(JTA) — Quebec police searched two homes belonging to the fringe haredi Orthodox sect Lev Tahor.
The raids took place Wednesday evening in Chatham, Ontario, where some 40 families of the sect fled in November from near Montreal out of fear that their children would be seized by child welfare authorities.
The raid came days before an Ontario judge was set to decide whether 14 children aged several months old to 16 years old can remain with their parents in Chatham or be placed in foster care in Quebec, where there is an outstanding order by child welfare services. The hearing is set for Monday.
Police reportedly were searching for computers and other electronics during the raid, according to the Montreal Gazette.
Sect members told the Canadian media that they made the move due to a dispute with education authorities in Quebec over the curriculum they were being required to teach the children, who are home schooled, including subjects such as evolution.
The sect, led by Israeli Rabbi Shlomo Helbrans, reportedly uses violence and mind control. Most of its members are Israeli-born with children born in Canada.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
