The Yellow Deli Cult | 12 Tribes

TW: child abuse
Today I'm talking about the cult that bakes delicious bread apparently.
I'm Jen, I am fascinated by the world of Christian Fundamentalism.
On my channel I talk about different topics while doing my makeup poorly.
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The Common Sense Farm documentary on youtube:
• The Common Sense Farm
Documentary about the 12 Tribes child abuse in Germany (German, English subtitles):
question12trib...
A&E Cults and Extreme beliefs episode about the 12 Tribes:
www.amazon.com...
Resources regarding this episode:
en.wikipedia.o...
www.thedailybe...
www.splcenter....
/ i_know_more_about_the_...
www.newyorker....
twelvetribes.o...
hippiecrit.org/...
question12trib...
www.independen...
Products used in this video:
Nyx eyebrow pencil
Nyx liquid liner
E.L.F mascara
Juvia's Place "The Zulu" pallete
#yellowdeli #12tribes

[@chattybluecat]

I grew up near Chattanooga and had it drilled into my head from young age that we do not go to the Yellow Deli, we do not talk to 12 tribes members. If you see them recruiting somewhere you turn and walk the other direction. The extreme way my mom drilled this into me makes me think she probably had a bad run in with them back in the '70s, but she won't talk about it.

[@Midori12113]

Yeah, I would say she probably did. I’m from Chattanooga and most people know about this place, but just know not to ask about their beliefs. A lot of people just eat there and leave and ignore what is going on. I haven’t really heard of someone being scared of them because they were removed from the area and returned and everyone “believes” they are “better” now when really they are ignoring it for good food.

[@pattipike53]

I went to school in Chattanooga in the 70's. Are your parents Betty and Jerry Davis, by any chance?

[@rachelmaybeidk]

i’m from chattanooga and i’ve never eaten at the deli personally, but i’ve always heard that if you go, you don’t engage with them beyond ordering and pleasantries. i always tell people who plan on visiting to watch out for them

[@qwitchyy]

I’m also from Chattanooga. I ate at Yellow Deli a handful of times as a kid/teen, but those I knew always just treated them like *quirky christians* This is what makes them so dangerous imo. People see them as harmless, listen to their nonsense, and the cycle of minimization continues. I wish I knew more when I still lived there.

[@qwitchyy]

Bear in mind I also went to a fundie lite church in Harrison, so...yeah

[@skylarjohnson7779]

"we start the wedding by putting on a play about the end times!" Theater kids have really gotten out of hand.

[@chain_7717]

LOL

[@bobsaget9675]

I mean with a 48% divorce rate people are willing to get creative

[@ghostofreagan3181]

I hope they don't serve kool-aid at the reception

[@WoahGeeWow]

Peak of the CIA brazenness, experimentation with group dynamics, LSD, etc.

[@Thelastunicornlover]

Lol

[@ashleebrennan5032]

As soon as you said they'll invite you to one of their celebrations I IMMEDIATELY thought of Midsommar. Glad I wasn't alone lol

[@sunday.mourning]

They were probably some of the inspiration for the movie 😂😭

[@ashleebrennan5032]

@@sunday.mourning probably!

[@sammygirl6910]

Big Midsommar vibe.

[@ghostiegrill9275]

My sister went to one of these in highschool with her club. It was a feast type thing, but nothing was really yelling cult!! We are a cult. ig that's how they get you

[@Thelastunicornlover]

😂😂😂

[@kilibubblecata6266]

"They can't be a cult; they're just too nice!" *famous last words*

[@prigual2901]

Too nice until they start talking about money .

[@Thelastunicornlover]

Fax📠

[@julihath8046]

I lost some family members to this cult. They changed their names, gave their house to the cult, and disappeared behind closed doors. But since this group claims to be Christian, nobody will admit they are a cult.

[@robincramer8080]

I pray that you get your family back.

[@fullauto86]

Im really sorry dude thats so awful and id be scared to death personally, but theres always hope, dontgive up on them like I'm assuming they bailed on you. Take it Easy ,be well.

[@marcusizayah]

I mean, hell. Mormon’s claim to be Christians, and they are very clearly a cult. Just because someone or a group of someone’s claim to be Christians, doesn’t mean they aren’t a cult. I would think that most people would understand that by now. Or I guess, I would HOPE. (Ps I would identify as a Christian, but I can recognize Cult-ish behavior when I see it)

[@DamePiglet]

They hate ACTUAL Christianity

[@PatrickWolf-tl5wq]

I don't think it's a cult, I think the holy spirit woke them up to materialism.

[@annamattison1988]

About 2 decades ago on a family road trip my family stopped at a Yellow Deli in Vermont. I was a lonely, miserable, 14 year old and a good looking older hippie guy started to talk to me and asking me about my self. 14 year old me was immediately smitten, he gave me a busoness card for the 12 tribes with his number on the back. I realized later that evening and in the coming days that I had been targeted. Ever since then I have more empathy for people who are drawn into cults. All you need is a miserable target and a predator that knows what to say.

[@brianwalsh1401]

Very well put. They know what their looking for.

[@AMultipolarWorldIsEmerging]

But to them it’s not a cult they are part of the cult so they don’t see it the way you do so it’s not like he necessarily had sinister intentions

[@Babyswiss0120]

I'm pretty sure my old bosses son stayed with the the same one in Vermont when he was hiking there but he just stayed with them he didn't actually join their cult. It was just a place for him to crash while he was there. I don't know much more about it cause I didn't have a close relationship with my boss, she was just telling me in passing that's what he told her. And he stayed there and worked for them for his stay as a trade-off. But it stuck with me cause she told me it was a cult or something like that but he wasn't interested in that. I never looked into them except for that moment we were talking about it but didn't get further until this video. Now I'm curious more about them. It's crazy how people's paths cross.

[@sarag1158]

yeah, being a member of a cult has nothing to do with IQ. They actually Target the best and the brightest, think nexium. It takes just one bad day, a recent divorce, a breakup, and you are Cult prey

[@Thelastunicornlover]

Glad you weren’t sucked in

[@rachel3813]

Oh my God i was in Boulder with my boyfriend this past summer and we thought the yellow deli was just a cutesy hippy cafe and went in for dinner one night. Never thought anything of it. Thanks for opening my eyes about this place, I definitely do not intend on going back✌

[@simonelebaron4985]

Holy crap it didn’t even cross my mind until I read this comment but I used to go to that place in Boulder with my family all the time, we had no idea. Yeah I also definitely won’t be going back.

[@jenileighb]

I went to one today with out realizing but the second I sat down I was like waittttt a minnnnn 🤔 and it hit me

[@mackdeen7021]

They use the hippy facade and pseudo hippy fashions, music and art to lure people in and it also serves the purpose of sheltering and hiding their true beliefs. They are more or less racist fundamentalists. The complete opposite of hippy ideals. I used to go to tons of dead shows back in the 80s and 90s and there were cults that would go from show to show to pick up stragglers and runaways. 12 tribes was one of them and their members would blend in and try recruit kids. I remember a girl passing out pamphlets warning everyone of this cult. And she told me about her experience of being picked up by them and she figured it out quickly enough and got out. Everyone was in the lookout and people on tour were warning everyone to stay away from these whackos.

[@mariahclaar7915]

They are definitely a cult.

[@rob-vw3lj]

And whats their risk? Just as whacky as any religious person lol. Serve good food with a smile. For a good price for healthy food? Go back to mcdonalds if you woukd prefer a corperate cult

[@montananichole7537]

the yellow deli near my hometown got raided by the fbi like two summers ago.

[@Espresso_plz]

Hear anything as to why? Probably child abuse, I assume

[@Xosidhe]

Why are all these groups founded in the 70s? I’m starting to think it’s the result of kids spending a couple years doing acid and getting tired of the scene

[@cijmo]

Definitely drugs were more accessible and LSD had only fairly recently become illegal. People often say "it was a different world when you grew up, it's dangerous now." Yeah...well...LSD wasn't even illegal when I was growing up! But I think it's because it was the first time in a very long time that people challenged 'the norm.' For many generations before that, you worked 5 or 6 days and rested the seventh. You married 'for better or worse', loved, honoured and obeyed, went to church on Sunday, wore nice clothes so that all the neighbours could see you etc. etc. It was also the first time people en-masse opposed what they were supposedly fighting for in the war. Before it was like "Get over there, kill people who aren't like you, do this for your country" and their branching out on their own, living in their communes is always something that "looks good on paper" and drugged minds and innocent minds were very gullible and vulnerable to a powerful but evil mind.

[@FabricofTime]

It was definitely reactionary.

[@dawngrrrl]

Yeah i's disillusionment due to all the sociopolitical drama imo. Drugs were part of it for sure, but it's mostly shit like the Vietnam War, civil rights, multiple assassinations and scandals, that provoked a cultural response. Also it's funny how all these groups coincide with such a hyper-violent decade. I was raised fundamentalist Christian and my diet-cult church was founded in 1977.

[@Mimi-cq4bg]

I've done acid and shrooms for years and can't say I've ever wanted to start a faith based compound.

[@A.Rose888]

Not everyone who drinks start fights not all people who do LSD start cults

[@BeeLover90]

They have a cafe in my small Canadian town... a lot of people “love it” and actually judge people who refuse to support it(me) ... it’s pretty disgusting how easily some people get manipulated by food lol

[@brianag1175]

Chilliwack, right?

[@BeeLover90]

@@brianag1175 nope. Vancouver Island. The Valley. Legit super small town. It’s disappointing.

[@brianag1175]

Oh wow. There's one in chilliwack too lol

[@BeeLover90]

@@brianag1175 o jeesh 🤦🏼‍♀️

[@maxoweenie]

i heard this conversation in canadian.

[@dariahill]

It's so awesome watching you get more comfortable on camera each week. I love the format too, I know there are channels who do something similar but usually with true crime, but I feel like you've created a good balance here of not going into something as dark,but still calling out these fucking idiots. Cant wait to watch your channel grow and to see more people realize how dangerous these cults are. I'm officially a patron!

[@FundieFridays]

Thank you for such a nice comment, and of course, joining the FF Fan club ;)

[@dariahill]

@@FundieFridays man thanks for taking the time to make these videos. I'm on all the fundie snark reddits but sometimes it's just so much dumb shit to weed through to find out good information, it's nice to be able to watch your vids and get the info. Plus your cats are adorable!♡♡

[@KRfromthePaleozoic]

I went to a Yellow Deli once, not knowing what it was. That veggie burger was one of the best sandwiches I'd ever had, but I'll never give them my money again.

[@LindaFromSeaAtTull]

You should do a video on the creepy purity balls.

[@elizabethbetsy1]

Linda from SEA AT TULL yes!!!!!!!!!

[@FundieFridays]

100%. I want to do an episode about purity culture/purity balls...I can't help but laugh when I say that phrase...anyway. I have lots of ideas and funny clips saved for it when the times comes.

[@HNA6663]

OMG! YESSssssss! WTF are PARENTS SO OBSESSED WITH THEIR OWN CHILD'S VIRGINITY!? Like that ALONE is SO WEIRD...ESP the whole "daddy -daughter" dances & rings....seriously ....what the hell? Yoooo..My MOM tricked my STEP DAD to take me to one AFTER I already moved out & I was like 20. It was the MOST AWKWARD thing EVER for BOTH of us!!! Lmfao...almost forgot about that last ditch effort for my mom to try to recruit me!!!!

[@rubies2905]

@SEA AT TULL ..Can you post a link of that video?

[@AliciaHostetler]

Yes that sounds extremely interesting.

[@saffronhammer7714]

I toured their ship when it was docked in Belfast, Maine. I am a cult survivor, myself, and happened to know much about the reality of the 12 Tribes behind the public persona they pedal. They were giving free tours of their ship and handing out innocuous pamphlets, nothing crazy or controversial --I wanted to yell at everyone taking a tour and oohing and ahhhing about what lovely people __-CULT! Child Abuse!

[@madworld395]

My aunt left college and joined the 12 tribes. She has been in the "community" since i was a baby. I last visited them at 11. Im 25 now & i often think about my cousins- i feel so bad for them and i really wish i could get them out of that life.

[@llamagolden7231]

My dad straight up yelled at someone trying to recruit him to this nuttiness. They tried telling him he’s wrong about his Judaism? Bye.

[@Napash.Masharath]

well he is

[@rebeccaromana25]

@@Napash.Masharath what’s your problem

[@Napash.Masharath]

@@rebeccaromana25 i hate this gutter hell named earth

[@blackqueen7226]

@@Napash.Masharath too bad have fun with that

[@woofawoof7616]

@UCldWck4rCS9EcSQwOSDQRkw well you can fuck off, then! 🙃

[@rocyrino]

"look we are better than scientology because WE pay taxes" My eyes rolled so far up my skull I could see my trigeminal nerves. What a load of crap

[@thatonescrambler]

Wow i cant spell trigonometry

[@MissBee13]

That poor girl in the beginning. Looks like a culty Laura Ingalls-Wilder.

[@Hollylivengood]

I remember when she was little. She's born and raised in the TT. She has worked her ass off for family, and now she'll work her ass off for her husband.

[@ddjsoyenby]

ikr it's like they were "f it let's not even try to hide we're a cult"

[@Cindyd-k3e]

Yep. I got vibes of Laura Ingalls and a Duggar.

[@Canadian_Alygator]

The joys. I actually lived in this cult for 4 years after I was sent to live with my mother. It's a wild ride. That's for sure.

[@GooberFace32]

Glad you were able to get out.

[@humankaleidoscope4989]

Consider making KZbin videos telling your story. I’d watch it, and I know a lot of other people would be interested too; lots of people have used that as a way to improve their lives, too, through the financial and emotional support an audience can provide. I’m sure it’s not all sunshine and rainbows but it could be a positive thing overall. Just an idea. :) but I’m sorry you went through that, and I really hope your mom wasn’t involved. I would imagine that would be especially difficult. I’m so glad you got yourself out of there.

[@Hollylivengood]

Did you know Eugene died? He caught the Covid.

[@Hollylivengood]

Sorry, commenting a bunch here. There's a facebook discussion group called Twelve Tribes Ex. It's a good group, and it helps to talk to each other. It's also helped connect families who's members left at different times. And sometimes they can help people who have left with integrating back into normalcy.

[@Emily-ug5ut]

i’m sorry 💓 glad you’re free…

[@Buddy24ification]

This sounds like hippie mormonism.

[@Trajikbpm]

Jahova witnesses

[@malloryllewelyn9798]

Oh my goodness! I used to eat at the Yellow Deli in Boulder CO and thought it was a cute hippie hobbit hole with DELICIOUS food... and then they gave me a weird pamphlet and I looked into it and found out it was a cult. Won't be eating there again!

[@Gjigfvniyf]

WHEN THE SUBTITLES SAID BOOMER FOLK SONG I-

[@bluebellflamesx]

Just turned on subtitles. What have i been missing?

[@sqwuishslay]

i actually screamed

[@SDChick]

ME TOO

[@MaureenHelsel]

I'm only 54 seconds in and I'm already saying wtf!?

[@lilafeldman8630]

Me too, me too.

[@CEDL4072]

I say that for every video lol. I love this channel!

[@derekisludicrous9203]

My parents used to live there (so did I but only till age 2)

[@prayunceasingly2029]

The yellow deli restaurants are pretty neat. Don't join their commune though...they want recruits to sell all they have. Looks like a trapped situation to me.

[@akaemmaclaire]

in my christian school (in chattanooga) we were able to interview people of other faiths/beliefs for our senior bible project. the yellow deli workers refused to answer any questions after a couple years of students continuing to ask for interviews

[@christenharper6151]

Oh my gosh, I’m 90% sure we went to the same high school. Go Seahawks???

[@elizabethrakich7717]

The beginning wedding play gives me strong Dwight Schrute garden party vibes

[@JPMitchell31721]

"Rods used for punishment" should be referred to as "weapons for attacking children."

[@bradleysmith9431]

"spare the rod, spoils the child"

[@omarayyash3275]

at least they are mostly the parents doing it and with an actual rod, not some stranger using a paddle (not a rod) like they do in the IFB who are completely bad people.

[@omarayyash3275]

you think they're bad, but there's far worse people like the IFB. I actually see these people as normal and better, and moral. The IFB are evil, cruel, tortorous, abusive, and immoral. The IFB are repulsive.

[@JPMitchell31721]

@@omarayyash3275 I don't think that mitigates it to any meaningful degree.

[@omarayyash3275]

the twelve tribes' vision is perfect. It's not small or dark, not trying to sell something or try to prove they're worth or in it for torturing people and they don't tolerate sexual stuff. They're vision is about love and unity and about love reaching the ends of the earth.@@JPMitchell31721

[@efolinsky]

They had a contract with the skincare brand acure and when the factory was inspected in 2018 it was found that they were breaking child labor laws. Acure was like what huh we had no idea

[@annem7806]

Run out of Ithaca NY too

[@agoodnightmoon]

As someone from Chattanooga, who knows many people who frequently eat at the Yellow Deli, thank you

[@ComptonCreations]

Yea, lived 5 min down the road off of Mcallie, and ate there all the time. I was constantly there to study, and never once had a problem. They were always very nice and respectful.

[@Cee944]

@@ComptonCreations Okay but the issue isn't if the food is good or people are nice, but that the revenue from the place funds the cult.

[@7856841]

Now imagine my surprise as a drunk 20 something unknowingly going into yellow deli since that was the only 24 hour restaurant in the area at the time.

[@rebeccaromana25]

Omg 😂😂

[@gabriellef3351]

I did the same thing! I moved to town and arrived late and it was the only place open. Like a year later someone filled me what the place was.

[@7856841]

@@gabriellef3351 food wasn’t bad lol but waiter was awkward, I guess there was hints I just missed them 😂

[@Bonvoyagebanana]

Imagine my horror when I was job hunting in my college town and didn’t know what the yellow deli was and asked if they were hiring.... i’ve never run so fast in my life

[@annem7806]

Best education you got, trust your gut!

[@carmendilcherd4765]

This is disgusting. Hippies who are Bible thumpers. Free love and Church. Talk about having your cake and eating it too.

[@sammygirl6910]

Hippies and racism/sexism has always been a thing. One of the reasons I've never been a fan.

[@maneatertiff]

Love the use of white rabbit

[@turnipgreen6280]

Man love love love love that song

[@caystedman]

its so good man, just amazing

[@13lilsykos]

Yes! Perfect song choice!

[@SHurd-rc2go]

Ms Fundy, you are so clever. I appreciate the s-load of work you put into your videos. Thanks.

[@skiptrace1888]

I was in the cult 15 years, from the very beginning in 1972, Chattanooga, TN. It was really very wonderful at the start lots of love, fun, Bible studies, free flowing faith in God, and free expression of individuals. We were very concerned about groups or denominations that believed, WE ARE THE ONLY ONES. One day, I woke up, and we were saying, WE ARE THE ONLY ONES. There is a Bible verse that says, "What they feared has come upon them" I realized then that we had become that which we feared, and were indeed a cult. So I left. A very happy decision! 😊 Your descriptions and insights are spot on. Thank you for all that you do!

[@meowAnni]

I am from the Czech Republic. I have been going down the fundie rabbit hole for a while but I did not see this coming by any chance. Especially since we are considered the most atheist country in Europe.

[@werisekk3]

My exact thoughts: "That's crazy, but that would never catch on here." and then bam! Apparently they are here I wonder if they are here only to exploit lenient law regarding homeschooling of if they also recruit here. After going through a few local forums, the "you have to beat your child for every misdemeanour" would probably be a selling point.

[@ladyjusta26]

I think they just want to be left alone, which I can see hapenning in the Czech Republic, because most people will mind their own business and just think that they are strange. Wonder where in the CZ they are though 👀

[@imshinycaptain]

I would love to have an Armageddon-themed wedding set to "White Rabbit."

[@SHurd-rc2go]

Best rock sound ever. I was in SF then. I must be old.

[@hellenicblonde6117]

Couldn't agree with both of you two more. An Armageddon styled wedding set to "White Rabbit" would be cool and the music from the late 60s and early 70s was some of the best ever produced.

[@claesvanoldenphatt9972]

Not so much Armageddon but Apocalypse. Jefferson Airplane regardless.

[@Nyx127]

There's a yellow deli a block away from my house. It is absolitely beautiful, like a mini botanical garden, and the food/ baked goods are amazing (I went a few times before realizing how crazy the whole thing was).They always invite customers to attend one of their dinners. So strange

[@tonyb5586]

I stayed with the twelve tribes in San Diego. I was definitely lost and without a purpose. But after staying with them for a month or so I was like I'd rather be homeless lol

[@DonicaMcArthur]

Omg lol

[@sarahsego9962]

Stumbled across this video literally hours after getting a Yellow Deli flier on my apartment door

[@FundieFridays]

They're on to me

[@sjc7773]

There are also reasons why they target college (hippy) students, most of them have very rich parents, and are rebelling (witch is good) but easy to take advantage of.

[@leahredwine6850]

I’m a conservative Christian myself. I grew up in the ATI Bill Gothard quiver full movement and it impacted me greatly and has left me with lasting trauma that I am having to work through as an adult. I love your channel so much. Even though we don’t agree on our world views I don’t feel stupid or judged by you. I appreciate your knowledge of the Bible and ability to call out people who bend it to fit to their messed up controlling agenda.

[@alannahivyleblanc6397]

Oh my goodness! I was in Toulouse, France three years ago and there was this organic shop and cafe called Au Coeur Du Grain. The people who ran it lived on a commune, were Christian, and the women wore head coverings. When I entered, I was immediately taken aside and evangelized to. I just looked them up and they are totally a part of the Twelve Tribes! Yikes!

[@brianwalsh1401]

cults are everywhere.

[@aliceestelle2475]

I went to UT Chatt and lived in the dorm behind their restaurant. Their food honestly was so good it’s problematic. I wasn’t super aware that they were so bad until after I transferred out. I think about the conversations I’ve had with the leader about how good their food was; their pickles were so good. Honestly it’s such a good marketing scheme to college students it’s a bit scary. They give 24/7 access to their restaurant for most days of the week.

[@isabelcaldwell2680]

And wifi. Always so so busy during dead week and their food really is delicious.

[@AChickandaDuck]

We took a wrong turn one time and ended up on the 12 Tribes farm near where we live. We pulled over to figure out where we were and got love bombed hard by a guy who came over to help us along with his two kids. It was one of the weirdest interactions I’ve ever had. We had a creepy feeling for the rest of the day. Thankfully we grew up in a cult so we saw the signs. 😂

[@alyssasaunders2844]

Vermonter here! I have been to the Yellow Deli many times.. won't be returning after this video lol, but I can vouch for the fact that they prey on young women and try to convert you. They try to figure out a lot about your life. I have been invited a few times to their "celebrations". Along with that, my friend knew someone who she went to high school with, their parents decided to join the 12 tribes and this girl disappeared. I was at the Yellow Deli with my friend about a year ago and this girl that my friend knew, waited on us and talked to us, however when she walked away my friend told me how much she had changed. She used to be bubbly and now she was a shell of a person (dead inside sadly). She told us they moved her and her family to the Martha's Vineyard location and moved her back to our location by herself.. I am assuming so her parents could no longer make decisions of protect her. So so so sad, I have way more stories. After that I decided to never go back but this video makes me realize how disgusting this cult truly is. Also how many people turn a blind eye bc their food is good upsets me.

[@sarahcolak9673]

I live in germany and first heard of them when they were going through the news because of their child abuse, but they quickly relocated.....so sad for the kids!!

[@frida507]

Were they able to brinh their kids?

[@ramonanaya6236]

@@frida507 some of the children escaped the foster homes they were in and I'm 99% sure the rest were returned to the community and they all relocated to the Czech Republic where they already had established a community.

[@frida507]

@@ramonanaya6236 thanks for the answer! Feel bad for the kids.

[@n4musica]

DUDE I WENT TO THE YELLOW DELI IN JAPAN AND HAD A LONG TALK WITH THE OWNER AND HIS WIFE AND I KNEW I GOT A WEIRD VIBE FROM THEM ABOUT THEIR BELIEFS. I had no idea what the Yellow Deli was affiliated with at the time, I was just hungry 😂 I didn’t realize there was anything off until I saw your thumbnail.

[@saffronhammer7714]

The children in Vermont weren't even allowed to play Make Believe. Or to have toys.

[@discord1880]

i lived in the twelve tribs no kids in the twelve tribs are aloud to play make belive not just in vermont

[@hurricaneriki]

We used to get flogged for "fantasy pretending" with items like water bottles, using them as dolls and such.

[@9rebeccaann]

I can’t believe I found this video. My family has been “neighbours” with a Yellow Deli for YEARS and we’ve always called them “the cult” 😂 Many beefs were had with our loving neighbours. They are really something else

[@ef8151]

There's a community in my hometown, in Ithaca NY. When I was a kid my parents told me never to go near or talk to them when I saw them around town, and to avoid their communal house. They tried to get me to go to the events at their cafe, the maté factor, which was near where I worked in high school, but I never made the connection.

[@Soph216]

I went to college in Ithaca and was approached by a young man with a pamphlet who invited me to an event.... even before googling them, there was no chance I was going. The whole interaction was so weird.

[@imanidriskell4147]

Yes, I went to college there and I avoided their cafe on the Commons.

[@NeverLose20]

Went to IC and heard the cafe was ran by a cult. Recently graduated, i really dont remember it being open while being at school.

[@thatb1tchk]

Holy shit when i was a child lmao and me and my mom were still apart of the 12 tribes we lived in ithaca for a little while before we left that place

[@Acinnn]

I live like 20 minutes from their community in Czech Republic. I heard about them few years back from my father who has bipolar disorder and once I met one of them selling some produce at local town market. They certainly were trying to invite me to visit their community and my father actually did visit them and found them fascinating. When he is in manic phase he is really interested in everything and everyone but also really determined pushing own ideas on other people. So what makes him likely interested in community makes him not easy to be recruited to be obedient member. I really hope he won't ever get fooled by all those pretty pictures of self sustaining community.

[@ragarast]

I lived right by The Yellow Deli in Chattanooga. There was also a house a few blocks down that they owned as well. I don't know if they lived there, but they definitely did work there. UTC students were always at the Yellow Deli because they were open "24/5" so people could eat a sandwich and do homework at 2 am. The people were super nice all the time and honestly, the interior of the deli was so incredibly cute. I didn't really understand that it was a cult until I got a little older. I think I thought it was an Amish family that ran it.

[@Midori12113]

Don’t forget the free WiFi

[@ragarast]

@@Midori12113 oh yeah! like the only place around as well unless you went further downtown. hello fellow chattanoogan.

[@neptunianmoons6955]

Theres a chapter of the 12 tribes in my town (complete with two food establishments). My sister works at a thrift store that they shop at often and they are known for being friendly and polite, so much so that they have invited people to weddings and other events at their compound. One of my sister’s coworkers actually went to one of their weddings and she said that they made it hard for her to leave (she didn’t say how but it seemed like they tried to convince her NOT to leave). Sometimes when theres a large event downtown they will give out free food and talk to people (cough, recruit, cough). They have even invited my underage sister to a wedding. Additionally, I worked at a grocery store and once they left one of those little fliers there and it was... interesting, to say the least. They are well known enough in the area, but I don’t think everyone is aware of how dangerous they actually are.

[@Lunathemermaid]

I was born and raised in the twelve tribes. My family left when I was eleven.

[@prayunceasingly2029]

Wow! I was raised in the two by twos.

[@purine1400]

listening to someone rationalize child abuse with “intellectual” sounding religious jargon feels bone chilling and severely psychopathic

[@matoxthe_5685]

Reading the talk section of their wikipedia page is really interesting. One of their members is arguing with people and being really polite.

[@valerienikolic4640]

we have one of their resturants in town,, the amount of times I've told people to not go their and not support them only for them to shrug and say "so what" or "who cares?"

[@junomonsoon]

Willful ignorance is a curse

[@brianwalsh1401]

You tried.

[@samanthak9346]

There was a yellow deli right by my uni campus. I used to get into arguments with people about whether it was ethical or not to buy their pies.

[@clairekie]

when i lived in boulder, my friends and i used to go to the yellow deli whenever we had to cram for exams because they were open really late into the night… we thought it was an insanely weird place on our first visit after seeing the apocalyptic murals on the walls, but there’s a lot of weird art in boulder, so nobody questioned it… until at one point we looked them up and realized we’d been buying coffee from a racist apocalypse cult all semester

[@brightasyellow4]

Thanks so much for this content. Seriously, it has been so cathartic for me to see people talking about this shit! If you’re ever in need of another bastard to research, btw, Doug Wilson of the CREC in Moscow definitely qualifies. 😬 peace, friends!

[@haleigheustis3217]

I go to school near a yellow deli, and at home I lived closed to their cult as well. They were busted a few years back in my hometown for child abuse, and going to school I had no clue they were even a cult when I ate there. I found out after eating and searching the deli up. Immediately going inside there was such a creepy underlying vibe -- everyone working seemed so robot like and simply a shell of a person. I've been told if you mention having their "carrot cake" it's a way of confirming you want to join the cult. How true this is ... I'm not sure, but it's certainly quite interesting.

[@brianwalsh1401]

What if you just want carrot cake though?

[@msdaphne]

The news in the Denver area is that the recent fire that burned whole neighborhoods may have started with the 12 tribes. This suspicion was reported in the local paper.

[@theurbanthirdhomestead]

Are you talking about the Boulder fires that started from some smart meters?

[@maddieguarino1785]

i go to school in Oneonta (specifically hartwick) and we have a yellow deli in town. And yeah their "nice" and their food is good but still a cult is a cult. I didn't even know they were a cult until the second or third time i went there cause someone told me

[@jonnielgreenidge4739]

Me too I went to Oneonta State!

[@alexisfox297]

I didn’t know till I found this video. That place is so prominent there on the corner. I hope they get shut down.

[@Fluffycara]

Hey another person who knows them from Oneonta! I went there with my ex, who works at Oneonta

[@theurbanthirdhomestead]

​@@alexisfox297 Why? Because a few people did bad things? These groups are everywhere. You're going to judge them just because of the word, cult?

[@theurbanthirdhomestead]

If you couldn't even tell they were a "cult", were they really that bad?

[@elizabethevans8667]

My friends and I were approached by members of the 12 Tribes at a Phish concert last year. They gave us booklets and seemed pretty cool until I went home and actually read their website lol

[@Dan-jt5zn]

Wait watttttt I’m a big Phan lol lurking in the comments and seeing this shocked me! Gotta keep my eye out for this on lot i guess haha

[@mackdeen7021]

They use to hit the dead shows hard in the early 90s. By that time anyone and everyone that was on tour or knew the parking lot scene knew to stay well away from them. Some folks on tour had pamphlets going around warning everyone about them They went after young runaways and newer kids to the scene and everyone suspected there was abuse etc and many of the people in the parking lot scene was always on the lookout!

[@mariahclaar7915]

​@Mack Deen They still hit Dead, Phil or Bobby shows. Lol, you're either on the bus or off the bus... just stay off THAT bus! I'd rather be Dead. 💀⚡️

[@mimekey]

Wow. I live in Bavaria and can vaguely remember the news coverage of the chapter here. But I had no idea that it was that bad. They are absolutely crazy. I feel so bad for those children...

[@brandibomb]

I grew up near the Yellow Deli in Vista, California and in my teenage and early college years I frequented the place. It has lovely warm vibes and good food, so it's a little sad that I can never, ever go there again. I will not support child abusing cults with my money.

[@susie8104]

I can’t believe so many people know about these people and still patronize their businesses

[@MaidMirawyn]

Most think they’re just eccentric, not a child abuse doomsday cult. I’m a Christian and visited their Savannah coffee shop. I had no idea literally until this video!

[@theurbanthirdhomestead]

Would you prefer we all went to Walmart and McDonald's?

[@beth9137]

Is there no other locally owned cafes in Chattanooga? I understand what you are saying, but if you do not want to give your money to mega corporations why would you want to give your money to a cult?@@theurbanthirdhomestead

[@ChristieLily35]

There is something about these fundies who like to think they're living in the church in Acts or the early church, but we have the writing and it uh... looked nothing like this.

[@HillaryHorror]

Please keep me far away from any house that is 'full of the fragrance of our father's love.' 🤢

[@junomonsoon]

Ewww that gives me absolutely rancid vibes

[@JessicaDiMartinoscarletdawn]

My personal experience within the 12 Tribes was in about 1992. I graduated high school and stayed with them in Island Pond Vermont. I spent a bit of time in one of the single female houses. My first night I was awakened in the morning by singing, was given a lovely basket of their homemade products and became close with one of the girls there. She clearly had stars in her eyes then. I left shortly after, never saw abuse per se... or racism. Funnily enough I met and married a man from Island Pond and moved and raised my children there. Years later while at the beach I saw the young girl I met there, she had several children too and seemed rather disillusioned and sad. There were also a few instances where some members fled to our field and were looking to get out of the group.

[@theurbanthirdhomestead]

Thank you for sharing. 😊

[@jordanbolding8665]

At one time I went to their celebration on Fridays regularly. I will state that while being there with how nice they are and how happy they all seem it is very easy to believe they are into something. That being said living around their "sanctuary" that CULT and speaking to people who have joined and left knowing before and after that place is a brain washing monster.

[@jordanbolding8665]

But that's just my opinion

[@RealityEscapeeItIsMe]

"Go ask Alice" the song is on The Handmaid's Tale soundtrack. How fitting.

[@hobocode]

wow. these people are horrible to children. i was an abused child. i wish I could rescue all the kids like me out there. the ones who are dreaming of someone busting in and taking them to safety. man... it's just so unfair.

[@amibetholds3810]

BRO!!!! okay......this is going to be FREAKING LONG...and you might not see this comment...my husband is in Family Force 5 (FF5), and we toured a lot in the Christian Market. I ran merch for my hubby and the band, and this group came to the merch table one time (I want to say it was actually in Colorado....but when I see Chattanooga....I don't know...we've toured so much....) They tried SO HARD to convert me....and it was the most CRINGE feeling ever. They gave me a pamphlet and talked about the weird communal living space, and it sounded like they were slaves. It was so CREEPSville. I'm ranting as I type...but It was SOOOOO WEIRD....I was just a band wife trying to sell T-shirts, and they came up to our table 3 times with no purchases...just kept pushing their communal lifestyle...Okay...anyway.... you lead a life of such love and calling out all of the assholes. I hope I get to meet you!!!! You can totally interview my hubs if you EVER want to do a deep dive in the Christian music industry.........he'd be happy to talk! @joshuaoldsff5 LOVE you GIRL. I do believe in God/Jesus/The Holy Spirit, and with that being said, and I know with out a shadow of a doubt....God LOVES what you are doing. Keep turning those tables over BOO. You are the freaking BEST. Keep questioning, keep pursuing.....atheists have a firmer belief in God than most Christians...because they know that God will show up if God is real. XoXo Your Girl @amibeth

[@ElTorcho]

i don't know if you'll ever see this but i was a *huge* ff5 fan back in the day so seeing this comment was truly bonkers. please tell your husband i said thanks for the tunes!!

[@amibetholds3810]

@@ElTorcho that is SO SWEET!! I will tell my husband :)

[@LitcheTheArsm]

I listened so much to FF5 as a teen! sending love to your family from Sweden~

[@daver00lzd00d]

can you please tell your husband that the ff5 song "earthquake" should have been a number 1 hit song? that song was a banger. being their merch girl must have been cool, getting to travel all over

[@brianwalsh1401]

Any relation to fox force five?

[@alexisfox297]

Holy shit there’s one of their yellow delis near where I grew up. Definitely not going there again. I had no idea 😬

[@Napash.Masharath]

Yellow deli sounds like a coffee shop with bagels and finger sandwhiches for before work

[@serraapple]

There's a tribe here in Manitou Springs and even though it's not called Yellow Deli, it's called Mate Factor and almost identical. The group here is super sneaky is trying to get recruits.

[@brianwalsh1401]

I think that's how most cults operate. They try and get you with the love bomb and it's all good. Then the indoctrination is ramped up.

[@saydeegirl]

I accidentally went to a Mate Factor in Savannah a few days ago and found out whole sitting in the store that it was a cult. Mate Factor and several other businesses are owned by this same group, the 12 tribes

[@abigailinferno]

mate factor is 12 tribes!!!

[@WadeAldrich]

Mate factor runs the only off site vendor space (24 hr coffee and cafe) at grassroots festival near Ithaca.. and tbh, I just get my food and coffee and split. I don't mind them much and turn down conversation.

[@petitehippie7064]

Love the Jefferson Airplane white rabbit in the background. Hilarious.

[@airsea602]

My last job had a recruiter for the 12 tribes there. He got half of the staff to come to their gatherings and make friends. I stayed away because I grew up in a church where a mother lost her husband to them. She was forced to raise two young kids alone because he abandoned them for this cult.

[@alladreamwedreamed]

We see them on Dead and Phish lot all the time. Everyone knows to avoid their big giant schoolbus lol

[@jenileighb]

I had one of there cookies today, and I was like no wonderrrrr people get on the bus. The cookies are SO GOOD

[@gaberdabbers826]

Yes 👏

[@flowernose420]

Excellent episode, Jen. Knew nothing about 12 tribes before today. 👍👍

[@wendymccoy1093]

The kid trying recruit people reminded me of that Boy Meets World episode where Shawn joins a cult.

[@mandark1727]

Heyyyy! There's some of these people in Savannah, GA, running my favorite cafe, Mate Factor. There were always rumors about them and the ladies who worked there had a habit of staring at you with emptiness (I'm sure they were just trying not to show judgement towards all the art students at the counter. Though one woman didn't bother to hide it lol), but I couldn't keep away from the egg sandwiches and green drink...and all the baked goods were ridiculously good. One time, I excitedly described the cafe as looking like a hobbit hole, and the only man who worked there overheard me and was insulted. I guess he hasn't seen LOTR...Hobbit holes are magical and awesome. Hearing all this is extremely disappointing, but thankfully I don't live there anymore.

[@NoYeahNah]

Oh wow, the auto-generated subtitles are impeccable on this one - "Eating children is a community effort..." Played it back, listened. Okay, beating... cool. Phew! (I never thought I'd ever be relieved that children were 'just' being beaten.)

[@aliliSUN]

THE SONG AT THE END WTF. "This house is full of the fragrance of our father's love" 👀👀

[@gabbyabbott4965]

So beer sweat?

[@juddpalmer5445]

I almost joined the cult. I was 21 hiking the Appalachian Trail stoped at the hostel they run in Vermont and ate at the yellow deli there the food was amazing (but keep in mind that I hadn’t had real food In probably a month) everyone was so nice and welcoming and I went back after I finished my hike to see what it was all about and it have bad vibes so I didn’t and I’m glad I didn’t join.

[@515aleon]

Not a thru hiker, but friends with a few. I read they have a bit of fetish for AT hikers feeling they are on the same sort of quest. It seemed likely that they had converted some of them as why would they put in so much effort (hostels, etc.).

[@prayunceasingly2029]

I visited the yellow deli Because it was next to my hostel in Nelson B.C. They eventually wanted me to visit their commune I think but when I learned they want people to sell all their possessions to join I decided it wasn't a good opportunity.

[@juddpalmer5445]

@@515aleon yep. They call it a quest of meaning.

[@taylorann3005]

I have to say I'm glad that this video was recemended to me because the Yellow Deli picture you put in is from my home town Rutland, Vermont. I knew there was some kind of cult thing happening but didn't know to what extent. They have great food and a lot of people go there. I will no longer be blindly supporting.

[@mcguffers]

The part where she describes the get together and it is supposed to cut to Midsommar (I think?), it cut to an Arnold bread ad with Jon Stamos jumping in on some family's picnic and I was confused for a min.

[@JustLindsayH]

Another fundy group I haven't heard of. I fell down the rabbit hole and found we have 2 compounds here in Colorado.

[@gin2943]

i just wanna say that i did a school project about mormonism and religious sects a few months ago, but i didn't start getting youtube ads for the book of mormon until i started binge watching your channel

[@baileymoran8585]

No joke. I lived 1/4 mile from one of their major compound, on a separate artist compound. I also lived with an ex member at that time. It’s pretty bad.

[@chaoticizz]

I’m from Plymouth and they have a bakery here and it actually is getting no shut down because people are learning about what the 12 Tribes does

[@dizzyella8204]

Oh jeez, i was thinking this whole thing had Midsommar vibes before you even showed the clip 😂

[@LilWonder84]

As a Christian there is a vast difference between discipline and beating your children. The bible talks about how children are blessings and gifts from God. I would like to think that God would not appreciate his Blessings being beaten and his used in his name. Its just gross.

[@katiestafford5693]

...i've eaten at one of their Yellow Delis... my sister used to live next to their commune. at their original founding place. uh oh. UH OH. *UH OH.* one time they gave her corn chowder. she said they were nice. i've seen them outside playing volleyball, them walking to and from the Yellow Deli, and i think i've seen them praying once or twice outside. it's nuts to just see a cult hanging out in the middle of a college town.

[@theurbanthirdhomestead]

Why? Because you're brainwashed into hating them?

[@hannahguffey4527]

Fun fact, in Chattanooga the buildings they started in are now Alan Golds (gay club💜 which I highly recommend checking out if you ever visit Chatty), and the other one is now a bar called The Pickle Barrel. Ummm…. Karma? Haha

[@flowernose420]

I gasped at 4:34 when your eyeliner pen thankfully =didn't= scratch your eye. So glad you survived. Phew 😂

[@heatherpagles5383]

I lived in Chattanooga for about 18 months and loved the Yellow Deli until I learned about the group. Never went again. It bothers me that the restaurant is located right off of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga’s campus.

[@brianwalsh1401]

Good for you not helping to support a cult. I'm pretty sure the restaurant is located there to recruit young people who are away from home and feel lost.

[@literarylady1125]

I see in some of the pictures that there were black children in the tribe. I want to hear their story.

[@aubiecat]

omg there's a group of them in ithaca--or at least there used to be. they operated a cafe that sold mate tea and other healthy food (mate factor)--i loved it. i remember going there ~13 years ago or so, and we were greeted by a dude with long hair in a ponytail. five minutes later, we see another, wondering "is this the same guy?" then another....there were like five. we were very confused, left thinking we had stumbled upon a quintuplet-owned restaurant.

[@muffininorbit]

I got dropped off with these people when I was hitch hiking once (the food was great). They asked us what we did and one of my friends said she was a TV writer. There were some kids there who said "what is TV?" I'm all for keeping kids away from TV to an extent, but to have never even heard of it? Their mom turned to them and explained "it's kind of like the plays we do sometimes."

[@theurbanthirdhomestead]

The kids watching tv are the real brainwashed ones.

[@smalltowncryptid]

i saw a tiktok of someone showing off the yellow deli in chattanooga, tn and it’s like pretty try cottagecore vibes inside i was like “wow, something so beautiful is near somewhere i live?!” so i told my dad about it and he just goes “yeah, that’s a cult.” so of COURSE i went right to your page to try and find a video on them. :)

[@JP-hh3bz]

lmao the ‘1984 revisited’ poster on the podium is kinda metal

[@abbishultis984]

I’m a student at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario and there’s a yellow deli conveniently located at a 10 minute walk from campus. It’s pretty well known in the city and on campus that they’re a cult and I don’t know anyone that’s ever gone there, I had never looked into them so I honestly thought it was just a Kingston thing!