Based on an Israel TV News13 report released a number of weeks ago, six persons affiliated with the cult headed by Rabbi Eliezer Berland were arrested on Monday, as reported by YWN-Israel.
The suspects in custody were arraigned and will face charges including tax evasion and money laundering, with the Jerusalem District Court deciding during the arraignment hearing to extend the detention of five of the six suspects for an additional three days to permit police to continue gathering evidence without interference.
The suspects were released with restrictions by the Jerusalem Magistrate’s Court on Monday, but the higher court on Tuesday reversed the decision in the cases of five of the suspects.
Police during the early morning hours on Monday raided the homes of the suspects, making the arrests and confiscating documents from their homes pertaining to the operation of an NGO, which appears to have been failing to report income and laundering money.
Among the persons arrested, all from the Choma Shlishis neighborhood next to Meah Shearim, home to cult members, is a daughter of Berland, a treasurer of the NGO, as well as gabboim of the Shuva Banim cult headed by the elderly Berland.
The raid came some six weeks following the news report, in which News13 revealed that Berland allegedly collected hundreds of thousands of shekels from the family of a girl with cancer R”L, promising she will be healed, instructing her to stop all medical treatment. She died as a result.
A month ago, Nurit, the mother of the deceased A”H, filed a police complaint against leaders in Shuva Banim for recommending they halt medical treatment for their daughter. She claims they in essence assisted in expediting her death instead of healing her as promised. Nurit wants “Berland to pay what he should be paying, and the police will decide this”.
She added, “I am here so that no other mother will suffer like I am suffering and so that he will pay for what he did.”
WATCH THE CHANNEL13 NEWS REPORT BELOW:
(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)
Join the official YWN WhatsApp status
3 Responses
This fraudulent cult claiming to be Jewish should not only be held responsible for each and every crime they commit, but they should be under close and heavy scrutiny. I would not say this about anyone else (well, almost anyone), but the track record for this cult is that they dress up their criminal activity in the name of being “frum”, and fulfilling their thwarted version of just what is Hashem’s will.
I will ignore those who wish to make a case for Berland because of his historical chavrusa relationship with Rav Chaim shlit”a. My reaction to that is that Yochanan Kohen Gadol did much in his 80 years, surviving entry to the Kodesh Hakodoshim all that time. But he turned away, and went down in disgrace.
That poor family, to be so trusting & desperate that they will do anything, even stop treatment… it’s tragic. Berland and his thugs should be locked up forever. And will someone pull off that flea-ridden tallis? It’s offensive to decent frum people that such a depraved creep parades around as if he were some kind of religious superstar.
and why did the Israeli authorities allow this menuval to return to the same neighborhood where he committed crimes against many women/young girls?