After the rescue of 160 minors who were on a farm run by the Orthodox community Lev Tahor in Guatemala, Mexico put its southern border on high alert and is working in a coordinated manner with the government of Bernardo Arévalo to prevent the leaders of this sect from fleeing to Chiapas.
“After the rescue of the 160 minors from a farm in the Department of Santa Rosa, it is very likely that this community will try to flee to Mexico, specifically to Chiapas, where this sect has been established since 1994. Both countries must be on high alert and work in a coordinated manner to prevent those responsible from fleeing,” states the alert to which El Sol de México had access.
It adds that to protect its leaders, the sect may try to illegally cross the border into Mexico, mixed in with the thousands of undocumented migrants who try to reach the United States every day.
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“We are in fact on maximum alert and in cooperation with Guatemala, we have held a couple of meetings in the last few days to coordinate the surveillance of the common border,” confirmed a source from the undersecretary for Latin America and the Caribbean, of the Mexican Foreign Ministry, who asked not to be identified.
The rescue of the minors took place on December 20 in the department of Santa Rosa, a town located about 100 kilometers south of the Guatemalan capital, as part of an operation against Human Trafficking.
Since its founding in 1988 in Israel, the Lev Tahor community has been involved in various accusations of forced marriages, human trafficking, sexual abuse and child abuse in countries where it has managed to establish itself, such as the United States, Canada, Mexico, Guatemala, Kurdistan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Romania, and since 2022 in North Macedonia.
In September 2022, the Chiapas police, with the support of former Mossad agents, raided a camp of the Orthodox group in Tapachula, following accusations of child abuse and human trafficking.
On that occasion, Moshe Yosef Rosner and Menachen Enden Alter, two of the leaders, were arrested on charges of organized crime and human trafficking, but both were released due to lack of evidence.
According to information from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the sect, whose name in Spanish means “Pure Heart,” has become famous for its extreme practices and imposing a strict regime on its members.
The FBI has determined that single women must cover themselves with black clothing from head to toe, leaving their face barely visible, while married women must cover their hair and collarbones, wear dark stockings and a skirt that reaches below their knees when sitting. Men, on the other hand, usually wear beards and peot, as the curls that fall to the sides of the head are called. Their commitment to modesty is reflected in the use of dark suits and wide-brimmed hats.
Their diet is Kosher, which must comply with certain biblical norms that practitioners of Judaism can eat. As for drinks, they only drink milk from cows that they can milk themselves and they make their own wine. Children, on the other hand, cannot eat candy, they must limit themselves to eating homemade chocolate or fruits, nuts and seeds.
“This community rigorously practices Orthodox Judaism. The men lead decision-making under the guidance of strict leadership and participate in activities aimed at ensuring the autonomy and continuity of the community,” says an analysis of the group prepared by the FBI.
While some describe Lev Tahor as an Orthodox community, it follows its own rules and has been considered a “dangerous cult.” “They feel contempt for other branches of Judaism, which they consider too lenient and describe as despicable and degenerate,” says the FBI in an analysis of the fundamentalist group.
In their defense, their leaders deny having violated local laws and say they are persecuted for their convictions. The Israeli authorities themselves recognize that their members consider themselves to be the defenders of the last flame left in the Jewish world.
According to the sources, as part of the cooperation against Lev Tahor, it was agreed to reinforce inspections on the common border with the dispatch of special forces (kaibiles) by Guatemala, and the National Guard in Mexico.
In addition, both security forces will reinforce, each on their own, surveillance patrols and exchange of intelligence and information.
“This is a group that has been accustomed to scandal and to fleeing for decades, so it would not be surprising if they tried to take refuge in Mexico, especially if there is evidence of their guilt or the risk of being arrested,” says Paolo Rosas, a specialist in fundamentalist groups.
He adds that one of the characteristics of fundamentalist groups is living in constant persecution, as they become addicted to adrenaline.
Source: oem
