The Tel Aviv District Court has sentenced Benzion Miller to three years behind bars, for his involvement in the drug smuggling story which landed three Bnei Brak Yeshiva Bochrim to Jail in Japan.
The decision was made after the families of the three Bochrim testified against him. In an interview with Kikar Shabbat, family members said that the punishment imposed on him is not enough.
Miller was arrested in February 2008, and was believed to have been the mastermind in the case, sending innocent bochrim on a mission, planting drugs in their bags without their knowledge. As a result, they were incarcerated in Japan, under extremely harsh conditions.
In regards to the sentence of the Bochrim: The Japanese court sentenced Yosef Banda to 5 years imprisonment and a $40,000. He was transferred to Israel to complete his sentence in March of 2010. After calculating time served, he still has a bit over 14 months that will be completed in the Nitzan Prison in Israel. (Yosef Bondo testified in the case against Miller, and placed the blame solely on his shoulders.)
Yakov Yosef ben Reizel was sentenced to 6 years with no drug charges, only for being negligent. His appeal tril is scheduled for November 1.
Yoel Zev ben Mirel Reesa Chava is in middle of trial, and will resume on October 20th.
The tzibur is requested to continue including Yosef ben Ita Rivka, Yoel Zev ben Mirel Reesa Chava and Yaakov Yosef ben Raizel in tefillos.
IMPORTANT NOTE: CLICK HERE TO BE MEKAYEM PIDYON SHIVUYIM IN ASSISTING THE BOCHRIM STILL IN JAPAN PRISON!!
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21 Responses
They should have added up all the time the bochurim in Japan are imprisoned and given him that many years. Anything less is a travesty.
A wolf in chassidishe levush. A drug pusher. What a “shandeh”!
To ichbin: absolutely right! This is disgusting.
BH
It’s too bad that another “frum” Yid has intrisically been involved in such a Chillul HaShem Yisborach. And the fact that he used other Yidden makes it all the more reprehensible. HaShem please have mercy on all of us. I think that Benzion Miller amvsh ought to volunteer to do the time in jail on behalf of all 3 bochrim plus his own sentence. It is only fair. Doesn’t the halachah (Jewish law) state that when a person goes to bais din (court) and lies in order to hurt another person = and then the court learns that this person lied = that the lier gets the punishment that he was attempting to throw onto another person? Yes, this is the halachah = therefore, Mr. Miller, by cheating and hiding items inside the suitcases of these young men = knowing full well that they can get caught and placed in jail (on his behalf), it is as if he lied to keep himself clean and free. Mr. Miller ought to go to Japan and stay in the jail for the three boys = and when he finishes his sentence, he can come back to New York to do his time in America. These incredibly senseless crimes must stop. And they won’t until we demand it. Stop hiding behind your peos (earlocks), stop hiding underneath your yahrmulkes (skull caps). Stop concealing yourself in the long coats and vests that you wear so “proudly” to proclaim to Yidden (and goyim) alike, that, hey, look at me – I’m a frum Jew, I represent the Torah, etc. This is deceitful to himself, his family, and to All Jews. It is even deceitful to the goyim. I want to have sympathy for him. I want to empathize for him, but please tell me why, why would you do such a thing – to yeshivah boys, to your family, to yourself, to everyone? Was it the money, go get a regular job. Was it the thrill, go ride a roller coaster. Stop playing with other people, stop telling lies to yourself and to others. It’s the season of tshuvah .. Mr. Miller it’s time to get crackin’.
THIS CRIMINAL SHOULD HAVE BE GIVEN A LIFE SENTENCE WITHOUT PAROLE!!!
Talk about miscarriage of justice!
While we should all hope the 3 boys will all get out of jail soon, let’s not kid ourselves. Imprisoning Mr. Miller won’t get them out any earlier. Perhaps if we abstain from celebrating a Jew’s suffering we might merit a gmar chasima tova.
Well said #7/ItsFun (albeit not granting populist demand.)
I also used to have the lowest opinion of Miller. However, my friend from Har Nof said that it is likely that Miller was duped himself by some significant drug wholesaler whose name he does not know.
Suppose Miller 1) got an anonymous call to hire some fellows to take antiques from Holland to Japan, 2) received some advance money, say $5000, to pay the fellows (“mules”), and 3) was promised another few thousand dollars after the antiques were delivered. I do not know if it was ever proven that Miller knew that drugs were hidden in the antiques. Why didn’t Miller ask himself, “Who would present such a ‘deal?'”
If this scenario is accurate, then Miller is guilty primarily of being naive and perhaps stupid. It is tragic that three innocent Bochurim, who also exhibited some extreme naivete, have been seriously harmed. Why didn’t the boys ask themselves, “Who would present such a ‘deal?'”
It seems to me that Miller is an evil monster, worthy of life in prison, only if he knew that drugs were secreted in the antiques.
Miller’s relatively short sentence suggests to me that the scenario above is probably the answer.
Thank you to the last commentator his jail time will not help the other boys he should have volunteered to travel to japan and plead guilty there for a freedom exchange with the other boys and at last never celebrate other jews being punished
A gmar tov
Maybe if Mr. Miller is given a harsher and longer sentence he will no longer be in a position to smuggle drugs, get others involved in his crimes, and get rich on the backs of others he is getting hooked on this poison. Yes he should sit in Japan either instead of his victims or with them so they can watch him suffer along side them.
But Rabbi Miller is obviously frum and frum people don’t do bad things, do they? or is Mr. Miller not frum or…?
Is there no Tehillim for this BenZion Miller? I mean I know he was the perpertrator, but ist there a chiyuv in any case?
Do the Bochurim (or their families) have the option of taking Miller to beis din and getting compensated for the damages he caused them? Our lives are qoverned by the holy Torah, what does it say in this case?
What a terrible job of reporting. Shame on you Yeshiva World. Since the very beggining of this case everyone has known that Yitchak and Meir Abergil were the real masters behind this plan. However since relations with the US seem to be more important to “some people” than justice everyone wants to find a scape goat to pin this on. Ben Tzion Miller is nothing but a go between who probably didn’t even know Samuel Cohen (the person who actualy passed of the drugs to the bochurim in Amsterdam) BenTzion was wrong for what he did and should be punished but please people keep things in perspective and lets not lynch our fellow yidden right before Yom Kippur. Anyone who knows anything about the Abergil brothers knows that if Ben Tzion mentioned even one word he would be dead.
Thank you #9 at someone knows how to be dan lkaf zechus. Hopefully we will all be judged lkaf zechus.
In the event he is indeed guilty, the least one can do is daven that he repent and be rehabilitated amongst all of Klal Yisrael that needs to repent in some way or another. Absolutely nothing more needs to be done nor is required.
Thank you #15 and #9 for restoring some of our faith in people.
if he is guilty of willfully deceiving the boys, he should rot in jail…think of all the undescribably anquish he caused families, rabbonim which cost them thousands of hours of torah running all over the globe 100rds’s and 100’rds of thousand dollars etc etc etc think of how long they spent and are in solitary confinement etc etc at least 25 years in solitarty confinement
I agree with the families. It is not enough!
the israeli justice system is very corrupted
more then you and i can think .
its a travesty
btw the american justice is just as bad