9 feb 2020
Rabbi arrested in predawn raid had hundreds of victims, police say; mother of cancer patient who died after she was told not to accept treatment says she is 'waging war' against 'cult that needs to be disbanded'
Rabbi Eliezer Berland and his suspected co-conspirators are suspected of conning more than 200 victims, including disabled people who were promised they would be able to walk again and patients given "miracle cures" that were really Mentos candies.
Months of investigation led to the predawn arrests of Rabbi Eliezer Berland, his wife and five major fundraisers for his yeshiva. Berland has a previously served a 10-month sentence for sexually abusing his female acolytes.
All seven people arrested in Jerusalem on Sunday morning are suspected of receiving money through fraud, extortion and money laundering.
During the arrests, supporters of the rabbi hurled stones at the arresting officers, leaving two with minor head injuries. The rioters were dispersed with stun grenades.
According to the investigation, Berland charged a tariff for each boon he dispensed, in accordance with the severity of the supplicant's suffering.
Some people even took out loans or handed their property over to Berland in return for his blessings.
A relative of one of the people who turned to Berland complained to him that despite his blessing their relative had passed away. Berland responded by asking for more money to ensure that the departed relative "will rise first when the resurrection comes."
In some cases, the people who turned to Berland had incurable diseases. According to the police, predawn raid revealed dozens of boxes of drops and pills, which are believed to have been distributed as miracle cures.
Tests conducted by the police showed that some of the drops were in fact antibiotics; the police called the drugs given to Berland's supplicants "false god drugs." To date, testimonies have been gathered from 200 people believed to have been conned by Berland and his associates.
The arrests were welcomed by Nurit Ben Moshe, whose daughter Shoshi died of cancer after Berland banned her from receiving chemotherapy and promised her longevity in return for tens of thousands of shekels.
The arrest of the rabbi was a "bittersweet" moment, Ben Moshe told Ynet.
"I hope everyone pays the price for what they did," she said. "What goes on in that cult is just horrendous."
Last year, Israeli TV revealed that the rabbi received thousands of shekels from Shoshi, and in return told her not to have the chemotherapy she needed after a tumor in her gallbladder was removed in January 2019. Berland was documented taking the money and promising her a long life in return.
Shoshi underwent a successful operation, but Berland ordered her to refrain from receiving the supplementary treatments. Her mother was torn between the desire to please her daughter and pay the money demanded by the rabbi, and the knowledge that it was extortion that threatened her daughter's life. Finally, she raised the funds demanded by the rabbi.
Ben Moshe said: "This cult needs to be disbanded, it is cruel. Berland asked my son-in-law [one of his followers – NF] to stop me from seeing my grandchildren. That's all I have left of my darling girl and they know how I connected I am to the children. These kids are my life and they wanted to get revenge on me because I sued their rabbi, Berland. His gurus simply decided that I could only see my grandchildren for an hour each month. Now I'm waging war."
She added: "Our story opened Pandora's box for the cult, which led to the arrests. Our story is difficult and we have still not heard the end of it. There are other shocking stories that I will soon be coming out with, so people can hear what a cult [the yeshiva] is. There are many more victims, my daughter is not the only one."
According to the police, "Berland's organization was managed in a very sophisticated way that makes it difficult to find the evidence."
Over the past two years, the Jerusalem District Police has investigated dozens of cases of alleged violence by Berland's followers, who are battling the Braslav Hasidic movement for more status and power.
Dozens of cases and dozens of suspects were investigated for felony, fraud, and violence.
Chief Superintendent Doron Ben-Amo said: "Dozens of investigators from the Jerusalem District, the Tax Authority and the National Insurance Institute participated in the investigation. The investigative team worked covertly and managed to acquire documents and evidence on a very large scale. This morning we entered the visible stage and arrested seven suspects. During the searches, cash was also seized, and we now begin the open phase of the investigation. "
Regarding the rabbi himself, Ben-Amo said: "According to suspicions, the central suspect used multiple methods, and his associates dispensed blessings for recovery and promises of health, finding a partner and more. There was a fee defined by the severity of an illness, and there were those who handed over property worth hundreds of thousands of shekels.
They targeted hundreds of innocent people who were brutally and cynically exploited in a time of distress. We have more than 200 victims and expect there will be more. They lured in patients with false promises, pledged to free people from detention centers and vowed that the disabled would be able to walk again."
Rabbi Eliezer Berland and his suspected co-conspirators are suspected of conning more than 200 victims, including disabled people who were promised they would be able to walk again and patients given "miracle cures" that were really Mentos candies.
Months of investigation led to the predawn arrests of Rabbi Eliezer Berland, his wife and five major fundraisers for his yeshiva. Berland has a previously served a 10-month sentence for sexually abusing his female acolytes.
All seven people arrested in Jerusalem on Sunday morning are suspected of receiving money through fraud, extortion and money laundering.
During the arrests, supporters of the rabbi hurled stones at the arresting officers, leaving two with minor head injuries. The rioters were dispersed with stun grenades.
According to the investigation, Berland charged a tariff for each boon he dispensed, in accordance with the severity of the supplicant's suffering.
Some people even took out loans or handed their property over to Berland in return for his blessings.
A relative of one of the people who turned to Berland complained to him that despite his blessing their relative had passed away. Berland responded by asking for more money to ensure that the departed relative "will rise first when the resurrection comes."
In some cases, the people who turned to Berland had incurable diseases. According to the police, predawn raid revealed dozens of boxes of drops and pills, which are believed to have been distributed as miracle cures.
Tests conducted by the police showed that some of the drops were in fact antibiotics; the police called the drugs given to Berland's supplicants "false god drugs." To date, testimonies have been gathered from 200 people believed to have been conned by Berland and his associates.
The arrests were welcomed by Nurit Ben Moshe, whose daughter Shoshi died of cancer after Berland banned her from receiving chemotherapy and promised her longevity in return for tens of thousands of shekels.
The arrest of the rabbi was a "bittersweet" moment, Ben Moshe told Ynet.
"I hope everyone pays the price for what they did," she said. "What goes on in that cult is just horrendous."
Last year, Israeli TV revealed that the rabbi received thousands of shekels from Shoshi, and in return told her not to have the chemotherapy she needed after a tumor in her gallbladder was removed in January 2019. Berland was documented taking the money and promising her a long life in return.
Shoshi underwent a successful operation, but Berland ordered her to refrain from receiving the supplementary treatments. Her mother was torn between the desire to please her daughter and pay the money demanded by the rabbi, and the knowledge that it was extortion that threatened her daughter's life. Finally, she raised the funds demanded by the rabbi.
Ben Moshe said: "This cult needs to be disbanded, it is cruel. Berland asked my son-in-law [one of his followers – NF] to stop me from seeing my grandchildren. That's all I have left of my darling girl and they know how I connected I am to the children. These kids are my life and they wanted to get revenge on me because I sued their rabbi, Berland. His gurus simply decided that I could only see my grandchildren for an hour each month. Now I'm waging war."
She added: "Our story opened Pandora's box for the cult, which led to the arrests. Our story is difficult and we have still not heard the end of it. There are other shocking stories that I will soon be coming out with, so people can hear what a cult [the yeshiva] is. There are many more victims, my daughter is not the only one."
According to the police, "Berland's organization was managed in a very sophisticated way that makes it difficult to find the evidence."
Over the past two years, the Jerusalem District Police has investigated dozens of cases of alleged violence by Berland's followers, who are battling the Braslav Hasidic movement for more status and power.
Dozens of cases and dozens of suspects were investigated for felony, fraud, and violence.
Chief Superintendent Doron Ben-Amo said: "Dozens of investigators from the Jerusalem District, the Tax Authority and the National Insurance Institute participated in the investigation. The investigative team worked covertly and managed to acquire documents and evidence on a very large scale. This morning we entered the visible stage and arrested seven suspects. During the searches, cash was also seized, and we now begin the open phase of the investigation. "
Regarding the rabbi himself, Ben-Amo said: "According to suspicions, the central suspect used multiple methods, and his associates dispensed blessings for recovery and promises of health, finding a partner and more. There was a fee defined by the severity of an illness, and there were those who handed over property worth hundreds of thousands of shekels.
They targeted hundreds of innocent people who were brutally and cynically exploited in a time of distress. We have more than 200 victims and expect there will be more. They lured in patients with false promises, pledged to free people from detention centers and vowed that the disabled would be able to walk again."
Eliezer Berland with his supporters
Supporters riot as Eliezer Berland, 82, arrested with five others, including his wife, in Jerusalem raid; protesters dispersed with stun grenades after two police officers injured; six suspects accused of violations worth hundreds of millions of shekels
An ultra-Orthodox rabbi previously convicted of sexual offences was arrested Sunday morning for alleged financial crimes.
The suspects were arrested on suspicion of fraudulently receiving money and tax evasion involving hundreds of millions of shekels.
Dozens of Berland's supporters rioted during the arrest operation, leaving two police officers lightly injured from thrown stones. video
Officer dispersed the crowd with stun grenades.
The police said the arrests were the culmination of a months-long undercover investigation into the suspects, for suspected criminal offenses, fraudulent receipt of money and serious tax violations over several years.
As the investigation progressed, investigators succeeded in deciphering a strictly hierarchical organization in which each suspected is believed to have had a defined role.
All are suspected of being under the tutelage of Rabbi Berland, a convicted sex offender who has already served a 10-month prison sentence for abusing female acolytes.
The investigation focused on two main avenues. On the criminal side, evidence and testimony were collected against the suspects, who are accused of cynically and cruelly exploiting hundreds of people and their families in their most dire hour of need, demanding tens of thousands of shekels for blessings and healing.
On the financial side, police investigators collaborated with officials from the National Tax Authority and National Insurance Institute in Jerusalem, allegedly exposing the infrastructure for widespread money-laundering activity and tax violations worth hundreds of millions of shekels.
The police said it was a complex and multi-faceted investigation in which the suspects were believed to have used dozens of bank accounts to conduct their operations.
The police said they "intend to use whatever means available to uncover the perpetrators' identities and bring them to justice for their actions. We urge anyone who feels they were the victim of a similar act or of any of the suspects should contact the police as soon as possible in order to give their testimony."
Berland was for years considered one of the most charismatic leaders of the Braslav Hassidic movement, drawing hundreds of followers at his Jerusalem yeshiva, many of whom were newly religious.
In 2012, Berland fled Israel as his sexual assault case developed. He initially went to Morocco - with which Israel has no extradition treaty – but was expelled from the country and moved to Zimbabwe.
There, too, he was arrested and deported, and along with dozens of his followers settled in Johannesburg.
He also later fled from there and headed to the Netherlands. When the State of Israel officially filed for his extradition, he fled again to South Africa, where he was arrested. Eventually he was extradited to Israel in July 2016.
In the same year, he was convicted of indecent acts and assault under a plea bargain. He was sentenced to 18 months in prison, of which he served 10 months.
Supporters riot as Eliezer Berland, 82, arrested with five others, including his wife, in Jerusalem raid; protesters dispersed with stun grenades after two police officers injured; six suspects accused of violations worth hundreds of millions of shekels
An ultra-Orthodox rabbi previously convicted of sexual offences was arrested Sunday morning for alleged financial crimes.
The suspects were arrested on suspicion of fraudulently receiving money and tax evasion involving hundreds of millions of shekels.
Dozens of Berland's supporters rioted during the arrest operation, leaving two police officers lightly injured from thrown stones. video
Officer dispersed the crowd with stun grenades.
The police said the arrests were the culmination of a months-long undercover investigation into the suspects, for suspected criminal offenses, fraudulent receipt of money and serious tax violations over several years.
As the investigation progressed, investigators succeeded in deciphering a strictly hierarchical organization in which each suspected is believed to have had a defined role.
All are suspected of being under the tutelage of Rabbi Berland, a convicted sex offender who has already served a 10-month prison sentence for abusing female acolytes.
The investigation focused on two main avenues. On the criminal side, evidence and testimony were collected against the suspects, who are accused of cynically and cruelly exploiting hundreds of people and their families in their most dire hour of need, demanding tens of thousands of shekels for blessings and healing.
On the financial side, police investigators collaborated with officials from the National Tax Authority and National Insurance Institute in Jerusalem, allegedly exposing the infrastructure for widespread money-laundering activity and tax violations worth hundreds of millions of shekels.
The police said it was a complex and multi-faceted investigation in which the suspects were believed to have used dozens of bank accounts to conduct their operations.
The police said they "intend to use whatever means available to uncover the perpetrators' identities and bring them to justice for their actions. We urge anyone who feels they were the victim of a similar act or of any of the suspects should contact the police as soon as possible in order to give their testimony."
Berland was for years considered one of the most charismatic leaders of the Braslav Hassidic movement, drawing hundreds of followers at his Jerusalem yeshiva, many of whom were newly religious.
In 2012, Berland fled Israel as his sexual assault case developed. He initially went to Morocco - with which Israel has no extradition treaty – but was expelled from the country and moved to Zimbabwe.
There, too, he was arrested and deported, and along with dozens of his followers settled in Johannesburg.
He also later fled from there and headed to the Netherlands. When the State of Israel officially filed for his extradition, he fled again to South Africa, where he was arrested. Eventually he was extradited to Israel in July 2016.
In the same year, he was convicted of indecent acts and assault under a plea bargain. He was sentenced to 18 months in prison, of which he served 10 months.
5 feb 2020
Defense Minister Naftali Bennett and Rabbi Yakov Ariel
Adjudicator refuses to apologize for remarks, says he would have no regrets if stripped from award; 'decision encourages violence, hatred against proud community,' says CEO of LGBT task force
Rabbi Yakov Ariel, who in the past has described members of the LGBT community as "disabled people requiring psychological treatment", will be awarded the prestigious Israel Prize for Rabbinic Literature, Education Minister Rafi Peretz announced on Tuesday.
"Rabbi Ariel is one of this generation's greatest scholars," Peretz said. "He had educated many students over the years and deserves the prize for the scope and depth of his work."
The 82-year-old Ariel, a pillar of the religious Zionist community, is the former chief town rabbi of Ramat Gan and was one of the most important students of Rabbi Kook, a prominent leader of the religious Zionist movement, during his time studying at Mercaz HaRav yeshiva.
In 2014, Ariel ruled that it was forbidden to rent an apartment to two lesbian women, who are "planning to live there in sin and break rabbinic laws regarding sexuality."
During a 2016 conference in Ramla, Rabbi Ariel referred to members of the LGBT community as "disabled people suffering from a real problem that must be solved with psychological and pharmacological treatments."
"Our role is to strengthen the traditional family unit," Ariel said. "A normal family is a father, mother and children; an abnormal family is not organized and orderly, it suffers from an array of psychological problems."
The choice to award the religious scholar with the prestigious award spawned sharp criticism in the LGBT community.
"The decision to award the Israel Prize to a rabbi who advocates hatred of others is a disgraceful decision that encourages violence and hatred that members of the proud community in Israel endure every day and every hour," said Ohad Hizki, CEO of the Aguda – Israel's LGBT Task Force.
Meretz Chairman and member of the LGBT community Nitzan Horowitz also condemned the decision to award Ariel with the prize and called it "the Israel Prize for hatred and homophobia."
"The Israel Prize of hatred and homophobia was presented today by the education minister who called us unhealthy to the rabbi who called us "disabled"," said Horowitz. "When Labor-Meretz replaces the right, we will finally have education that is pluralistic, tolerant and accepting."
Rabbi Ariel refused in a Wednesday interview to apologize for his past statements, saying he would have no regrets if he were to be stripped from the award.
In regards to calling the LGBT community "disabled", the rabbi stated that disabled was a "professional term... the professional definition in America 20 years ago," but did acknowledge that today it would be received differently.
Adjudicator refuses to apologize for remarks, says he would have no regrets if stripped from award; 'decision encourages violence, hatred against proud community,' says CEO of LGBT task force
Rabbi Yakov Ariel, who in the past has described members of the LGBT community as "disabled people requiring psychological treatment", will be awarded the prestigious Israel Prize for Rabbinic Literature, Education Minister Rafi Peretz announced on Tuesday.
"Rabbi Ariel is one of this generation's greatest scholars," Peretz said. "He had educated many students over the years and deserves the prize for the scope and depth of his work."
The 82-year-old Ariel, a pillar of the religious Zionist community, is the former chief town rabbi of Ramat Gan and was one of the most important students of Rabbi Kook, a prominent leader of the religious Zionist movement, during his time studying at Mercaz HaRav yeshiva.
In 2014, Ariel ruled that it was forbidden to rent an apartment to two lesbian women, who are "planning to live there in sin and break rabbinic laws regarding sexuality."
During a 2016 conference in Ramla, Rabbi Ariel referred to members of the LGBT community as "disabled people suffering from a real problem that must be solved with psychological and pharmacological treatments."
"Our role is to strengthen the traditional family unit," Ariel said. "A normal family is a father, mother and children; an abnormal family is not organized and orderly, it suffers from an array of psychological problems."
The choice to award the religious scholar with the prestigious award spawned sharp criticism in the LGBT community.
"The decision to award the Israel Prize to a rabbi who advocates hatred of others is a disgraceful decision that encourages violence and hatred that members of the proud community in Israel endure every day and every hour," said Ohad Hizki, CEO of the Aguda – Israel's LGBT Task Force.
Meretz Chairman and member of the LGBT community Nitzan Horowitz also condemned the decision to award Ariel with the prize and called it "the Israel Prize for hatred and homophobia."
"The Israel Prize of hatred and homophobia was presented today by the education minister who called us unhealthy to the rabbi who called us "disabled"," said Horowitz. "When Labor-Meretz replaces the right, we will finally have education that is pluralistic, tolerant and accepting."
Rabbi Ariel refused in a Wednesday interview to apologize for his past statements, saying he would have no regrets if he were to be stripped from the award.
In regards to calling the LGBT community "disabled", the rabbi stated that disabled was a "professional term... the professional definition in America 20 years ago," but did acknowledge that today it would be received differently.
14 jan 2020
The woman says Rabbi Aharon Ramati, arrested by Jerusalem police, had two seminaries, one for his 'favorites' and another for troublemakers; she adds he was brainwashing 'good, intelligent' girls into 'getting into the trunk of a car' if needed
One of the women who escaped a Haredi cult run by a rabbi in Jerusalem says she was groomed by his two female assistance whose job was to recruit the girls for their elderly leader.
Police forces on Monday raided a Jerusalem residential complex where dozens of women and children were living in slave-like conditions, some for up to 10 years, in what is believed to be a cult which operated under the auspices of a women's seminar. The remand of the alleged cult leader, Rabbi Aharon Ramati, 60, was extended by one week.
"I was part of the cult for a really short period of time, I quickly ran away,” said Maya (a pseudonym) in an interview with Ynet. "He has two or three girls [already part of the cult] who would bring women to him and it was the same with me.”
Maya said she was attending another seminary in Jerusalem when she was approached by the rabbi’s assistants. She said they “lured her” to meet with “the great rabbi” at his home.
"I saw the mattresses, I saw that they [the women] were sleeping on top of each other and were showering at the rabbi's house. It surprised me," Maya said.
The woman said once she joined what she believed was rabbi’s seminary, she quickly realized the man’s behavior was “wrong” and she often argued with him. “He warned me if I committed any offense, ‘God would destroy me.’”
The woman said the rabbi ran two seminaries, one in his house and one outside. The more he liked a certain girl, the more likely it was that he would place her in the in-house seminary. Maya, due to her unruly behavior, was put into the “far away” one with the women he admired the least.
Maya said neither she nor the other women at the remote seminary experienced sexual abuse but adds she’s unaware of what was transpiring inside the in-house seminary. “We always wondered what was going on between him and the girls who were near him."
According to the woman there were also no children at the remote seminary even though the in-house one had an entire kindergarten. Police are investigating whether the cult leader was abusing the children, aged 5 to 11, some of whom has already been questioned by a child protection specialist.
She said the last straw that triggered her decision to finally run away was an "unsettling" car ride with the cult leader.
"One day he took me and another girl for a car ride and the whole way he was warning us about men and how we should stay away from them,” she said.
“We asked him 'So why is it okay for us to be with you?' He started arguing with us and scared us, the whole situation was weird and unsettling. There was brainwashing, unequivocally."
Maya said although she managed to escape rather quickly, many “good, intelligent” girls still opted to stay with the rabbi. “He gave them something they didn't have, I can’t put my finger on it,” she added.
"These are simply girls who got carried away by the so-called rabbi and are obeying all his teaching, even the most extreme ones,” she said, adding some of the women would willingly get into the trunk of a car if he’d asked them to.
“My good friend is still there, a girl with a good head on her shoulders and I don't understand why she is still part of it,” she said. “There are girls who have been cut off from their families and I hope that now they will leave and return home.
“This man belongs in prison.”
One of the women who escaped a Haredi cult run by a rabbi in Jerusalem says she was groomed by his two female assistance whose job was to recruit the girls for their elderly leader.
Police forces on Monday raided a Jerusalem residential complex where dozens of women and children were living in slave-like conditions, some for up to 10 years, in what is believed to be a cult which operated under the auspices of a women's seminar. The remand of the alleged cult leader, Rabbi Aharon Ramati, 60, was extended by one week.
"I was part of the cult for a really short period of time, I quickly ran away,” said Maya (a pseudonym) in an interview with Ynet. "He has two or three girls [already part of the cult] who would bring women to him and it was the same with me.”
Maya said she was attending another seminary in Jerusalem when she was approached by the rabbi’s assistants. She said they “lured her” to meet with “the great rabbi” at his home.
"I saw the mattresses, I saw that they [the women] were sleeping on top of each other and were showering at the rabbi's house. It surprised me," Maya said.
The woman said once she joined what she believed was rabbi’s seminary, she quickly realized the man’s behavior was “wrong” and she often argued with him. “He warned me if I committed any offense, ‘God would destroy me.’”
The woman said the rabbi ran two seminaries, one in his house and one outside. The more he liked a certain girl, the more likely it was that he would place her in the in-house seminary. Maya, due to her unruly behavior, was put into the “far away” one with the women he admired the least.
Maya said neither she nor the other women at the remote seminary experienced sexual abuse but adds she’s unaware of what was transpiring inside the in-house seminary. “We always wondered what was going on between him and the girls who were near him."
According to the woman there were also no children at the remote seminary even though the in-house one had an entire kindergarten. Police are investigating whether the cult leader was abusing the children, aged 5 to 11, some of whom has already been questioned by a child protection specialist.
She said the last straw that triggered her decision to finally run away was an "unsettling" car ride with the cult leader.
"One day he took me and another girl for a car ride and the whole way he was warning us about men and how we should stay away from them,” she said.
“We asked him 'So why is it okay for us to be with you?' He started arguing with us and scared us, the whole situation was weird and unsettling. There was brainwashing, unequivocally."
Maya said although she managed to escape rather quickly, many “good, intelligent” girls still opted to stay with the rabbi. “He gave them something they didn't have, I can’t put my finger on it,” she added.
"These are simply girls who got carried away by the so-called rabbi and are obeying all his teaching, even the most extreme ones,” she said, adding some of the women would willingly get into the trunk of a car if he’d asked them to.
“My good friend is still there, a girl with a good head on her shoulders and I don't understand why she is still part of it,” she said. “There are girls who have been cut off from their families and I hope that now they will leave and return home.
“This man belongs in prison.”
