Colombia raids Lev Tahor compound, rescuing 17 boys, girls, and teens from cult members.

 

Authorities in Colombia announced Sunday night that they had rescued 17 minors from the Lev Tahor cult.

"We rescued 17 boys, girls, and teenagers," Colombia’s immigration authority wrote on X, alongside blurred images of some of the children. "International alerts have been issued regarding crimes against minors connected to this group."

A police report added: “There are indications that some may be victims of kidnapping, suggesting possible human trafficking disguised as religious activity.”

MK Gilad Kariv, who chairs the Knesset Committee for Immigration, Absorption, and Diaspora Affairs, responded: "I commend the Colombian authorities for rescuing 17 minors from the clutches of the Lev Tahor cult."

"The fact that members of the cult were caught in Colombia shows the group's efforts to hide from the eyes of the authorities, and should worry the Israeli government," he added. "As we have repeatedly demanded in Committee hearings, the Israeli government must adopt a clear directive to bring all the sect’s children to Israel - for rescue and rehabilitation."

Last month, approximately ten families affiliated Lev Tahor, who had recently resettled in the New York area, fled to Honduras during the Simchat Torah and Shemini Atzeret holidays.

Their flight followed direct instructions from the sect’s imprisoned leadership, currently serving sentences in a federal prison in Brooklyn.

These families had previously regained custody of their children from welfare authorities in Guatemala after committing to leave the cult, which was officially dismantled earlier this month.

However, some of the families secretly regrouped in New York and coordinated an escape to Honduras, a country known for weak child protection policies.

The directive to flee during the Jewish holiday, thereby desecrating it, was reportedly issued by the cult’s incarcerated leaders, who were convicted of severe crimes against children and members of the sect. The timing was calculated to avoid detection which could have thwarted the escape.

A source familiar with the situation stated, "Honduras is a corrupt country, similar to Guatemala. This was all done through manipulation by the jailed leaders, who convinced the families that it was better to live in a country with no Jewish presence than to remain in America."