Hundreds of Chassidim of Rabbi Eliezer Berland were outside the South African Embassy to Israel on Abba Hillel Street in Ramat Gan on Monday morning, the second day of Chol Hamoed Pesach. Buses transported supporters of the Rav to Tel Aviv early Monday morning to daven outside the embassy as they called on S. African officials not to hand over Rabbi Berland to Israeli authorities.
Rav Berland remains in a South African jail awaiting extradition to Israel. He was in jail on seder night.
The chassidim sang and danced following their tefilla, some carrying signs calling for the release of the rav.
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
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4 Responses
If the Rav is innocent, his chassidim should demand that South Africa return him to EY so he can confront his accusers and demonstrate that all the charges against him are false.
Halevay all protesters should behave so well.
What are the Chief Rabbi of South Africa and the Johannesburg Jewish Community doing to try and ameliorate the terrible conditions Rabbi Berland is being held under? He may have been held liable to extradition but this is not a usual case where someone has fled after being charged with an offence. The Israeli authorities simply want to question him; no charges have been laid. Ideally Rabbi Berland should return to Israel voluntarily to clear his name but given the Israeli police and Court record regarding the treatment of haredim, it is easy to understand why Rabbi Berland does not want to return to Israel. He is an innocent man against whom allegations have been made. He is being kept in terrible conditions. What is being done to help a fellow Yid?
Many people leave really nasty comments concerning Rabbi Berlans. I do not know him but I have heard he is a serious iced Hashem. What happen to ‘innocent until proven guilty ‘. Isn’t that how we would want to be judged. After reading some of the earlier sanctimonious comments of the ‘self righteous ‘ bloggers it’s not hard to realize why Moshiach is not yet here