The Aliyah, Absorption, and Diaspora Committee held a dramatic follow-up discussion on Wednesday, on the rescue of children from the “Lev Tahor” cult in Guatemala, during which representatives of the families made a desperate appeal to the Prime Minister and the President to personally intervene.
“Members of the ‘Lev Tahor cult are terrorists who are still freely roaming the world. They can and must be stopped as soon as possible,” declared Eliyahu Kashani, the families’ representative, adding, “The police are not performing their duties properly.”
The discussion took place without representatives from the Israel Police and the Ministry of National Security, following explicit instructions from Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir not to participate in committee discussions.
Committee chairman, MK Gilad Kariv (Labor), strongly criticized the decision: “The Minister of National Security gave the Israel Police an illegal order that contradicts the Basic Law: the Knesset. I demand that the Police Commissioner ignore Minister Ben-Gvir’s instruction and clarify to him that it is an illegal act. We are dealing with matters of life and death in rescuing children, and the minister is endangering lives.”
At the end of last month, immigration authorities in Colombia carried out a rescue operation in which 17 minors and 9 adults were freed from the cult. Five of the minors, holding Canadian, American, and Guatemalan citizenship, had “yellow alerts” from the Interpol due to concerns about human trafficking.
However, Orit Cohen Amir, a families’ representative, explained the stalemate: “The judges in Guatemala are not allowing orders to release the minors to Israel. The Israeli government must continue to apply diplomatic pressure. The Prime Minister and the President must intervene.”
Kashani described shocking testimonies: “Over the past month, I accompanied one of the cult survivors to file a complaint with the police. The testimony took more than three hours. He described sexual abuse and severe physical beatings he suffered for years. For the past five months, I have been hosting a young man at my home who was abused in the cult. It has reached the point where hosting him is harming my family, and I must find him an alternative place to live.”
Ilan Avitan from the Ministry of Welfare reported that eight families with children rescued from the cult are currently in Israel, and the ministry is working to provide them with therapy and allowances.
Kariv concluded: “We expect a package of financial and mental health support for each family. The cost of mental health treatments should come from an additional budget. The State of Israel must recognize its responsibility toward the victims of the ‘Lev Tahor’ cult.”