This week, prominent rabbonim, rebbes, and askanim gathered in the Boro Park neighborhood of Brooklyn for an emergency meeting to explore different avenues for rescuing children suffering under the control of the Lev Tahor cult. The meeting focused on potential methods of transferring children to foster families across the United States, Canada, and other countries.
The emergency gathering took place at the home of the Munkatcher Rebbe in Boro Park. Among the notable attendees were the rebbes of Satmar, Papa, Viznitz-Williamsburg, Vien, Viznitz-Boro Park, Stutchin, Rav Aryeh Malkiel Kotler, Rosh Yeshiva of Beis Medrash Govoah in Lakewood, the Rov of Bobov-45, and others.
This urgent assembly was convened after Rav Chaim Yosef Dovid Weiss, a noted dayan in the Satmar kehillah in Antwerp, who has long been active in the mitzvah of Pidyon Shvuyim, visited Guatemala. During his visit, he spoke with local authorities and gained firsthand insight into the plight of the children in the cult, witnessing the suffering they endure.
Meanwhile, a family that had been ensnared by the Lev Tahor cult successfully escaped its clutches. The parents, former members of the cult, were granted custody of their children by a Guatemalan court following a legal battle supported by community activists, rabbonim, and survivors of the sect.
The father is the son of one of the current leaders of the sect, while the mother’s parents are also leaders within Lev Tahor. Additionally, one family member is incarcerated in a U.S. federal prison for serious crimes, including human trafficking and kidnapping.
Furthermore, official government representatives from Guatemala met with Jewish community leaders, including rabbonim from the U.S. and Europe, to discuss the Lev Tahor cult. Among those present were the country’s Attorney General and the President of the Supreme Court. The purpose of the meeting was to address the cult’s activities in Guatemala and explore ways to protect the children and prevent further abuse.
Meanwhile, community activists and rabbonim are awaiting a decision from Guatemala’s Supreme Court regarding the fate of the children and minors currently in welfare facilities since December 2024. This followed a police raid on the cult’s compound, prompted by horrifying testimonies about the activities taking place there.
{Matzav.com}