On Sunday, Israel’s State Prosecutor’s International Department filed a request for extradition with authorities in El Salvador for Elazar Rompler, a prominent member of the extremist group Lev Tahor.
Rompler had been apprehended last month in Central America. The request stems from a 2020 indictment that charges him with committing severe physical and emotional abuse against two minors between 2009 and 2011, alongside aggravated assault, related to his involvement with the cult.
Due to the gravity of the accusations, a court session was arranged at the Yerushalayim District Court in December 2020. However, Rompler managed to flee to Guatemala, using a counterfeit passport. The indictment outlines his actions as a former principal in the Lev Tahor community’s educational system, where he allegedly inflicted significant harm on minors while the group was stationed in Canada. His lawyer informed prosecutors in 2020 that Rompler had escaped to Guatemala, violating a travel restriction placed on him.
As stated in the indictment, Rompler inflicted violent abuse on two students at his school in Canada. In one instance, he believed a student had stolen money from tzedakah funds. As punishment, the child was tied to a table to prevent any movement. Rompler, along with another teacher, reportedly beat the child for hours with a belt and a stick, as the child screamed for help and pleaded for the beating to end. The child was left so injured that they could not walk and had to be carried home.
In another case, Rompler accused a student of dishonesty. He and other staff members gathered the children and declared that one of them had lied and must confess. When no one admitted to the act, the student was restrained to a table and whipped for about an hour while Rompler and other teachers observed.
The Ministry of Justice confirmed that Rompler’s arrest came after Israel issued a red notice through Interpol, following his escape. The State Prosecutor’s Office’s International Department has been working diligently to ensure his capture and eventual return to Israel, where he will face trial for the charges against him.
{Matzav.com}