JERUSALEM — An Israeli court has sentenced a senior member of the extremist sect Lev Tahor to two years in prison for violently assaulting a 10-year-old boy in an incident prosecutors described as especially cruel and traumatic.

Elazar Rompler, identified by authorities as one of the group’s leaders, was convicted in Jerusalem District Court of aggravated assault causing serious injury. Judges said the attack took place in front of other children within the closed community, intensifying the harm to the victim.

According to the court, the boy was stripped, placed on a table and beaten on his back and legs as classmates looked on. Prosecutors said the abuse reflected a pattern of violence carried out under the guise of authority inside the sect.

Rompler was also convicted of violating a court order after fleeing Israel despite a travel ban tied to the case. He was later arrested in Guatemala, where Lev Tahor had established a base following a series of investigations in multiple countries. He was extradited to Israel last year.

In addition to the prison term, the court imposed a suspended sentence, fined Rompler 10,000 shekels and ordered him to pay 12,000 shekels in compensation to the child.

Prosecutors said the case highlights the severe risks faced by minors in insular groups where leaders wield unchecked power. Judges echoed that view, calling the acts described in the indictment “deeply disturbing.”

Lev Tahor, founded in Jerusalem in the 1980s, has been the subject of repeated investigations in Israel, the United States, Canada and Guatemala over allegations of abuse, forced marriages and the mistreatment of children. Authorities said dozens of minors were rescued from the group in Guatemala during a major police operation late last year.

Human rights advocates welcomed the verdict, saying it sends a message that religious extremism will not shield abusers from accountability — especially when children are the victims.

Jooish News

Jooish News