Women in the Lev Tahor sect are forced to wear a burqa-like uniform that has led some to call the group the Jewish Taliban. Image by Haaretz

(JTA) — The leader of a fringe haredi Orthodox sect suspected of abusing children has drowned in a river in Mexico, local media are reporting.

Israeli-born Rabbi Shlomo Helbrans reportedly was found drowned in a river in the Mexican state of Chiapas on Friday.

Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement issued Saturday night that it is looking into the reports of Helbrans’ death to determine if they are accurate.

Forwarding the News

Thoughtful, balanced reporting from the Forward and around the web, bringing you updated news and analysis each day.

Terms(Required)

I agree to the Forward's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Email(Required)

The sect, with about 230 members, relocated to Guatemala from Canada in 2014 following allegations of mistreatment of the sect’s children, including abuse and child marriages.

It moved in 2016 from the outskirts of Guatemala City to Oratorio, a village 30 miles east of Guatemala City, after religious disputes with its neighbors, and then reportedly crossed the border from Guatemala to Mexico three weeks ago.

The group shuns technology and its female members wear black robes from head to toe, leaving only their faces exposed. It was founded by Helbrans in Israel in the 1980s and rejects the State of Israel, saying the Jewish Promised Land can only be established by God, not men.

Helbrans left Israel with several followers for the United States in the 1990s, and later served two years in prison for kidnapping after helping a 13-year-old boy go into hiding from his secular mother. Following his imprisonment he fled to Canada and granted refugee status after claiming persecution in Israel for his religious and political beliefs.

The Forward is free to read, but it isn’t free to produce

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward.

Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda.

At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse.

Readers like you make it all possible. Support our work by becoming a Forward Member and connect with our journalism and your community.

This is a great time to support independent Jewish journalism you rely on. Make a gift today!

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.

$90 $180

$360

Other amount