The High Court of Justice on Thursday, 12 Elul, ruled that the head of Shuvu Banim, Rabbi Eliezer Berland, will remain in custody. Justice Yoram Danziger heard the defense attorney’s petition to release the elderly rabbi on bail, turning it down.
Attorneys Avigdor Feldman and Rachel Toran told the court that the allegations against the rav would carry a maximum jail term of 18 months, and therefore, he should be permitted to be out on bail since he has already been imprisoned, referring to the period the rabbi was incarcerated in South Africa prior to being extradited.
The court was inclined to accept the state’s fears that the rabbi would be a flight risk.
The defense attorneys then tried persuading the court by pointing out the rav’s advanced age and declining health but the court was firm, turning down their plea and ruling the rabbi would remain in jail without bail throughout his trial.
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
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2 Responses
How serious can the allegations and charges be if the maximum jail time could be 18 months? Whereas before I was inclined to think there is no smoke without fire, I am now less inclined to believe the whole story. Did the Israeli police really chase this elderly man across the world for such minor matters? On the other hand asking for bail here must have been obviously doomed to failure given the prisoner’s history of evading arrest and fleeing from country to country.
Now that they finally have this guy in custody, the police and prosecutors should move quickly to present their charges to the court. I’m not a big fan of the circus Berland created running from country to country and dressing up in his tallis/tefillin in court. However, the authorities seem to be working in slow motion and dragging out his interrogation and trial. Either bring charges or set him free.