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Shocking New Details Revealed in Death of Lev Tahor Cult Leader


JERUSALEM (VINnews) — Yoel Levy, former member of Lev Tahor, revealed stunning new details about the death of cult leader Shlomo Helbrans, as well as the events leading up to it.


Mr. Levy, who escaped the cult, described to B’Chadrei Charedim how the 2017 drowning took place, and how the cult fled Guatemala on Shabbos. He said that Helbrans feared that he would be caught imminently, so they fled in the middle of the night. They traveled 15 hours on Shabbos to Mexico, with Helbrans claiming it was “pikuach nefesh”, since “Zionists and American authorities” were after him.


The Friday of Helbrans’ death, a few weeks after they arrived in Mexico, he immersed in the river before Shabbos, clutching a rope that was held by his Gabbai standing at the river bank.


Life after Lev Tahor: 18-year-old grateful to be back in Quebec


Mendy Levy is an enthusiastic 18-year-old Jewish DJ and photographer who loves to play his keyboard and share pictures and videos on social media. But growing up in the ultra-orthodox community of Lev Tahor, none of those activities were allowed.


"The synagogue, the rabbi's house, my own house, there's a lot of memories in each part of this place," Levy told Radio-Canada during a visit to the former Lev Tahor community in Sainte-Agathe-des-Monts, Que. — about 100 kilometres north of Montreal.


"Bad memories, mostly," he said. "The abuse we had, the hitting, every single thing that I went through here.


"But I definitely have some good memories of being with my family, my mother," he said.


Sous l’emprise de la secte Lev Tahor


Mendy Levy a grandi sous le joug de la secte juive extrémiste Lev Tahor. Il a vécu avec des membres de ce groupe à Saint-Agathe-des-Monts avant d'être enlevé avec d'autres enfants et amené de force d'abord en Ontario, puis au Guatemala d'où il s'est enfui. Aujourd'hui âgé de 18 ans, Mendy Levy goûte enfin à la liberté.

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