Members of Jewish ‘Lev Tahor’ sect leave Guatemala village after cold reception

A few months after moving from Canada to a remote part of Guatemala to find religious freedom, a group of ultra orthodox Jews have been forced out of their homes in a bitter conflict with hostile villagers. Founded in the 1980s by Israeli Shlomo Helbrans, the Lev Tahor practice an austere form of Judaism. Verbal abuse, threats to cut off power and eject them by force were the last straw for the group, who started leaving San Juan La Laguna on Friday after the town’s Elders Council voted to kick them out.

We felt intimidated by them in the streets. We thought they wanted to change our religion and customs.

Miguel Vasquez Cholotio, a member of the elders’ council

A Lev Tahor leader in San Juan, Rabbi Uriel Goldman, insisted most of the Guatemalan villagers were friendly toward the black-clad men, women and children of the Lev Tahor but that the group was pushed out by an aggressive minority he said were motivated by local politics. Rejecting the state of Israel because it views the Jews as a people in exile, the Lev Tahor hope to find land elsewhere in Guatemala to build 30 houses to resettle the 200-odd strong community, Goldman said. Around 60 members of the group left San Juan during the night with the rest set to follow.

I don’t understand why they don’t want us, we’re doing nothing bad here.

Rabbi Uriel Goldman