Rabbi Eliezer Berland, leader of Breslovs’ Shuvu Banim community, has left Morocco after a seven-month stay. As was reported by YWN-ISRAEL, as more families affiliated with the rav relocated to Morocco to be with their rebbe, authorities became uncomfortable with the situation and the rabbi was instructed to leave the country.
It appears the because of the large Muslim population, authorities felt the chassidim arriving with their families, and their obvious outer Jewish appearance, created new security concerns which police felt they cannot or do not wish to address.
While local askanim who are close to the rabbi tried to intervene on his behalf, their efforts were unsuccessful and the rav has left. The rabbi reportedly left on Thursday night the eve of 5 Kislev 5774, accompanied by a small number of close chassidim. They reportedly headed to a stopover country and from there they will select a more permanent place to settle. Because the rabbi is wanted for alleged crimes in Israel he cannot settle in a country that has an extradition agreement with Israel.
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
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7 Responses
” alleged crimes ” ? it is a bit of an understatement, don’t you think ? DO YOUR RESEARCH PEOPLE !!!
Run from these sorts of Occultists who profane not only the Torah but also The name of the Holy One Blessed Be HE and are a disgrace the unto Israel .
I heard he is settling with his Kehila in the part of Eretz Yisroel that is in the Kingdom of Jordan.
Can we please be don l’chaf zechus? He is a tremendous talmid chacham and a marbitz Torah, who guided HaRav Shalom Arush shlit”a in his incredibly successful campaign (The Garden of Emuna) to bring Klal Yisroel to greater levels of emuna.
Yes, there are allegations, and yes, they must be taken seriously. Still, let’s give him at least the same courtesy extended to anyone arrested in America – innocent until proven guilty.
P.S. I am not a Breslever.
“It appears the because of the large Muslim population, authorities felt the chassidim arriving with their families, and their obvious outer Jewish appearance, created new security concerns” – this is a pathetic attempt by YWN to spin this story into one of antisemitic persecution.
In reality, it was the King of Morocco who ordered that they be evicted from the country after he learned of the scope and severity of the accusations; he made it clear that he does not want Morocco to become known as an asylum for people who commit those types of acts.
I guess picking a place to start a kehilla is not so easy in Morocco as it is in Quebec.
South Africa called it Saturday night