A youth court judge in the province of Quebec has ordered that 14 children from the ultra-orthodox Jewish sect Lev Tahor be placed temporarily in foster care, undergo medical exams and receive psychological support.
Quebec’s government passed a Youth Protection Act in 1977 and created a body to ensure those under 18 years old get the protection guaranteed by this law. Officials from that body expressed concerns about the health and education of the children in two of the sect’s families.
There were claims the homes they lived in were dirty and littered with garbage and that the children, who did not attend public schools but were home-schooled, were not capable of doing basic math. Many children spoke neither English nor French which are Canada’s two official languages.
Families have fled
Sect families did not attend the court proceedings having fled to the neighbouring province of Ontario with their children last week. They were represented by a lawyer.
Child-welfare authorities and local police in Ontario say they found nothing unusual when they checked in on the Lev Tahor children. The community denies any mistreatment of the children.
Quebec child-welfare officials said on Monday they briefed their counterparts in Ontario on the case and would wait to see how they decide to proceed.
Lev Tahor called “extreme” by Jewish rights group
One Jewish rights organization, B’nai B’rith Canada, called the Lev Tahor group extreme and said that no one in the Jewish community — be they traditional or ultra-Orthodox — would view the organization in a positive light.
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