28 ICSA TODAY
Moscow court turns down Jehovah’s Witnesses’ bid to fight
Justice Ministry’s ban
“Moscow’s Zamoskvoretsky court has rejected a lawsuit filed
by the Jehovah’s Witnesses religious group against the
Justice Ministry’s ruling on banning its activity in Russia, a TASS
correspondent reported from the courtroom. The organization
asked the court to recognize the Justice Ministry’s ruling as
illegal and order its cancellation. ‘The court decided to reject
the lawsuit of the religious organization Jehovah’s Witnesses
Administrative Center in Russia,’ Judge Nelli Rubtsova said. …
On October 12, 2016, Moscow’s Tverskoy district court issued a
warning to the Jehovah’s Witnesses Administrative Center based
on revelations of extremism there. Under Russian law, a religious
association or organization is subject to termination if it does not
remedy the specified manifestations of extremism before the
required deadline or displays any new ones. Jehovah’s Witnesses
is an international religious organization that supports offbeat
views on the essence of the Christian faith and provides special
interpretations of many commonly accepted notions.” (Tass,
04/24/17)
Israeli court rules Lev Tahor sect is a “dangerous cult”
“An Israeli judge rules the Lev Tahor community of ultra-
Orthodox Jews who live in the Guatemalan jungle are a
‘dangerous cult.’ …‘Based on the conduct of the sect toward
minors, it’s sufficient to call this group a dangerous cult that
severely damages the physical and emotional well-being of the
children of this community,’ Judge Rivka Makayes of the Petah
Tikva Magistrate’s Court says in her ruling. The ruling comes in
response to a petition filed to the court by the attorney general
and several family members of sect members. … Its [Lev Tahor’s]
adherents do not believe the State of Israel to be religiously
legitimate. The 500-strong sect has left Israel, Canada and the
United States in recent years amid child abuse allegations.” (The
Times of Israel, 04/25/17)
Shlomo Helbrans, Lev Tahor cult leader, drowns in river
“According to multiple media reports, Shlomo Helbrans, the
leader of the Lev Tahor cult, drowned on Friday in Mexico ...after
he was swept away by strong currents…” as he was toiviling [the
process of immersing dishes in a ritual bath so they can be used in
a kosher kitchen]. “ He was 55.
As background, “About three and a half years ago, Canadian
authorities blocked the group from transferring underage
members to Guatemala after Canadian courts issued a decree
requiring some children to be transferred to foster families after
being found to have been severely abused.”
[Then,] “In September 2016, at the request of Israeli authorities,
Guatemalan law enforcement raided the Lev Tahor compound
and arrested its leaders on suspicion of child abuse. The raid
prompted its members to leave the site to a new location in
eastern Guatemala, and [to] complain that they were being
persecuted due to their faith.”
Previously, in 1994, Helbrans was convicted in Brooklyn for the
1992 kidnapping of 13-year-old Shai Fhema Rei and served a two-
year prison term in the U.S. ...The high-profile case drew much
attention in the U.S., and gained further attention when Helbrans
successfully convinced New York prison authorities to waive their
requirement that all prisoners be shaved for a photograph upon
entering prison, and to accept a computer-generated image of
what he [Helbrans] would have looked like clean-shaven instead.
After the State Parole Board decided in November 1996 to release
Helbrans after two years in prison, the case rose to near scandal
with suspicions that the Pataki administration was providing him
special treatment.” (Yeshiva World News, 07/08/17)
Clearwater, Florida City Council votes 5-0 to buy downtown
parcel coveted by Church of Scientology
“The City Council on Thursday voted unanimously to buy a vacant
but high-profile downtown lot from the Clearwater Marine
Aquarium, intercepting a crucial piece of land the Church of
Scientology said it needed for its campus. A packed auditorium
at City Hall greeted the 5-0 decision with applause. Scientology
leader David Miscavige had offered to bankroll a multi-million
dollar revitalization of downtown if the city stepped aside and
allowed the church to buy the lot, which borders its 13-story Oak
Cove religious retreat. He pitched the idea last week to a select
group of downtown stakeholders with help from Scientology
celebrities like John Travolta, and was willing to pay more than
three times what the city was offering. …About 200 people
gathered in City Hall for the discussion. While roughly 25 people
lined up to speak in favor of the city buying the land, only four
spoke against the purchase. ‘I feel the city is slowly losing control
of the city’s destiny, and it’s going to the Church of Scientology,’
resident Bob Holsinger said. ‘I feel this issue tonight is also a
symbolic issue.’ The city will pay $4.25 million for the property
and allow the aquarium to continue using the space for parking
while it renovates its facility across the Intracoastal on Island
Estates. That project could take two years. …In a letter to the
Tampa Bay Times on Monday, [Scientology spokesman] Shaw
blasted the city as ‘arrogant’ for wanting to keep the aquarium
land out of the church’s hands, calling it ‘manifest obstruction’
and a statement by City Hall that Scientologists are second-
class citizens. …Clearwater Marine Aquarium CEO David Yates
has said the nonprofit has always been committed to selling to
the city because the two are partners in the community. ‘I think
everybody’s hope and desire is the city can move ahead with a
strong master plan to really revitalize downtown,’ Yates said. ‘It’s
an amazing area, beautiful area, so I think this is a good first step.’”
(Tampa Bay Times, 04/20/17)
Church of Scientology takes aim at Clearwater Marine
Aquarium after being denied land
“The Church of Scientology has launched a statewide campaign
blasting the ethics and financial practices of the Clearwater
Marine Aquarium, a move that follows the aquarium’s recent
decision not to sell the church a prized downtown property.
On Monday, one day before the Pinellas County Commission
gave initial approval to the aquarium’s request for $26 million
of bed tax dollars, the church delivered to the board a scathing,
seven-page letter and more than 250 pages of supporting
documentation questioning the nonprofit’s economic impact and
financial responsibility. …The church’s move came two business
days after the Clearwater City Council voted unanimously to buy
a 1.4-acre vacant property from the aquarium. The $4.25 million
sale closed the next day. The aquarium, which is in the midst of
a fundraising campaign for a $50 million renovation of its facility
on Island Estates, rejected the church’s $15 million offer for the
property three weeks earlier in favor of selling to the city. …In her
26
Moscow court turns down Jehovah’s Witnesses’ bid to fight
Justice Ministry’s ban
“Moscow’s Zamoskvoretsky court has rejected a lawsuit filed
by the Jehovah’s Witnesses religious group against the
Justice Ministry’s ruling on banning its activity in Russia, a TASS
correspondent reported from the courtroom. The organization
asked the court to recognize the Justice Ministry’s ruling as
illegal and order its cancellation. ‘The court decided to reject
the lawsuit of the religious organization Jehovah’s Witnesses
Administrative Center in Russia,’ Judge Nelli Rubtsova said. …
On October 12, 2016, Moscow’s Tverskoy district court issued a
warning to the Jehovah’s Witnesses Administrative Center based
on revelations of extremism there. Under Russian law, a religious
association or organization is subject to termination if it does not
remedy the specified manifestations of extremism before the
required deadline or displays any new ones. Jehovah’s Witnesses
is an international religious organization that supports offbeat
views on the essence of the Christian faith and provides special
interpretations of many commonly accepted notions.” (Tass,
04/24/17)
Israeli court rules Lev Tahor sect is a “dangerous cult”
“An Israeli judge rules the Lev Tahor community of ultra-
Orthodox Jews who live in the Guatemalan jungle are a
‘dangerous cult.’ …‘Based on the conduct of the sect toward
minors, it’s sufficient to call this group a dangerous cult that
severely damages the physical and emotional well-being of the
children of this community,’ Judge Rivka Makayes of the Petah
Tikva Magistrate’s Court says in her ruling. The ruling comes in
response to a petition filed to the court by the attorney general
and several family members of sect members. … Its [Lev Tahor’s]
adherents do not believe the State of Israel to be religiously
legitimate. The 500-strong sect has left Israel, Canada and the
United States in recent years amid child abuse allegations.” (The
Times of Israel, 04/25/17)
Shlomo Helbrans, Lev Tahor cult leader, drowns in river
“According to multiple media reports, Shlomo Helbrans, the
leader of the Lev Tahor cult, drowned on Friday in Mexico ...after
he was swept away by strong currents…” as he was toiviling [the
process of immersing dishes in a ritual bath so they can be used in
a kosher kitchen]. “ He was 55.
As background, “About three and a half years ago, Canadian
authorities blocked the group from transferring underage
members to Guatemala after Canadian courts issued a decree
requiring some children to be transferred to foster families after
being found to have been severely abused.”
[Then,] “In September 2016, at the request of Israeli authorities,
Guatemalan law enforcement raided the Lev Tahor compound
and arrested its leaders on suspicion of child abuse. The raid
prompted its members to leave the site to a new location in
eastern Guatemala, and [to] complain that they were being
persecuted due to their faith.”
Previously, in 1994, Helbrans was convicted in Brooklyn for the
1992 kidnapping of 13-year-old Shai Fhema Rei and served a two-
year prison term in the U.S. ...The high-profile case drew much
attention in the U.S., and gained further attention when Helbrans
successfully convinced New York prison authorities to waive their
requirement that all prisoners be shaved for a photograph upon
entering prison, and to accept a computer-generated image of
what he [Helbrans] would have looked like clean-shaven instead.
After the State Parole Board decided in November 1996 to release
Helbrans after two years in prison, the case rose to near scandal
with suspicions that the Pataki administration was providing him
special treatment.” (Yeshiva World News, 07/08/17)
Clearwater, Florida City Council votes 5-0 to buy downtown
parcel coveted by Church of Scientology
“The City Council on Thursday voted unanimously to buy a vacant
but high-profile downtown lot from the Clearwater Marine
Aquarium, intercepting a crucial piece of land the Church of
Scientology said it needed for its campus. A packed auditorium
at City Hall greeted the 5-0 decision with applause. Scientology
leader David Miscavige had offered to bankroll a multi-million
dollar revitalization of downtown if the city stepped aside and
allowed the church to buy the lot, which borders its 13-story Oak
Cove religious retreat. He pitched the idea last week to a select
group of downtown stakeholders with help from Scientology
celebrities like John Travolta, and was willing to pay more than
three times what the city was offering. …About 200 people
gathered in City Hall for the discussion. While roughly 25 people
lined up to speak in favor of the city buying the land, only four
spoke against the purchase. ‘I feel the city is slowly losing control
of the city’s destiny, and it’s going to the Church of Scientology,’
resident Bob Holsinger said. ‘I feel this issue tonight is also a
symbolic issue.’ The city will pay $4.25 million for the property
and allow the aquarium to continue using the space for parking
while it renovates its facility across the Intracoastal on Island
Estates. That project could take two years. …In a letter to the
Tampa Bay Times on Monday, [Scientology spokesman] Shaw
blasted the city as ‘arrogant’ for wanting to keep the aquarium
land out of the church’s hands, calling it ‘manifest obstruction’
and a statement by City Hall that Scientologists are second-
class citizens. …Clearwater Marine Aquarium CEO David Yates
has said the nonprofit has always been committed to selling to
the city because the two are partners in the community. ‘I think
everybody’s hope and desire is the city can move ahead with a
strong master plan to really revitalize downtown,’ Yates said. ‘It’s
an amazing area, beautiful area, so I think this is a good first step.’”
(Tampa Bay Times, 04/20/17)
Church of Scientology takes aim at Clearwater Marine
Aquarium after being denied land
“The Church of Scientology has launched a statewide campaign
blasting the ethics and financial practices of the Clearwater
Marine Aquarium, a move that follows the aquarium’s recent
decision not to sell the church a prized downtown property.
On Monday, one day before the Pinellas County Commission
gave initial approval to the aquarium’s request for $26 million
of bed tax dollars, the church delivered to the board a scathing,
seven-page letter and more than 250 pages of supporting
documentation questioning the nonprofit’s economic impact and
financial responsibility. …The church’s move came two business
days after the Clearwater City Council voted unanimously to buy
a 1.4-acre vacant property from the aquarium. The $4.25 million
sale closed the next day. The aquarium, which is in the midst of
a fundraising campaign for a $50 million renovation of its facility
on Island Estates, rejected the church’s $15 million offer for the
property three weeks earlier in favor of selling to the city. …In her
26
