Orthodox Jewish Community Forced Out of Guatemala Village A community of Orthodox Jews has been reportedly forced out of a Guatemala village. Some 230 Jews have lived in the village for six years, hailing from a number of different countries. Now, reports of threats and intimidation have led to an exodus. The community fled Thursday from San Juan La Laguna, about 125 miles from Guatemala City. The leave took place after a meeting Wednesday between Jewish representatives and indigenous leaders, a meeting that saw no coming to terms between the sides. “We are a people of peace and in order to avoid an incident we’ve already begun to leave the village,” Misael Santos, a representative from the Jewish community, told AFP, adding his group had received multiple threats. “We have a right to be there, but they threatened us with lynching if we don’t leave the village.” An estimated half of those forced out are children–the majority come from the US, Israel, Britain and Russia. Around 40 are Guatemalan. The Council of Indigenous Elders said the group “wanted to impose their religion” and undermined the Catholic faith . “We act in self-defense and to respect our rights as indigenous people. The (Guatemalan) constitution protects us because we need to conserve and preserve our culture,” council spokesman Miguel Vasquez said to the AFP. The post Orthodox Jewish Community Forced Out of Guatemala Village appeared first on Jspace News. ift.tt/1B12pvV
Posted on: Fri, 29 Aug 2014 15:12:52 +0000
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