Thursday, November 17, 2016

Berland sentenced to 18 months in prison

Rabbi Eliezer Berland

Rabbi Eliezer Berland, who fled Israel after allegations of sexual misconduct against female followers came to light in 2012, will serve 18 months in prison for sexual abuse.

Berland, 79, is the founder of the Shuvu Banim yeshiva in the Old City of Jerusalem and was a prominent figure within the Breslov community. He managed to evade Israeli authorities until his capture in South Africa in late 2015. Rabbi Berland was finally returned to Israel in July, 2016.

According to a plea bargain agreement signed on Thursday, Berland will plead guilty to two charges of sexual assault against two of his female followers, and will be sentenced to 18 months imprisonment.

The nearly four months Berland has already served will be counted towards his jail term.

While many of Rabbi Berland’s followers have decried the allegations as a witch-hunt and proclaimed his innocence, prominent Breslov leaders have condemned Berland, while his own son, Nahman, described him as a “criminal”.

“[H]e pretends to be a great saint,” the younger Berland said. “My father has no shame….when people know about his crimes they won’t come near him; my father is such a criminal – either he’s totally wicked or he’s mentally ill, and I don’t care which.”

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

Out for Chanuka. Yeah.
2017 that is.

Anonymous said...

http://lilith.org/articles/rabbi-shlomo-carlebachs-shadow-side/
this?
Problem is you could claim that about any dead man, who can no longer defend themselves from the grave.
However being oiver gidrei tznius, which were made for a purpose, can cause anyone to fall into this stuff.
Hilchos yichud & gidrei tznius which were made by the beis Din of Dovid hamelech and added to in all times, including today, as theworld morphs into what it is becoming, were made for good reasons, someone who blatantly defied those rules,not only those proposed by the living Rabbis of his time, but even those of Beis Dino shel Dovid in the name of ahavas Yisroel, may truly have fallen.
Ain apitropes learoyois, but today he is no danger, the only danger that does exist is awareness. I cannot corroborate evidence, to know if he did or didn't do what is claimed, but the fact that so many have a similar story, and are prepared to share it, does tell me there is usually no smoke.
Anyone who publically & privately defies gidrei tznius of Chazal, is choshud al arayois, no matter how great a talmid chochom tzadik or manhig he may be.
See the other resent story, & match the sins.

Anonymous said...

Rabbi or no Rabbi
Priest or no priest
A sexual predator is a dangerous individual.
He's a very sick person who should probably be admitted to a mental health facility.
As far as his Hasidim they're lost lost souls anyway, a bunch of Hari Krishna sickos

Klaghorn Leghorn said...

The bais din of Dovid HaMelrch enacted hilchos yichud and gidrei tznius ? Really ?
How do you know this? When were these takanos enacted and who were the members of the bais din who enacted these takonos.
Names and dates please!

Anonymous said...

Abe,
you sound like a typical ignorant AM-HAARETZ,
go back to Yeshiva (which you most probably never attended) and you will get your answers
CHAIM

Anonymous said...

Llook into the story of David's son Amnon and his sister and check meforshim, they talk about it.I believe it was a geder for singles only because the other tznius gedorim were already in effect,so it wasn't an entirely new geder but an add on.

Klaghorn Leghorn said...

Couldn't answer my question, huh? It appears you're the Am Ha'aretz.

Klaghorn Leghorn said...

See my reply to Chaim the Am Ha'aretz.

Anonymous said...

How much longer will it take to jail the rest of the religious sex predators.
In baltimore we have a school principal on the sex offenders list. Protectedby local rabbis