    This group is heading for the next Shabatai
    Tzvi. Or maybe Jews for you know who…

    7 years ago

    Ami vs. Mishpacha. Here we go.

    7 years ago

    throw these bums out of every corner of the earth. This is not judiasm and has no place on this universe for their cult. So what makes this different than skver?
    1) Helbrans has his won chumash. instead of chumash rashi the kids learn chaumsh and R Helbrans perush.
    2) every chosid is totally submissive to the reba. He controls your bank accounts, housing and he distributes food cards. That stinks from cult like behavior.
    3)The reba perscribes pills as he sees fit to his chasdim.

    7 years ago

    Big rachmones on these poor kids. Whoever helped this monster get released from prison when he was convicted for kidnapping needs to do tshuva.

    7 years ago

    Looks like everyone is starving except for the Heiligeh Rebbe.

    Applestein
    Applestein
    7 years ago

    Where are they getting all this money? Who is funding them?

    enodmilvado
    enodmilvado
    7 years ago

    why does Satmar still support them? follow the money.

    Sholi-Katz
    Sholi-Katz
    7 years ago

    Why is everyone “up in arms” against this guy. Can anyone explain to me why he is different then Square or other groups? All over, the Rebbes control everything, the only difference here is he gets ’em to wear burkas, and what is so wrong if that is what floats their boat. Other chassidim force woman to cut off all their hair, if we were not used to it, we would be screaming barbarians. Lev Tohor is jut pushing the envelope an bit. Anyway there is nothing as Tzneias as a burka, a chassidisha girl with a pretty face will still get attention, lets not kid ourselves!

    ayoyo
    ayoyo
    7 years ago

    from the photos it looks like there are a lot of gerim in his camp .

    shmielglassman
    shmielglassman
    7 years ago

    where is the money coming from?
    to the prev comenter satmmar DOES NOT fund this in anywway
    this is a real cult to long to explain
    i reviewed many of the pics from various sites and news close up there is no 500 or 300 also many look mexican…
    kids are real “tinok shenishbah”

    MyThreeCents
    MyThreeCents
    7 years ago

    I knew these people from Canada and they were all very nice. Now I see a lot of new faces in the pictures. They may do some things differently than the rest of us, but, they follow the Shulchan Aruch. If they’re happy in their ways why is everyone bashing them? They’re not proselytizing and trying to make new recruits, so leave them alone.

    WakeUp2
    WakeUp2
    7 years ago

    Seems to make a lot of GARIM along the way.

    commonsense99
    commonsense99
    7 years ago

    When your own kids run away from you, when your ex members need to go into hiding, when u run away on buses in the middle of the night when the child protection services starts to look at you, you know its a cult

    7 years ago

    Nebech, you have to feel sorry for them.

    MayerAlter
    MayerAlter
    7 years ago

    These people need to be loved not pushed away. They are Yidden who are following a way that may not be our way but that just means we should be mekarev them more not spit on them.

    7 years ago

    Many teenage girls are pregnant according to the Canadian government who investigated them.