Leader of cult-like Jewish sect that fled Canada is convicted of nighttime kidnap of child bride

Two members of an extremist sect, including the group’s spokesman when they lived in Canada, were convicted in New York of kidnapping and child sexual exploitation.

Nachman Helbrans and Mayer Rosner were found guilty of masterminding the kidnapping of a 14-year-old girl and her 12-year-old brother from their mother, who had fled the Lev Tahor compound in Guatemala, to return the girl to her adult “husband.”

Rosner, 45, was the genial but guarded spokesman for the Lev Tahor when 200 members of their sect left their homes in Quebec and settled on the outskirts of Chatham, Ont., east of Windsor.

Continue reading at https://www.saltwire.com/atlantic-canada/news/leader-of-cult-like-jewish-sect-that-fled-canada-is-convicted-of-nighttime-kidnap-of-child-bride-100657354/

2 leaders of Jewish Lev Tahor cult convicted of kidnapping, child exploitation

Two top leaders of the extremist Jewish group Lev Tahor were convicted of child sexual exploitation and kidnapping by a federal court in New York on Wednesday.

Nachman Helbrans and Mayer Rosner face a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison and a maximum sentence of life in prison for the conviction. The sentence for the case at the federal Southern District of New York court will be meted out later by a judge.

“Nachman Helbrans and Mayer Rosner brazenly kidnapped two children from their mother in the middle of the night to return a 14-year-old girl to an illegal sexual relationship with an adult man. Today’s verdict makes clear that our Office – and our law enforcement partners – will not be deterred from achieving justice for victims of child sexual exploitation,” said US Attorney Damian Williams.

Continue reading at https://www.timesofisrael.com/2-leaders-of-jewish-lev-tahor-cult-convicted-of-kidnapping-child-exploitation/

'They tried to make me marry my 12-year-old cousin'

An 18-year-old who fled an extremist Jewish cult called Lev Tahor has recounted his horrific upbringing in the group - revealing that his father died after the leaders refused to let him see a doctor.

Mendy Levy, who was born in Canada in 2003, recalled being forced to swim in freezing cold, snake-filled water and eat hot pepper if he told a lie. When he was 15 years old, he was told he had to marry his 12 year old cousin, and that was the last straw for him.

Mendy said the group, which was founded by Shlomo Helbrans in the 1980s, was about 'total control.'

Continue reading at https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-10178989/18-year-old-fled-extremist-Jewish-cult-Lev-Tahor-recounts-horrific-upbringing-group.html