I admit I am disappointed. 

Menachem Eliezer Mozes was a Member of Knesset for UTJ, and also served as Deputy minister of Education. Mozes has an interesting daughter, Heidi. While she is not frum and has opposed her father's politics, and is an outspoken and public lesbian, she has a very good relationship with her father and speaks of him with admiration. 

אמיתי - בכנס הליכוד הערב בגבעת זאב עונדים לח״כ ישראל כ״ץ תליון זהב בדמות נתניהו שמהווה ״שרשרת הצהרת נאמנות״. העונדת היא היידי מוזס שמתמודדת בפריימריס pic.twitter.com/BQUlgFnj13

— דפנה ליאל (@DaphnaLiel) July 17, 2022

According to reports, the Lev Tahor group (aka cult) of weirdos and crazies and extremists is trying to evade the law again and leave Guatemala for Iran. They figure they will be left alone to their own crazy behavior in Iran, some of which might be similar enough to parts of local society there. They just want the authorities to leave them alone, to leave them be, to live in peace and quiet the way they want according to their own ideology and beliefs. Sounds almost idyllic. 

Last year there was an incident in Jerusalem among the "Cult of the Veiled Ladies" in which the police raided the wedding of a 17 year old groom and a 13 year old bride. Such weddings of underage minors are illegal. When the police raided the wedding, most of the people present scattered and ran off to avoid arrest, while the bride and some of her female escorts were detained for questioning. As well, the police raided the wedding before the ring was placed on the finger of the kalla.

The wedding was against the wishes of the father, and he was not present and was supposedly not even aware of it taking place. After this happened, the father went to a beis din in Jerusalem and asked what his daughter's status is - if married or not, does she need a formal divorce? can she later marry anyone, including a kohein?

The dayanim on the rabbinical court investigated the matter and questioned people whow ere present at the time. They were convinced that the halachic part of the wedding had not yet taken place before the police broke it up. As well, theysaid that the chosson, the young man standing beside her under the chuppa, had never before spoken to her at all, not a single word - not about the wedding/marriage and not about anything else. After discovering all this information, and upon further deliberation and debate, the rabbonim paskened that the young woman was not ever married and would be allowed to marry in the future without the need for a gett.

The beis din decided that she had a chuppa but no act of kiddushin, so she retains her status as being a single unmarried woman.

Another issue the beis din had to deal with was whether or not there was a "kol", public knowledge that she had been married. If such a kol goes out, it is enough to require a gett to dispel the rumors considering her married, even though she was not actually married. The beis din decided that while the wedding was the talk of the day around Israel and especially in her neighborhood of Mea Shearim, but they were actually talking about how the police raided the wedding and what happened and not about how she had actually married. Ergo, no formal divorce is needed even if just to dispel any rumors.

source: Ynet 

This issue has been going on for a few days already (in the Haredi news - probably longer before it hit the news wires) but it has not made much sense to me. I will have but one comment on it.

There have been claims in Bnei Braq of some sort of a cult operating in the area. The claim is that this cult is kidnapping children and abusing them. People went to a local beis din to raise the issue. the beis din investigated and has now come to the conclusion that there is no evidence of a cult, but people should be careful and supervise their children and that any situation in which suspicion has been aroused of trouble, experts should be consulted.
source: Kikar

I have no idea if there is or is not a cult operating in Bnei Braq and doing the things that are being claimed. I have no comment on that. I hope there is not one, and I hope all the children remain safe.

My only comment is to ask on what authority or with what expertise does the beis din investigate this matter and make a decision? Why would the parents not involve the police about such claims and suspicions? At minimum they should call in an expert on cults - every baal teshva yeshiva/organization claims to have one. What can the beis din know about such things to be able to make a decision?

And if the beis din had decided that there is a cult - then what? Would the beis din order the cult to stop or to leave Bnei Braq and go to a different city, and expect the cult members to listen?

This makes no sense to me. I don't know what a lot of people expect from the rabbonim, and I do not understand why the rabbonim take on authority they don't and can't have.

The Lev Tahor cult is going through some challenging times, with a couple of its leaders being found dead within the last few weeks. It might all be innocent or it might be something mysterious and nefarious - either way it is a challenging time for the cult and its crazy members.

Which means it is an opportunity for the rest of the Jewish nation, and specifically Israel. An opportunity to break this cult, to bring its members back into the fold and to get them the help they need.

JPost is reporting that Israel has put together an offer to bring them all to Israel and has offered an attractive package of benefits in the hope to sway them to come home. They are even saying the benefits package offered to the Lev Tahor members is unprecedented and the most attractive package ever offered.

Maybe they can come on a Nefesh bNefesh flight and we can all sing Zionist songs and dance for them at the airport

But seriously, I think it is wonderful that Israel is trying to bring them home and get them the help they need, though with our luck they'll probably relocate these crazies to Bet Shemesh...

So Israeli police have caught and arrested the people behind a messianic cult. These people were using drugs and alcohol to trap women into their lair and then would activate them as prostitutes, under the guise that having sexual relations with non-Jews would bring about the great redemption.
source: Walla News

Now, I understand the concept of messianism. I also understand the concept of prostitution and sexual activity. What I don't get is how you combine the two.

How do you convince somebody or explain your raison d'etre that prostitution and unusual sexual activity will bring about the redemption and the Messiah? I don't get the connection.

I guess I would not make a good cult leader.

It is looking like the Burqa ladies are about to get their day in court.

Some strange incident just occurred where a family of Burqas sent two daughters to Montreal just before Rosh Hashana to join a group of Burqa people called "Lev Tahor", and the family was planning to join them there after the holidays.

According to Haaretz, many Burqa people, also known as the Taliban Cult, have been relocating to the complex in Canada due to the rejection the greater haredi community has shown to them here in Israel.

These two Burqa girls got to Canada only to find themselves detained by Canadian authorities. After Rosh Hashana they were deported back to Israel. The incident involved Interpol, Social Welfare authorities and the Foreign ministry. It turns out there is a case pending against the Burqa people, and the courts issued the orders to bring the girls back to Israel.

The pending court case is going to decide whether there is an actual impairment in raising children under such a lifestyle, which would allow, if passed, social welfare authorities to remove children from homes of parents living such a lifestyle. As well, the court is going to consider whether to consider this group an actual cult. that would make it illegal to be a part of.

I don't know all the legal mumbo jumbo, but it is going to get interesting. i wonder if anyone outside of the Burqa people group will come to their defense and call it a legitimate lifestyle choice.