Colombian authorities just rescued 17 underage girls and boys (some of them American children) from an ultra-Orthodox Jewish cult known as Lev Tahor, one of the most notorious and nomadic extremist sects operating today.
This latest operation comes after years of cross-border investigations into the group’s abuse of minors, its systematic control of families, and its ability to relocate from country to country in an effort to evade prosecution. According to Colombian police, early reports suggest the possibility of kidnapping, forced confinement, and human trafficking, all carried out under the protective guise of religious practice.
Lev Tahor, founded in the 1980s in the state of Israel, has long been described as the “Jewish Taliban”. Its roughly 300 members have migrated between Israel, Guatemala, Canada, the U.S., Mexico, the Balkans, and Colombia, usually fleeing investigations, court orders, or criminal charges. Each time, the group arrives in a new country presenting itself as a persecuted religious minority. Each time, the pattern repeats: children disappear from schools, medical care is denied, marriages are arranged for children, pregnancy is forced, adults are violently controlled, and children are malnourished, uneducated, and neglected.
In December 2024, authorities rescued 160 children from a farm occupied by Lev Tahor. These children reported rampant abuse, coercion, and sexual violence. The Colombian prosecutor overseeing the case said the raid was launched due to credible suspicions of:
- forced pregnancy
- mistreatment of minors
- sexual abuse and rape
- child disappearance and parental separation
- transnational movement of children without documentation
Jewish Cult and Child Trafficking
American Buddhist Net 