Colombian authorities said on Sunday that they had rescued 17 minors from members of a fundamentalist ultra-Orthodox Jewish cult under investigation for alleged child sex abuse.
Guatemalan authorities say Lev Tahor, or “Pure Heart” in Hebrew, engages in child abuse.
“We have rescued 17 boys, girls and teens,” the country’s immigration service said on X, with pictures of some of the children, their faces blurred. “International alerts have been issued over crimes against minors associated with this community.”
The organization, which has been described as the “Jewish Taliban,” was founded in Jerusalem in 1988 by the anti-Zionist Rabbi Shlomo Helbrans. Its members moved from Israel to the United States and back before heading to Canada, Guatemala and Mexico, often fleeing child welfare agencies. They have also stayed in several Eastern European countries as well as Turkey for shorter periods.
The cult follows an extreme fundamentalist form of Jewish practice, including head-to-toe black coverings for girls from the age of three.
Last year, Interpol issued an international arrest warrant for a leader of Lev Tahor. Jonathan Emmanuel Cardona Castillo, 23, is wanted by Guatemala on charges including human trafficking, rape and abuse of minors, the international police organization said in a Red Notice.