El Salvador says it extradited two members of Lev Tahor sect to Guatemala, Israel

El Salvador has extradited two members of an extremist Jewish sect under investigation for alleged child abuse to Guatemala and Israel, authorities announced yesterday.

Lev Tahor, described by an Israeli court in 2017 as a “dangerous cult,” adheres to an extreme, idiosyncratic interpretation of Judaism and kosher dietary laws that largely shield members from the outside world. The men spend most of their days in prayer and studying specific portions of the Torah, and women and girls are required to dress in black robes that completely cover their bodies.

The sect has been the subject of a months-long probe in Guatemala for the mistreatment of minors.

In December 2024, authorities there rescued 160 minors from a farm used by Lev Tahor in Oratorio, southwest of Guatemala City. Lev Tahor has accused the government of religious persecution.

Prosecutors in El Salvador announced that they have extradited Eluzur Rumpler to Israel, though the Israeli government has identified him as Eliezer Rumpler.

Rumpler, a US and Israeli citizen, is accused of mistreating students in education centers under his direction, prosecutors said, without detailing when the alleged offenses occurred.

Students were forced to disrobe before being beaten, they said.

Rumpler was detained in January after entering El Salvador from Guatemala.

Guatemalan prosecutors meanwhile announced that Salvadoran authorities have extradited 23-year-old Jonathan Cardona, another sect member, to face allegations of rape, child abuse and human trafficking.

The Lev Tahor sect was formed in the 1980s, and some members settled in Guatemala in 2013.

It has run into legal problems in various countries, and is known to have members in Canada, the United States, Mexico, and Israel.

Luke Tress contributed to this report.