When you think of Pearl Street, the economic heart of Boulder, you may conjure up images of some of your favorite restaurants and stores. From Illegal Petes to Avantis to Rocket Fizz, Pearl Street is full of happy, popular businesses that are well-loved by many. That is exactly why many people would be surprised that there is a restaurant owned by a religious group, classified by the Southern Poverty Law Center as a cult, on the exact same street. By talking a walk to this business just 10 minutes away from Boulder High School, you will find yourself in the infamous Yellow Deli. 

Upon entering the Yellow Deli, visitors are greeted by soft, medieval music, creating a tavern-like atmosphere with murals, paintings, and handcrafted wooden furnishings. The friendly and enthusiastic employees along with its welcoming atmosphere make it appear like any other health-oriented business venture.

The religious group that runs the Yellow Deli is known as the Twelve Tribes, and all employees at the restaurant are members of this organization. The Twelve Tribes, a unique religion created from blending Christianity with Judaism, are different from other religions in many key aspects. This group, often labeled a cult, was formed in the American South in 1972 as a lone religious group. Unlike most religions, all members of the group live in “communities” worldwide, which are communal housing complexes sharing common areas and a kitchen. 

Their beliefs, which we were able to find in an invitational pamphlet given to us titled “One Short Life,” challenge societal norms and contrast with mainstream religions. They view Satan as the “ruler of this present age” and argue that the education system creates a “conveyor belt of life” and steers people toward a life of constant work with no higher purpose. They propose their communally based approach to life and induction into their group as a solution.

Even as their efforts to convert people continue, the Twelve Tribes’ reputation has been marred by scandals and negative news stories. In 2022, their Boulder “community” was linked by fire investigators to the first ignition point of the Marshall fire (this was ruled to be a legal burn and not the fault of the community’s members). Accusations against the group include non-payment of employees, alleged child abuse, and manipulative leadership. They’ve also been accused of racism, homophobia, and anti-Semitism by the Denver Post and other sources.

We decided to interview one of the employees of the Yellow Deli to find more information on this group. We chose Mishmar, a friendly 20-year-old employee at the Yellow Deli and a member of the Twelve Tribes community in Boulder since the age of 6. When asked about his pay, he explained, “The way it works is a bit different, we all own the Yellow Deli so it’s not like we get paid hourly. All the employees own it together,” confirming that Yellow Deli employees volunteer their work in exchange for necessities provided by their community. Mishmar also addressed the claim that new members are forced to surrender their possessions, saying, “In our minds, everyone has a free will… Everybody in the community has decided that’s what they want to do.” While it is not legally compelled, the communal lifestyle discourages private property ownership, as all members must live and work within the community.

The most serious accusation against this group is child abuse. Many ex-members have said that they were encouraged to be beaten by the group. The Twelve Tribes openly encourages corporal punishment, as seen by their child training manual, “[A wooden] rod must be used to correct wrong thoughts, wrong words, and wrong deeds,” fueling the belief that child abuse is encouraged by the cult. 

The Twelve Tribes denies this claim, saying that they do not condone child abuse and that “the rod” should be used sparingly. Their use of corporal punishment also falls within the legal limits in Colorado, where parents and guardians have permission to use “reasonable and appropriate” force to discipline a child. Additionally, in recent years the group seems to have loosened their approach to corporal punishment and stopped giving non-parental adults the ability to discipline children. 

With all of the controversy surrounding the Twelve Tribes, we decided to visit their community in Boulder. Although we went in not knowing what to expect, we were welcomed very warmly by their group. Even as complete strangers, they immediately gave us a meal, smores, and invited us to join them around a campfire. We noticed right away that there were many children in the community with a wide age range, and they appeared on the surface to be happy and healthy. Everybody in the community was exceptionally outgoing and kind to us, which was surprising considering all the accusations leveled against the Twelve Tribes. When we arrived they immediately called in one of their musicians from work to play songs on a guitar and sing for us. Two other members of the tribe joined in with their own instruments and they serenaded us with their Twelve Tribes music, with everybody, including the very young children, singing along to the songs. Musical ability is clearly prized in this community, seeing that many people, including kids, played instruments skillfully. It seems that when we were there, they were determined to present the best side of their community. 

From all of our research, we were able to determine that despite the claims surrounding the Twelve Tribes, their community in Boulder is filled with seemingly kind and welcoming people. A lot of hostility in Boulder towards this group may be undeserved, especially since many sources take certain takes by extremists in the community and then try to brand the whole community as racist, homophobic, and anti-Semitic. It’s a commonality among religions to have teachings that are too socially regressive and backward today, and the Twelve Tribes suffer the same fate. Even in the face of the extreme beliefs of a few of these people, the values that convince people to join their religion are love, peace, and community. Although we cannot say that we support everything that goes on in the Twelve Tribes, we can say that based on our interactions with them most members of this group in Boulder are decent people who simply choose to live their lives in an unconventional way.