Rabbi Eliezer Berland, who is hiding in an undisclosed location since fleeing Holland, has sent a message to his followers.
The first message was sent on Tuesday afternoon, 5 Menachem Av, in which the rabbis accuses Israeli authorities of going after his family in response to his being on the run.
During the morning hours, Jerusalem municipality inspectors destroyed a balcony built on the rav’s HaChoma HaShlishis Street home illegally. Talmidim of the rav were angered, explaining the balcony is used by the rav to study torah.
The rav is quoted telling talmidim in his message that the balcony was used for tefilos and limud torah for years and destroying now is simply evil. The rav attacked the Jerusalem municipality saying “they are doing this out of revenge since the rav is hiding from them so they are looking for any evil way to take revenge”.
“They see the rav and rebitzen for years have been bringing Am Yisrael back to teshuvah and they are looking for ways to stop nonsensical teshuva”.
The rav ended saying “We must now increase our soldiers and efforts even more to show them they will not succeed since all of their efforts are for vengeance”.
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
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6 Responses
Why are you on the run if you are innocent? Im not on the run
If I may make a few corrections: It was not just the balcony which was destroyed, and it wasn’t destroyed by the Municipality inspectors. Two large structures are being taken down during a course of 48 hrs by a team of highly trained police forces and two trucks of steal breaking machinery. The 15 meter balcony which was used for 18 years for shiurim and kabbalas kahal, as well as the simcha hall downstairs which was used for brissim, bar mitzvahs and chuppas was taken down in a clear act of revenge and a continuation of the viscous war which the Israeli police is waging against Rabbanim and religion in general. Just one look at the faces of those people who are committing this horrible crime and it is clear who is fighting who.
Doesn’t sound like the balcony will be needed for his torah or tefilah anytime soon, so what’s the big deal?
hes unfortunately right!the whole story was a ploy from the police so they can imprison a man that they know if he tells his pple to jump of the roof they will. And if he tells them one day to kill arabs they will. The police don’t like someone as powerful as that.
Well, well so “Talmidim of the rav were angered, explaining the balcony is used by the rav to study torah.” But the Rav is not here to study Torah. He has fled rather than answer some questions about his conduct. Remember all they want to do is question him; he has not been charged with any offence. No doubt his innocence would be easy to establish with a lie detector test. And it seems the balcony was built illegally to start with so what is the problem in removing it?
They are taking it out on your family because you are a shabbobnik