Two families from the Lev Tahor haredi cult will allegedly comply with a Canadian judge’s order and will return to Quebec for a hearing on allegations allegations of child neglect.
Nachman Helbrans with unidentified Lev Tahor children in an Ontario hotel room earlier this week
2 Lev Tahor Cult Families To Return To Quebec For Court Date, Cult Leader’s Son Says
Shmarya Rosenberg • FailedMessiah.com
Two families from the Lev Tahor haredi cult will allegedly comply with a Canadian judge’s order and will return to Quebec for a hearing on allegations allegations of child neglect, the JTA reported based on Canadian media reports.
Nachman Helbrans, son of the cult’s leader, convicted kidnaper Rabbi Shlomo Helbrans, reportedly said the two families will meet with child protection officials on Wednesday.
Lev Tahor’s 40 families fled their homes in rural Quebec early last week, afraid that Quebec child welfare authorities – who were reportedly scheduled to meet with cult members in court the next day – would put their children in foster care.
The group, which number approximately 200, including 130 children, fled to the the town of Chatham-Kent in rural Ontario and hoped to settle there.
Shlomo Helbrans reportedly controls the cult through the use of extreme violence and mind control. Small children are often removed from their family home by the cult and placed in the home of another cult family to punish the children – or, the parents.
Despite massive evidence of extreme beatings and other violence along with cult mind control tactics used to control members, several hasidic groups, most prominently including Satmar and Tosh, backed Helbrans – even after he was convicted of kidnapping a child in the US.
But in recent years that support has waned as Hebranes abuses became undeniable.
Many, although not all, Lev Tahor adults are Israeli-born.
Women and girls in the sect wear burka-like garments that cover all normally exposed parts of the body, except for part of the face and hands.
Children are only taught religious subjects. No secular subjects are taught and many Lev Tahor members – even the dozens of Lev Tahor children born in Canada – are unable to speak English.
Severe beatings of children in cult by adults are also said to be common.