Lev Tahor Members in Guatemala Contracted Typhus

Back in April, I wrote about the squalid conditions of the Lev Tahor members who fled Ontario, Canada, to the small town of San Juan la Laguna in Guatamala beginning in March of this year. They chose the particular town because of a small community of locals, known as Torat Jesed, who observe Jewish … [Read more...]

Open Letter: Save My Nieces from Lev Tahor Abuse

The following update was sent to me by Oded Twik, whose sister's family is part of the extreme hassidic group of Lev Tahor. Please Save My Nieces from Lev Tahor Abuse: An Open Letter to Canada By Oded Twik On May 29, 2014, a family court in Ontario will decide the fate of my two oldest nieces, … [Read more...]

Exclusive: Squalid, Dangerous Conditions of Lev Tahor Children in Guatemala

For an update, see Save My Nieces from Lev Tahor Abuse. Statement by Oded Twik on Behalf of All Family Members of Lev Tahor in Israel: I, Oded Twik, recently visited my sister, a member of Lev Tahor, in Guatemala. The following is based on my first-hand observations, which are outlined in the … [Read more...]

Ex-Lev Tahor Members Tell of Abuse, Expulsion, Teen Marriage

The extremist Jewish group Lev Tahor has made it back into the news. The group is led by Rabbi Shlomo Helbrans, who was convicted for kidnapping in New York in 1994 and jailed for two years. Nathan Helbrans, son of Shlomo, left the group last year after reporting that his resistance to orders … [Read more...]

Bnei Baruch Kabbalah Laam: Politics and Money

In March, 2009, I wrote about Bnei Baruch Kabbalah Center in Petach Tikva, Is Bnei Baruch a Cult?. In January, 2011, I posted a first-hand account of a former member. Since then, the post has shot up in Google rankings and gets about 400 visitors a month. In August 2012, Haaretz published an … [Read more...]

Bnei Baruch Kabbalah La-Am Victim Shares His Story

In April 2009 I wrote a post about the Bnei Baruch Kabbalah La-Am. Since then the post has had a steady stream of search traffic, along with comments from both members and former members. I recently closed comments there both because I did not want to give more space to members, and because a former … [Read more...]

Local Kabbalah Cult?

"So who is moving into Kiryat Matalon as the older people die out?" I ask the woman I met in the park (let's call her P). P has just explained that Kiryat Matalon, her upscale neighborhood at the western entrance of Petach Tikvah, no longer has enough kids to justify its own elementary … [Read more...]

Takanah to investigate Megeirot

This morning Makor Rishon has a follow-up to the expose of Megeirot.  Click hereto read all posts on the subject.[MR's Introductory Paragraph] The investigation of Makor Rishon on the "Megeirot Method" of Sylvia Dehari drew many responses and brought about exposure of additional difficult stories. … [Read more...]

Housekeeping and religion: More on Megeirot

Homemaking is a challenge for many Jewish women. Some people are just disorganized. Some did not have competent mothers, or mothers who ran an observant Jewish home, or mothers at all. Add a few small children and maybe a job, and you have a tremendous challenge.Flylady has helped many make progress … [Read more...]