US/World News

Haredi group leaves Guatemalan town after threats

(JNS.org) About 200 members of a controversial Haredi sect of Judaism, Lev Tahor (“Pure Heart” in Hebrew), have left a Guatemalan village where they had settled in search of religious freedom after clashes with the local population. The community left San Juan la Laguna, a town about 93 miles west of Guatemala City where they have lived since March after arriving from Canada, on Friday. The group faced verbal abuse, threats of expulsion and threats to cut off electricity from other residents in the town, reported Reuters. Lev Tahor is viewed by some as a cult due to practices such as controversial methods of mind control, violence, and underage marriage, according to media reports. The group also rejects the state of Israel because it views the Jews as a people who must live in exile, reported Israel Hayom.

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