The Knesset Committee for Immigration, Absorption and Diaspora Affairs convened on Monday to discuss the fate of children rescued from the extremist Lev Tahor sect in Guatemala, urging the Israeli government to take immediate action.
Of the 160 minors removed from the sect's compound in December, approximately 100 are eligible for Israeli citizenship, while the rest are American and Canadian nationals. Testimonies indicate the children face serious risks, including long-term trauma from abuse. They are currently housed in Guatemalan shelters and require rehabilitation.
Lev Tahor, a radical ultra-Orthodox sect founded in Jerusalem in the late 1980s by Shlomo Helbrans, is known for its extreme religious practices and allegations of severe physical and psychological abuse. The group, which has moved across several countries, is now based in Guatemala, where two of its leaders, Yoel Goldman and Nissan Yehoshua Yehuda Malka, were recently arrested on charges of child abuse and human trafficking.
During the committee hearing, former sect members and family representatives stressed the urgency of securing the children's relocation to Israel. Survivors described harsh living conditions, forced starvation and total isolation from the outside world. One former member, who managed to rescue his son from the sect in 2022, said he had long dreamed of being saved by the Israeli government.
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Relatives of children still in the sect accused Israeli authorities of inaction, warning that Guatemala would not hold the minors indefinitely. "The Guatemalan police did Israel’s hardest work. Now, the government must complete the mission and bring them home," said one family member.
Shas MK Yinon Azoulay, who raised the issue in parliament, emphasized that children as young as 13 within the sect were already parents. He criticized Israel’s refusal to send sect survivors back to Guatemala to assist in the rescue efforts. "The government delegation should have stayed until they returned with all the children on a plane to Israel," he said.
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Guatemalan police during a raid on the Lev Tahor compound last year
(Photo: REUTERS/Cristina Chiquin)
Israeli officials acknowledged the complexity of the situation. A representative from the Prime Minister’s Office reported that 139 minors, mostly between the ages of two and nine, remain in Guatemalan protective facilities. The Foreign Ministry said that bureaucratic and legal challenges complicate their return but stressed that efforts are ongoing.
Committee chairman MK Gilad Kariv called for a follow-up session, demanding clear data on the number of Israelis in Lev Tahor, a defined government strategy and a timeline for action. "This is an Israeli issue with international consequences," he said, urging the government to decide whether to send officials to work directly with Guatemalan authorities.
Officials also discussed the financial and logistical challenges of repatriation, with the Foreign Ministry estimating that bringing the children to Israel would require significant funding. Some of the minors may qualify for Israeli citizenship under the Law of Return, potentially facilitating their relocation.
The committee concluded with a call for urgent governmental intervention to prevent the children from being moved again and disappearing into the sect’s global network.