Following an extensive police investigation, the Jerusalem District Attorney filed an indictment against the leader of Shuvu Banim, Rabbi Eliezer Berland, 82, on Sunday for the criminal offenses of obtaining items by fraud under aggravating circumstances, attempted obtainment of items by fraud under aggravating circumstances, exploitation and attempted exploitation.

According to the indictment, Berland, with the help of his associates, presented himself to those in need as someone with special spiritual powers who could provide healing and relief from various distresses as long as those in need paid him thousands of shekels.

“The defendant did this, with the full knowledge that he had no power to bring about the sought-after solution and there was no truth in his claim that the outcome would occur,” the indictment stated. “The misrepresentations mentioned above were presented by the defendant and his assistants through direct statements and promises to those who turned to him through the deceitful perception of the defendant’s ‘segulos’ and through the guise of ‘pidyon nefesh’ and exploiting the position of the defendant as a spiritual and religious authority to his followers.

“The above misrepresentations were presented by the defendant to those who turned to him even in extreme situations such as – techiyas ha’meisim, full recovery from serious and incurable illnesses, recovery from permanent medical conditions (such as physical disability) and severe medical conditions, as well as recovery from urgent situations such as imprisonment or the location of missing persons. At times, within the framework of his misrepresentations, the defendant made recommendations for fraudulent remedies or pills.

“The misrepresentations have been presented by the defendant for years, in a planned, methodical and systematic manner, as a fraudulent venture motivated by financial gain. During the period of the indictment, the defendant made the above misrepresentations in many dozens of cases, some of which are listed below, and attempted to earn millions of shekels through them.

“In addition, Rabbi Eliezer Berland is accused of calling on members of his community to harm couples from the community due to his stance that their behavior was contrary to Torah law. The defendant recorded a message urging his followers to beat them and break their bones. The defendant ordered this message to be publicized on one of the hotlines of the Shuvu Banim community.

The prosecutor’s office requested to extend Berland’s arrest until the end of the legal proceedings, noting that “there is a reasonable basis for concern that if released, he will attempt to disrupt legal proceedings and evade the law, in light of his past, which includes leaving the country when a criminal investigation was opened in his case and evading investigative proceedings in a way that required an extensive and complex three-year operation by the state of Israel to bring him to justice.”

The prosecution also stated that as part of his escape, the defendant moved between various countries, some of which have no extradition treaty with Israel, using fake documentation, including a fake diplomatic passport from Ivory Coast, and through many fraudulent acts in the countries he was staying.

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)