Sect must surrender children

CHATHAM • An Ontario judge has issued an emergency order that 14 children from an ultra-orthodox Jewish sect at the centre of a custody case be placed in the care of children’s aid, but police said Thursday most of the children have left the country.

Two families whose children were ordered removed from their custody left Canada for Guatemala this week, but some of the travellers were detained in Trinidad and Tobago during a stopover, according to a Lev Tahor member’s email to supporters.

The Attorney General of Trinidad said late Thursday three adults and six children from the sect had lost a legal attempt to prevent being returned to Canada. Officials said the nine are in the custody of airline WestJet pending their return to Canada.

On Wednesday, a judge in Chatham ordered that 14 Lev Tahor children be placed in the temporary care of ChathamKent Children’s Services.

The community was under investigation for issues including hygiene, children’s health and allegations that the children weren’t learning according to the provincial curriculum.

Chatham-Kent police said Thursday that 12 of the 14 children have left the country. Police and child services are trying to locate the remaining two children.

Community spokesman Uriel Goldman said he did not want to speak for those families, but said he suspected they left because they were afraid their children would be taken away from them.

“We’re talking about innocent people, very responsible parents,” he said.

“They have no case against them, zero case against them, not in Quebec and not in Ontario... It has to deal with the fact our community is a Jewish religious community who is anti-Zionist who do want to be old fashioned and this create a lot of hate.”

Mr. Goldman said after the court order Wednesday officers looked everywhere in the small homes, from inside washing machines to freezers.