A Jerusalem district court has approved the final plea bargain agreement for Shuvu Banim founder Rabbi Eliezer Berland.
Berland, who fled Israel after being accused in 2012 of sexually assaulting several female followers, was apprehended by South African authorities and extradited to Israel in July of this year.
While he previously denied the charges against him, on Tuesday he acknowledged his actions and expressed remorse for them.
“I regret, from the deepest part of my heart, and apologize to everyone whom I hurt, man or woman, male or female.”
As part of the plea bargain, Rabbi Berland will be sentenced to 18 months in prison, but will be credited with time served since he was taken into custody in July.
Rabbi Berland said he appreciated the “light” sentence he was handed down, comparing the jail term to the executions of two thousand years ago.
“For the things I did, back in the Biblical days, they would have stoned me or burned me to death. But today they’re lenient in the punishments, and I want to keep this [plea bargain] agreement.”
If after all the PR/ attention that this case got and the international pursuit of over years the most terrible sentencing that they could give him is a plea bargain and 18mos. minus time already spent in jail. It smells to me that there is not much evidence if any. True he is a little strange and eccentric, thay doesn't make him a rapist or molester or anything bad. Don't forget that those accusing him are also strange and eccentric as well as farbissen. My conclusion is there is no reason to nock him off his chezkas kashrus or speak loshon hora, of course though you for yourself may be choshesh ie. Don't let your daughter visit him alone
ReplyDeleteDutka
ReplyDeleteOk send him your wife
I am glad that you agree😊
DeleteHe's a sick pig, he deserves a life sentence.
ReplyDeleteAnd his sick followers are not any better.
No better than the celibate priests.
This a$$hole should be castrated.
Abe has left a new comment on your post "Berland: "'In Biblical times I would have been exe...":
ReplyDeleteRav Dutka,
You must be congenitally obtuse.
Berland himself admitted his sexual predation saying that in the time of Moshe Rabbeinu he would have been stoned or burned to death.
You also would have been prohibited as a witness and would have been relieved from performing all mitzvot under the rubric of cherish, shoteh v'katan.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteWell, at least he admitted it! That's a step towards teshuva, no?
ReplyDelete