Lev Tahor

Lev Tahor (Hebrew: לֵב טָהוֹר, lit. 'pure heart') is a Jewish cult founded in Israel by Shlomo Helbrans in 1988. It consists of about 200–300 members and according to Guatemalan authorities, engages in child sexual abuse, pedophilia and rape. The group claims to follow a fundamentalist form of Jewish practice and adheres to its own atypical interpretations of Jewish law, including practices such as lengthy prayer sessions, arranged marriages between teenagers, and head-to-toe black coverings for girls and women beginning at the age of three. The group has faced accusations of kidnapping, sexual abuse, and child abuse, and some of its members have been charged and convicted of related offenses. Lev Tahor is considered extreme and radical by many other Jewish groups.

The group has moved frequently, being located in Israel from 1988 to 1990, the United States from 1990 to 2000, Israel again from 2000 to 2003, Canada from 2003 to 2013, Guatemala in 2013 (after fleeing Canada), Mexico since around 2017, and in late 2021 - early 2022 they moved between several Eastern European and Balkan countries: in February 2022 they were present in North Macedonia after a short stay in Sarajevo in Bosnia after already being deported from Romania, Turkey, Albania and Moldova. They often move in an attempt to flee government child welfare agencies.