Supporters of Rabbi Eliezer Berland have decided to invest in hiring the best legal services available towards determining if and how the rav can return to Israel, the daily Maariv reports.
The rav has hired the legal services of attorneys Roi Blecher and Moshe Mazor from the Office of Goldfarb & Zelegman in the hope of paving his way back to Israel. In the onset of his legal concerns, the rabbi was represented by prominent attorney Yaakov Weinrott. The two attorneys selected are also the defense team for Rabbi Yoshiyahu Pinto Shlita and they have been working with State Attorney General Yehuda Weinstein during recent months towards persuading him to file a less harsh indictment against Rabbi Pinto.
The report adds that hundreds of chassidim who were planning to join the rav for Shabbos Parshas Zachor in Zimbabwe have cancelled their plans and some families planning to relocate from Israel to be with the rav are holding off. Persons close to the rav explain “we have changed direction” and instead of chassidim moving to the rav, the rav is now working on setting the legal stage towards permitting his return home.
Rabbi Berland fled Israel about 18 months ago to avoid arrest amid accusations of law-breaking. He spent a period of time in Morocco and is now in Zimbabwe. He has to be in countries that do not maintain extradition agreements with Israel.
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
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8 Responses
The article is somewhat confusing. What does an apparently respected rav with Chassidim who are willing to follow him to Zimbawe need a criminal defense lawyer. The article refers to the Rav “fleeing EY” over allegations of “lawbreaking” and possible extradition concerns but never says what he is accused of that requires such high-powered legal talent. Why wouldn’t he simply return to EY, confront his accusers and clear his name rather than running way like a common criminal? Something doesn’t make sense here.
Gadol ha……
Seemsblike you are implying that you “know” something. I would be delighted if he would be found innocent. Allegations against anybody in our community gives straw to the people intent on burning us all down. However, sadly, based om the avigdor leiberman investigation for 20 years only to drop the charges….. I don’t think I have to say more.
Even more sad is our own brothers gleeing seeing a religious jew accused of anything, is appalling. King david writes binfol oyvecha ol tismoch, yet here our own brothers declare our other brothers oyvecha, and still do not listen to king david.
Brothers, this gleeing on another persons accusations or even disease is beyond me. Its sad to see the anti-semitism emanating from…. from…. within.
i too hope he’s innocent, i wish it would be clarified. anyone wanting to know what he is accused of just has to Google his name and it will come up.
Rbbai berland is a big tzdik and he can’t care less Seating in jail I know first hand the rabbi problem with going back to Israel he is afraid rightfully so that he will be sedated with drugs and they already try to do so in the past as long as he will just seat in jail he cannot care less but if they sedated hem up and he will not be able to pray that a problem and that’s why he’s raning away from the most corrupt government and police in the world and the most ridiculous thing is that Israel try to pretrade himself as the biggest democracy of the middle east!!!!!!
Why is Yeshiva World still giving him so much koved? Why are you calling him “Rav”???
Why not look at the factsbinstead of assuming every rabbi is innocent. And I am not coming from an antisemetic or antireligous view I am very much prolearning and yeshivish but a rav who is on the run has done something wrong and for him not to face whats going on to me seems anti bnei torah…this is not nazi germany where they acuse him for nothing…its more of a chilly hashes to do what he’s doing and if he’s innocent then don’t run..its very hard to see righteousness in someone who’s afraid to face his oppressors.
I believe that YWN’s choice of wording, “to avoid arrest and accusations of law breaking” has nothing to do with anti-Charedi tendencies of the secular authorities what-so-ever. I believe that to describe this case and the allegations against Rav Berland as such is a disgusting attempt to once again silence the voices of those who have been abused in un-Tznius ways (to put it mildly) by people of hold authority. I am not judge or jury and don’t pretend to know all the facts of this case; however, I have researched the issue and spoken to members and former members of Rav Berland’s community and the accusations and allegations are formidable enough to warrant appropriate legal investigation. Additionally, I believe that it’s about time that our community stops whitewashing the behaviors of predators and begin to explore ways of assisting the victims of abuse. Time to grow up; face reality; and stop crying “anti-Charedi”… the victims are also Charedi.
Gadolhadorah would have no problem with someone falsely accusing her/him of any crimes because she/he has millions of dollars, years of her/his life to dedicate to a huge legal matter, and is bored so probably needs some excitement.
Its always good to think before you speak. As one of my teachers told me. Don’t put your other foot into your mouth, because then you will have nothing left to stand on.