In November 2013, about 250 members of the ultra-Orthodox Jewish sect Lev Tahor fled the Laurentians town of Ste-Agathe-des-Monts to avoid a hearing in youth court.
The group was facing allegations of child abuse and neglect from Quebec’s youth-protection department — such as corporal punishment in school, underage marriage, sexual abuse of minors and squalid living conditions.
Listen to the podcast episode below to hear from Gazette reporter Jason Magder as he reflects on what it was like to cover Lev Tahor as the story was breaking.