Lev Tahor cult leader took 3 flights on Shabbat: Malka trial day 2 report

Background and brief synopsis of day one

In November 2018, Sara Helbrans escaped from the Lev Tahor cult's compound near Oratorio in Guatemala. She managed to rescue 6 children, including a 13 year old girl (dubbed "Jane Doe" in the trial) who had been married in a religious ceremony to Jacob Rosner. She made her way to the United States and received orders of protection.

A month later, two of her children ("John and Jane Doe") disappeared. It took several weeks to track them down and determine that they had been kidnaped by leading members of the cult, including Matityahu and Mordechay Malka, cousins who are members of Lev Tahor and opted to represent themselves in their trial. They were assigned standby council by Judge Nelson S Roman.

Day one of the trial saw the defense attempt to push an unsubstantiated narrative that claimed Sara Helbrans was an abusive mother which had not only been shot down during pre-trial (and in the trials of others involved in the abduction) but also been precluded as inadmissible during the trial.

Mordechay Malka was unable to hold himself back in his opening statement and after twice alluding to allegations of domestic abuse was warned that he would be forbidden from addressing the court.

You can read a more detailed report on day one of the United States vs Malka case here: https://www.levtahorsurvivors.com/post/lev-tahor-malka-trial-day-1-synopsis.

Judge Nelson Stephen Roman (photo: NY Courts)

Allowing member of kidnapping team to be present: pre-trial postulations

Day two opened with Justine Roman having to clarify to Matityahu Malka that mentioning the Kasho hasidic group's alleged "decades of crimes against Lev Tahor" had been precluded from the trial (Kasho is a small hasidic group who had warned its community to avoid having anything to do with Lev Tahor back around 2008), and stressed that the defense cannot argue that they were rescuing the minors or that the children had been abused by their mother unless it becomes relevant and evidence of the alleged abuse submitted.

Justice Roman read and clarified those instructions several times, advised the Malkas to use their standby council and yiddish translators, warned them that he would treat them as he would any other lawyer, and stated on the record that they consistently appeared to be attempting to delay proceedings.

The defense put in an application requesting that Mordechay Malka's wife Chaya Weingarten be permitted in court. The government requested that it be denied on the basis of her involvement in the abduction of the children by reaching out and attempting to influence Jane Doe's testimony in past trials. Justice Roman approved the application provided Weingarten leave during the testimony of all witnesses.

Revocation of self-presentation: Mordechay Malka's opening statement

When the jury was brought in, Mordechay Malka started in on a new opening statement. After several attempts to allude to maternal abuse, prosecutor Jamie Ellen Bagliebter interrupted. After sending out the jury, she put in an application to revoke Mordechay Malka from representing himself. The request was sustained and Justice Roman appointed standby council to work directly with Matityahu Malka for the duration of the trial.

Standby council was furious. After several objections, they finally proposed that instead of a total revocation, perhaps Justice Roman could instruct Mordechay to move along or simply sustain the government's objections. The judge argued that Mordechay Malka seemed incapable of abiding by court proceedings and doing so would cause endless delays.

Then standby council asked for two days (and then one day) to prepare their defense. The prosecutor argued that they had plenty of time to prepare. Justice Roman agreed and noted that he had repeatedly advised them to arrive prepared and that they had been in attendance at a previous case involving the same defendants.

Standby council asked if they can provide the language for what Justice Roman should tell the jurors when they return and the judge agreed. The text they submitted stressed that just as doctors don't operate on family members due to a lack of detachment, similarly standby council will be stepping in to work with Matityahu Malka, and the jury should not read into that decision.

Awake for a thousand nights: the defense's opening statements

The jury was brought in and Justice Roman delivered the statement. Then, standby council Susan Wolf delivered her opening statement, promising that an entire story will unfold that will prove that the government are solely focused on part of the story. She urged the jury to hold onto the presumption of innocence.

Matityahu Malka's opening statement was next. He rambled about his lack of experience in court, about "staying awake over a thousand nights wondering if I did the right thing until concluding that I did what I had to do," and promised to expose government lies. He argued that "giving someone a phone is not an attempt to kidnap!"

He concluded with the statement that "evidence will show that I gave her the phone to contact the authorities. I had no intention of removing this woman from her mother's custody, or the pills you heard about from the prosecution."

Initial abduction reports: the agent in charge of the case testifies

The prosecution then called their first witness to the stand. Joseph Nuzzo of the New York State Police, who has 15 years of law enforcement experience. He constructed an evidence-based tale of a daring kidnapping that involved numerous members of Lev Tahor's leadership.

He started by detailing when he first learned of the abduction. It was December 8th and it was reported by their mother Sara Helbrans and the owner of the residence where the children went missing.

Temporary orders of custody and protection (that were extended numerous times) were presented to the court. They clearly defined that the father of the children, Aaron Teller, was not to contact them in any way or form or through any messenger or friend. They were sent to Teller.

An expelled relative turns informer: initial suspects

Nuzzo described how he tracked down the children and their kidnappers, with over 100 agents working together from law enforcement agencies in the USA, Mexico, and Guatemala, tracking via GPS, credit cards, and missing persons flyers.

Their initial suspects were Shimon and Mordechay Malka. Shimon had been expelled from Lev Tahor and was living in the same home as the children. Mordechay had visited several times.

They located Shimon. At first he was uncooperative, but within a day or two he provided details of the planning, the people involved, and the meeting locations.

Law enforcement then tried tracking down Mordechay Malka, and eventually discovered that two days before the abduction, he had rented a vehicle. Evidence for the rental was provided to the court via documentation from the rental agency.

Tracing the UPC code: the first clue

They recovered the vehicle in Brooklyn and searched it, finding their next clue. In the trunk was a tag for a jacket purchased in a Walmart. The tag contained a UPC code which led them to a particular item (a boy's jacket) in a specific Walmart. Screenshots and video footage proved that member of "hanhala" (administration) Shmiel Weingarten had purchased the items together with Jacob Rosner, the religious husband of Jane Doe.

The two had exited Walmart and driven off in a gray van. Two weeks later, police pulled over that van at a traffic light and arrested its driver, Aaron Rosner, uncle of Jacob.

The Walmart receipt contained other items that would later be of significance. A baseball cap, a fur hat, and other identifiable clothing.

Creativity isn't a strength when it comes to pseudonyms: the second clue

Meanwhile, law enforcement agencies had been tracking the GPS of Mordechay Malka's cellphone, and it led them to a Super 8 motel in Monticello, about 20 minutes or so from the home in Woodridge where Sara Helbrans and her children were staying.

The court was shown booking reservations made out to "Chaimel Weinberger." Receipt, vehicular, and video evidence seen at the trial proved that it was a pseudonym for Shmiel Weingarten.

Next, the court saw video from surveillance cameras at the home in Woodridge. Taken around 2:57am on an early Shabbat/Saturday morning, the two children are seen walking across the yard toward a road where a parked vehicle is waiting for them.

26 minutes later, security footage from the motel proves their arrival in Monticello. At 4:00am, the vehicle leaves and is next spotted at 5:22am at Scranton airport.

Cult leader gets directly involved: tracking the travels of the children

Incredibly, on December 8, 2018, a Saturday - on Shabbat, a day in which all Orthodox Jews avoid using any electricity, current Lev Tahor cult leader Nachman Helbrans took several flights, demonstrably breaking numerous basic Jewish laws during this abduction.

Evidence in the form of flight information, manifests, and video from surveillance cameras showed Nachman Helbrans going through security with children wearing the exact clothing purchased in the Walmart, and the three then traveling to Dulles, Virginia, then to O'Hare in Chicago, and finally to San Antonio. The children traveled using the passports and identities of Nachman's children Mendel and Ruth. Their actual names were not on any manifest.

Nuzzo and his team were able to track the trio to Mexico after placing a search warrant on an email address associated with a member of Lev Tahor. That led to a meeting at JFK Airport in New York with law enforcement agents from Mexico who provided photos and other evidence, some of which was presented to the court.

Reunited at last: Nuzzo's testimony concludes

The FBI also discovered a cell phone belonging to Jacob Rosner (religious husband of Jane Doe - she had been married to him when she was 13 at their Guatemalan compound) and extracted from it GPS data and lots of photographs including numerous selfies and pictures of his airplane tickets. Almost all the activity on the phone was from December 2018.

On December 31, 2018 Mexican law enforcement informed Nuzzo and his team that they had tracked down the children. Nuzzo flew out together with Sara Helbrans and she was reunited with her kids. It had been a three week nightmare for the single mother trying to rebuild her life and overcome the trauma of spending most her life in the Lev Tahor cult.

With Nuzzo's testimony concluded, cross examination was scheduled for day 3. The jury was sent out, and Justice Roman addressed an application by the defense to remove an FBI agent who had been in court and would later be testifying, asked the defense to cut their submitted list of 200 witnesses to 20 to avoid redundancies, and got permission from the marshals to allow Matityahu and Mordechay Malka to stay an extra 30 minutes to confer and strategize with their standby council.

Stay tuned for our day 3 report.

Related articles

Trying to squeeze in an unsubstantiated narrative: Lev Tahor Malka trial day 1

https://www.levtahorsurvivors.com/post/lev-tahor-malka-trial-day-1-synopsis

‘Jewish’ cult planned to abduct Brooklyn kids again https://nypost.com/2019/03/28/jewish-cult-planned-to-abduct-brooklyn-kids-again/

Man accused of helping Jewish ‘cult’ kidnap kids released on bail https://nypost.com/2019/01/15/man-accused-of-helping-jewish-cult-kidnap-kids-released-on-bail/

Four Alleged Leaders And Members Of Lev Tahor Charged In White Plains Federal Court With Kidnapping Children https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdny/pr/four-alleged-leaders-and-members-lev-tahor-charged-white-plains-federal-court

Brooklyn man charged with kidnapping in connection with Jewish extremist ‘cult’

https://nypost.com/2018/12/24/brooklyn-man-charged-with-kidnapping-in-connection-with-jewish-extremist-cult/

Five 'Lev Tahor' leaders arrested in FBI raid in Mexico https://www.jpost.com/Diaspora/Five-Lev-Tahor-leaders-arrested-in-FBI-raid-in-Mexico-574960

Mom goes to war against father’s Jewish ‘cult’ to protect her children https://nypost.com/2018/12/19/woman-goes-to-war-against-fathers-jewish-cult-to-protect-her-children/

Two Escapees From Lev Tahor Kidnapped in the Catskills On Shabbos https://www.theyeshivaworld.com/news/general/1639381/breaking-two-escapees-from-lev-tahor-kidnapped-in-catskills-on-shabbos.html

Hero truck driver rescues Yeshiva student from random attack

"When you see a Jewish child getting beaten, you have to do something to stop it. You don't think." - Yoel Kellner, truck driver (Kol Mevasser interview)

When a friend sent me the security footage of this event on Friday (5/27/2022), I immediately had to share it on twitter.

This is what I posted:

The reason why I was so excited was because, as a survivor of child abuse, there was something so empowering - or hopeful - about seeing a random person stepping in to stop a bully.

I guess I wasn't alone. It must've resonated with many people, because we got a half million views in less than 3 days.

Many of you asked for 'the rest of the story.' So here is a short summary of what happened directly from the suspender-wearing-hero truck driver, Yoel Kellner. He gave a yiddish interview over the dial-in hotline Kol Mevasser. Here is a summary from his perspective: (free translation, edited a bit from the 20-minutes interview to put the story in proper order)

"I was having a bad day... I deliver for caterers and restaurants and there were some issues with scheduling, so I left Monsey earlier than usual to beat traffic. Around quarter to 6 in the morning, I saw a 16 year old Yeshiva student crossing the street by Park Avenue and Spencer - walking toward Bedford Ave (in Williamsburg, Brooklyn).

"My nature is to observe things when driving, as I often drive during late-night hours. When I see something suspicious I usually call shomrim - like when I've seen people breaking into vehicles, etc.

"But this morning, I saw a man who looked dangerous and suspicious, and I decided to keep an eye out. To wait and see. Next thing I remember, the man is on the floor. I don't remember shoving him. I still cannot believe my reaction to the situation.

"The man stood up and shouted antisemitic comments. The 16-year-old looked terrified. Meanwhile, I called shomrim (community watch). Another hasidic man came to help and the antisemite walked away, shouting that he's going to sue me for violently hitting him.

"I shouted back that he was the one who had been violent. I tried to follow the man but he got away and then I waited for shomrim to arrive.

"I had two questions in my mind: was I legally allowed to hit the man? And also, was the yeshiva student ok?

"Later on, I saw the security footage. I was shocked at my behavior but also proud of what I had done. When you see a Jewish child get beaten, you have to do something to stop it. You don't think.

"The surveillance cameras didn't show where the 16-year-old had gone and I was worried for him. He seemed like a quiet person. He looked a little traumatized.

"Then I started getting messages calling me a hero. I think most people would do what I did. But I was still nervous about the yeshiva student who had been attacked.

"Then I got a message that said, "thanks for saving my brother." Through that, I got in touch with the yeshiva student and asked how he felt. Thank Gd he's ok. Together we went with shomrim to file a proper police report and we met with everyone in the police station.

"Shomrim and the police are on the case. They haven't yet found the antisemite but I'm sure they will. It's a matter of time.

"My message to everyone out there is that when you see someone getting abused and beaten, don't stop and think. Do the right thing."

Yoel Kellner is a hero. He saw a Jewish student being abused and he dropped what he was doing to protect the young man. His actions give me hope.

WATCH OUR LATEST VIDEO ABOUT A DIFFERENT YOEL. ALSO A HERO:

And here's a toy replica of Yoel Kellner's truck. It should come with a little suspenders-wearing mentchie. 😉

Note: You are free to post all or some of this content to your website - with credit or link.

Trying to squeeze in an unsubstantiated narrative: Lev Tahor Malka trial day 1

As a service to those following the Lev Tahor proceedings, we present a synopsis of the first day of the United States vs Malka trial.

Background and context - the Malkas dismiss representation

Matityahu and Mordechay Malka are on trial for, among other accusations, successfully kidnapping two children from their mother (who had escaped the Lev Tahor cult), and after the children were rescued, attempting to abduct them again. And then again. For more details, see this court document.

Prior to the trial, numerous rulings as to what would be allowed at the hearings were set. They can be read at the "motions in limine" section of this court document and in this court document. Rulings relevant to day 1 will be detailed below. They also requested (just before jury selection) that Judge Nelson S Roman recuse himself. The request was denied.

Finally, against Justice Roman's repeated advice, the Malkas insisted on representing themselves. Justice Roman stressed that he would treat them as he would any other litigator, and assigned two standby councils to assist them.

Prior to the jurors' arrival - the Malkas attempt an already-denied strategy

Mordechai and Matityahu Malka made numerous motions of reconsideration but were unable to provide arguments supporting their requests, which were denied.

Our analysis is that the Malkas had prepared a strategy similar to what the Weingartens unsuccessfully attempted. Their angle was that they were rescuing children purportedly being abused by their mother. However, that strategy was knocked down during the pretrial as that would require an admission of guilt (and they had already pled not guilty), and they were unable to supply any evidence of the alleged abuse. It is worth noting that these are arguments that had already been denied in the trials of other members involved in the abductions.

For over 30 minutes the Malkas tried to find a way to be granted permission to discuss the abuse, to no avail. The judge did point out that numerous requests from the government had also been denied, for example using the term "forced" when referring to underage marriages in Lev Tahor.

The Malkas also tried squeezing in an untranslated 1,000 or so page document written only in Yiddish but it was ruled inadmissible.

The prosecution's opening statement - a mother's worst fear keeps happening

Finally, the jury was brought in and the opening statements began. The prosecution painted a picture of a single mom of 6 discovering that two of her children had been kidnapping (it's worth noting that the kidnapping was done using cell phones and a vehicle at 3am on a Friday night), waiting anxiously for two weeks as the FBI tracked her children, and then facing two more kidnap attempts.

Prosecutor Jamie Ellen Bagliebter promised to provide evidence demonstrating Sara Helbrans' story. Daughter of the founder of Lev Tahor, she lived with the cult in their isolated Guatemalan compound. After her father's suspicious death, her brother took over and decided to marry Sara's daughter to an older boy at the age of 13.

While the cult had married girls at young ages, this time it hit home. They had never tried to marry a girl that young. Sara objected to the match but was overruled by her brother. After her daughter's wedding, she decided to flee and made it to New York with 6 children, receiving a court order granting her full custody.

Prosecutor Bagliebter gave a synopsis of the kidnapping attempts and the role of the Malkas in the crimes. She promised to provide evidence using audio, video, photos, and witnesses, including testimony from someone on the inside who had participated in the abductions to an extent and decided to work with the government.

Mordechai Malka's opening statement - breaking rules repeatedly

Presenting himself as a family man, Mordechai's opening statement was a long ramble filled with promises of "only sharing the truth." He blasted the "corrupt government" who didn't try to seek out the true story (in our estimation he was clearly trying to find a way to pursue his original strategy of alleging that they were trying to "rescue" the children from domestic abuse).

Numerous times he pushed the limit, and had to be warned by Justice Roman. He briefly tried portraying the team of kidnappers as "caring family members trying to save innocent kids," and was asked to approach the bench.

It was when he launched into a statement that "one month earlier, the kids were living happily in Lev Tahor, but their nightmare began when they moved out -" that Justice Roman interrupted his statement and asked to jurors to step aside.

The judge had a Yiddish translator brought in as he explained once again what was inadmissible. He warned that if Mordechai continues his behaviour, he will be forbidden from addressing the court.

As it was getting late, he decided to end the proceedings for the day. He advised the Malkas to meet with their standby council to go over their opening statement. Then he called in the jurors and asked them to strike what they had heard from Mordechai from their minds.

Day two report to come. Stay tuned. Meanwhile, you can follow the proceedings on a daily basis at 9am by dialing 1-877-336-1839 and entering access code 1231334#.

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