Yoel and Mendy Levy, who escaped as teens from Lev Tahor's Guatemalan complex in 2016, returned to the site of their trauma yesterday as part of their recovery process.
It was the first time the brothers had returned to the site since leaving the location where the bulk of their trauma took place.
Inside, they found streimels, hats, and other religious items strewn on the ground and ruined by the rain (more info: https://www.levtahorsurvivors.com/post/dozens-of-streimels-discarded-at-lev-tahor-cult-s-guatemala-compound). They also found the demolished and charred remains of every structure including the Synagogue, Matzah bakery, and tents that served as cult members' homes.
They then went to pay respect to their father who was buried near the road in a makeshift cemetery. However, they were spotted on surveillance equipment set up by Lev Tahor's security team - who quickly dispatched an armed guard to the cemetery. The guard ordered the brothers to leave the premises and escorted them out of the complex.
Mendy and Yoel are currently working on rebuilding their lives from scratch - having learned little to no life-skills that an average person takes for granted. They are also working to bring awareness to the plight of their family still trapped in the cult, in the hopes they will be reunited once again - in a healthy environment.
Yoel's story:
Mendy's story: