Secretive Jewish Sect Flee North Macedonian Town, Fearing Attacks

North Macedonia's police said it had dispatched patrols to keep an eye on the premises of an undisclosed hotel in Skopje where the group of 38 members of a little-known ultra-conservative Jewish sect called Lev Tahor was admitted on Tuesday.

Patrols were being sent "for their own safety", police told BIRN, confirming that they had also escorted them from Kumanovo, saying the group has the phone number of the police if they feel threatened.

"We remind once more that these persons respect the laws of North Macedonia, have a legal right to stay here and are here temporarily. The group does not pose any danger, so we appeal once more for tolerance and solidarity towards them," police noted.

On Tuesday, the group that unexpectedly arrived in Kumanovo at the weekend complained of threats from some local residents, and said they had to leave.

In a telephone conversation, Uriel Goldman, a member of the sect who is not in North Macedonia, told the local TV 24 on Tuesday that the group left Kumanovo because they felt unsafe.

He said that locals gathered in front of the two rented houses where the group was staying, and that on Monday, the houses were stoned and egged, and a front door torn.

He also complained that, during their transfer to Skopje, the group had to stay in a bus for a long time before finding a hotel, as several hotels refused to admit them.

"There is a wrong public impression about our religion," Goldman told TV 24. "Being different from the others does not mean that we are dangerous."

The arrival of the group of Ultra-Orthodox Jews in Kumanovo last weekend, wearing traditional clothing that locals had never seen before, raised concerns among some residents.

Despite official appeals for...