Is the Lev Tahor Cult Actually Jewish?

Dear Jew in the City,

Is the Lev Tahor cult actually Jewish?

Best,

Max

Dear Max,

Thanks for your question. You know, had you asked “Is Lev Tahor a cult,” I might have balked at answering (I have an aversion to lawsuits), but I didn’t say it’s a cult, you did. And so do lots of other people, including an Israeli court in a 2017 decision. So, we’ll take that as a given.

For those of you, who may not be familiar, here’s some information on Lev Tahor, gleaned from Wikipedia:

Lev Tahor is a Jewish cult founded in Israel by in 1988. It consists of 200–300 members and allegedly engages in child sexual abuse, pedophilia and rape, charges for which some members have been convicted. The group follows a fundamentalist form of Jewish practice and adheres to atypical interpretations of Jewish law, including such practices as arranged marriages between teenagers, and head-to-toe black coverings for girls and women beginning at the age of three. The group has moved frequently, from Israel to the US, to Canada, to Mexico, to the Balkans, and to Colombia (even this list isn’t exhaustive).

So, is it really Jewish? Others may differ, but if you ask me (which you did), I’d have to say yes. But that doesn’t mean that it’s good or right or “kosher.” And it certainly doesn’t mean that it’s Judaism. I’ll explain what I mean.

Let’s say you and I decide to form a bowling team. Our rules to join include that all team members must have a Jewish mother or have undergone an Orthodox Jewish conversion. Is this a Jewish bowling team? I’d say yes, even though Judaism has nothing to say on the subject of bowling.

Now let’s say that we decide to form a hunting club. We’ll go out into the woods and shoot deer, quail, bears, ducks – whatever. And, as before, membership is limited to Jews. I’d say that this is a Jewish hunting club, even though hunting for sport is frowned upon in Jewish law.

Now let’s take things one step further. We decide to form a different kind of hunting club. We’ll go out into the woods and shoot the most dangerous game of all – man. And again, membership is limited to Jews. This is clearly a Jewish murder club. It’s Jewish despite the fact that its raison d’être is 100% prohibited under Jewish law.

Lev Tahor fits into that latter category. It’s not good or right, but it happens to be Jewish. It’s Jewish because it’s made up of Jews, not because Judaism agrees with their actions (which it doesn’t).

This doesn’t mean that everything that self-identifies as Jewish necessarily is. I can think of two religions that claim to be Jewish and aren’t; they’re playacting. In one, people pretend to be Jewish in order to convert Jews, while the other claims to be the “real” Jews, to the exclusion of actual Jews.

But yeah, neutral things, bad things and even things that are completely against Jewish law can be “Jewish.” A Jewish baseball team. A Jewish street gang. A Jewish speakeasy. But that’s because they’re made up of Jews. That doesn’t mean they’re necessarily in step with Judaism.

Bottom line: Don’t confuse things that individual Jews may do with what Judaism actually teaches. These two things can be worlds apart.

Sincerely,

Rabbi Jack Abramowitz
Educational Correspondent
Follow Ask Rabbi Jack on YouTube

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