Colombian authorities rescued 17 minors from the ultra-Orthodox Lev Tahor Jewish sect in the country’s northwest on Saturday, including several foreigners.
Lev Tahor (“Pure Heart” in Hebrew) has recently been the subject of prosecutions for child abuse and molestation in countries such as Guatemala. Colombian authorities have received warnings about its presence in the country.
“We rescued 17 children and teenagers from the Lev Tahor Orthodox Jewish sect (…) There is an international alert for crimes against minors linked to this community,” said the immigration service on X, accompanying its message with photos of some of the minors.
The minors came from various countries, including Guatemala, America and Canada, according to police reports.
Religious doctrine
“There are indications that some people may have been abducted, which may be a case of human trafficking under the guise of religious doctrine,” police said.
Some of the sect’s followers were targeted by an Interpol red notice, an international alert issued at the request of police services to ask police around the world to arrest them. According to authorities, the sect members are in Colombia “looking for a country where they will not be subject to restrictions to continue their illegal activities.”
Founded in the 1980s, the sect practices a radical form of Judaism, which requires women to wear black tunics that cover them from head to toe.
In December 2024, Guatemalan authorities rescued 160 children during searches in the south of the country prompted by suspicions of human trafficking “in the form of forced pregnancies, child abuse, and rape.”
