Cult

Germany plans talks with Chile over site tied to cult led by abusive German preacher

The enclave, originally called Colonia Dignidad and renamed Villa Baviera, was founded in 1961 by Paul Schaefer, an evangelical preacher who was later jailed for sexually abusing children.

|ByREUTERS
The name of Villa Baviera, formerly Colonia Dignidad, is engraved on a stone at the settlement created by German immigrants that served as a secret prison during Augusto Pinochet's dictatorship (1973-1990), on the outskirts of Parral, Chile, July 20, 2025.
Elazar Rumpler, a senior leader within haredi cult Lev Tahor, appearing in the Jerusalem District Court for a hearing in 2020; illustrative.

Jerusalem court sends senior Lev Tahor cult leader Elazar Rumpler to prison in child abuse case

Elazar Rumpler, a Lev Tahor haredi cult leader, was sentenced to two years in prison and ordered to pay a total of NIS 22,000 in fines and compensation for assaulting a 10-year-old child.

|ByJAMES GENN
Minors rescued in Colombia from the Lev Tahor sect.

Colombian authorities, Interpol rescue 17 minors from ultra-Orthodox Lev Tahor sect

Five of the minors had an Interpol Yellow Notice, used in cases of missing persons and human trafficking. The Lev Tahor victims were nationals from the United States, Canada, and Guatemala.

|ByTOBIAS HOLCMAN
Forensic experts and homicide detectives from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), collect samples from exhumed bodies of suspected followers of a religious cult buried in shallow graves in Kwa Binzaro village, located on the outskirts of Malindi, in Kenya, August 28, 2025.

Kenya exhumes 32 bodies as outcry grows over starvation cult deaths

Kenya linked the bodies discovered in to the same Christian sect blamed for the deaths of over 400 people in the nearby Shakahola Forest in 2023.

|ByREUTERS

Claims to be Christ reincarnated: Russian 'Siberian Jesus' jailed

Investigative Committee stated that Sergei Torop and his aides caused serious mental and physical harm to followers, including 'moral harm' to 16 people.

JULY 1, 2025ByJERUSALEM POST STAFF
Claims to be Christ reincarnated: Russian 'Siberian Jesus' jailed.

American Psycho star reveals: “I was born into a cult – they starved and beat me”

A well-known actress from “American Psycho” reveals the nightmare she endured in childhood in the Mel Lyman cult.

JUNE 26, 2025ByNEWS AGENCIES, MAARIV
Guinevere Turner

Israel's Knesset considers rescue, rehabilitation of children from Jewish cult Lev Tahor

The committee discussed the support framework provided to cult survivors arriving in Israel. 

JUNE 9, 2025ByAVIHAI CHIIM, JERUSALEM POST STAFF
Members of the Lev Tahor Jewish cult attend a protest in Guatemala City, January 30, 2025.

'Science and Jihad': How Houthi 'summer schools' indoctrinate Yemen's new generation

“Houthi summer indoctrination camps are a catastrophic project that’s been ongoing for a decade. Boys as young as 7 are taught war slogans, political loyalty, and martyrdom," Fatima Alasrar posted.

MAY 28, 2025BySETH J. FRANTZMAN
A boy holds a pistol as he joins protesters, predominantly Houthi supporters, during a rally in solidarity with Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and with Lebanon's Hezbollah, amid Israel's conflicts with Hamas and Hezbollah, in Sanaa, Yemen November 15, 2024.

Self-proclaimed pastor accused of sex trafficking, forced labor scheme over near decade

Treva Edwards is accused of sexually and physically abusing one of his followers - whom he later reportedly pushed to get an abortion when she fell pregnant.

MAY 15, 2025ByDANIELLE GREYMAN-KENNARD
Inside St. Mary’s Church at Lubeck old town, northern Germany. (illustrative)

Police find infant, four US minors' remnants in Lev Tahor raid - KAN

"The safety of US citizens is our top priority," the US Embassy in Guatemala tweeted, thanking the local government for its assistance.

MAY 15, 2025ByJERUSALEM POST STAFF
Members of the Lev Tahor Jewish community stand outside the facilities of the Guatemala Attorney General's Office after Guatemalan authorities rescued several children and adolescents from the Jewish community following allegations of child abuse, in Guatemala December 20, 2024.

Israelis, cherish your lives and stay away from the cult organization 'Falun Gong' - opinion

“Falun Gong” has also peddled deception around the world through its so-called “Shen Yun” performances, falsely claiming to represent the Chinese culture.

MAY 10, 2025ByZHANG GUOPING
Falun Gong Exhibition against Organ Harvesting

Two bodies recovered from Kenya church in case with echoes of starvation cult

Police retrieved the two bodies from the premises of St. Joseph Missions of Africa Church in Migori County on Monday, according to a police report seen by Reuters.

APRIL 22, 2025ByREUTERS
Relatives prepare to bury the exhumed remains of Esther Biriya Masha and her family members, who were followers of the Christian cult named as Good News International Church and believed they would go to heaven if they starved themselves to death in Shakahola, at their home in Malindi

Back to roost: Singer-songwriter Zohar Ginzburg to light up the Hamagber Festival

Ginzburg’s slot is on February 5 (10:30 p.m.), with singer-songwriter Rona Kenan joining her and her quintet on stage.

FEBRUARY 2, 2025ByBARRY DAVIS
ZOHAR (ZOZO) GINZBURG – an intriguing fusion of powerhouse rock seasoned with rich lyrical seams.

Guatemalan authorities rescue 160 children from Jewish Lev Tahor cult

Guatemalan authorities determined that the Lev Tahor cult engaged in human trafficking against minors.

DECEMBER 21, 2024ByREUTERS
Members of the Lev Tahor Jewish community stand outside the facilities of the Guatemala Attorney General's Office after Guatemalan authorities rescued several children and adolescents from the Jewish community following allegations of child abuse, in Guatemala December 20, 2024.