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Spoken Against

Letters Concerning the Twelve Tribes'
Treatment of Jews, Homosexuals, Blacks, and Women

These letters were written in response to an accusing letter sent to the management of a chain of health food stores that sells products made by the Twelve Tribes communities. The writer of that letter wanted to “inform” the store management that we are racist, anti-Semitic, homophobic bigots who oppress women, and that by selling our products they were endorsing our beliefs.

Letters Concerning the Twelve Tribes' Treatment of Jews, Homosexuals, Blacks, and Women


Homeschooling Controversy in Germany

Since 1994, the families in our community in Germany have been struggling to assert their right to homeschool their own children. But when we moved to the state of Bavaria in 2001, the struggle intensified.

Imprisonment of Homeschooling Fathers in Bavaria

Children Taken to School by Force


New York Post Child Labor Scandal

A major newspaper published a number of sensational charges, accusing us of building our life on the misery of our children. Here is our response.

We Make No Apology

Cambridge Press Conference

Thomas Jefferson and the Child-Labor Controversy


The Anti-Cult Agenda

The Boston Herald did a series of articles, fueled by so-called anti-cult experts, depicting us as a bizarre and abusive cult. As a result, rocks were thrown through the windows of our home and the tires on our cars were slashed...

Under Attack   
What does Osama bin Laden have in common with today's "anti-cult experts"… or even the fathers of the Protestant Reformation, for that matter?

Response to the NEIRR Analysis
Several years ago the "New England Institute for Religious Research" published a slanderous "analysis" of our people. This was our response to them, which they declined to publish.


Stephen Wootten Child Custody Case

After twelve and a half years in litigation, Stephen Wootten, member of the Twelve Tribes Communities, has been completely exonerated of all charges against him.

Statements from our November 7, 2001 Press Conference

Introduction: Stuart Lavin (Sholom)   

Main Speech: Stephen Wootten (Shimon)    



The 1984 Raid of Our Homes in Island Pond

Ninety Vermont State troopers in bulletproof vests and fifty social workers, armed with virtually unlimited police power, raided 19 homes in the pre-dawn hour demanding the names of the children and the children themselves. 112 children were unlawfully seized that morning because of the religious beliefs of their parents.

The Children of the Island Pond Raid: An Emerging Culture
A 75-minute Documentary

An Issue of Control: Conflict between the Church in Island Pond and State Government
Presented at the "14th World Congress of Sociology" in Montreal in July 1998, this paper describes how the anti-cult movement influenced the Attorney General's office to go beyond the law.

Judge Mahady's Decision in the 1984 Island Pond Raid
In 1984 Judge Mahady upheld his reputation as a jurist who took very seriously the constitutional principles that are the foundations of justice. In this ruling about the actions of the State of Vermont on June 22nd 1984 he offers a remarkable order describing the 4000 year legal history of search warrants, pointing out how far the state of Vermont had strayed from it.


Edward and Michael Dawson Child Custody Case

My Son Michael
The story of how Michael Dawson was seized from his father, the custodial parent, on the basis of wrong information from anti-cult agencies. He was kept from his father for years. This story appeared in Communities Magazine.

Dawson Not Guilty
Written by Sarah Gray in "The Advertiser", Kentville, NS, Tuesday, November 18, 1997, Vol. 119, No. 47

Newspaper articles
November 7-8, 1997. Investigations showed no danger to Michael.

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