Eliezer Berland is rosh yeshiva of Yeshivat Shuvu Bonim, known as Yeshivat Nechamat Zion, in the Muslim Quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem.
26 Facts About Eliezer Berland
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In June 2021, Eliezer Berland received another 18-month prison sentence for fraud.
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Eliezer Berland studied at the Knesses Chizkiyahu yeshiva in Kfar Hasidim under Rabbi Elyah Lopian and Rabbi Dov Yaffe.
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The assaults came to light in 2012 when the newspaper Israel Hayom reported an incident in which one of Eliezer Berland's students encountered him at home standing beside a naked woman.
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Eliezer Berland's supporters expressed anger over the report, and the person who leaked the story to the media was later violently attacked.
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Eliezer Berland lived in Marrakesh for seven months and intended to establish a kehilla in Marrakesh, based on the Shuvu Banim yeshiva.
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Eliezer Berland's followers claimed that the king was merely concerned for their safety, as they were Hasidic Jews living in a Muslim country.
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Eliezer Berland is thought to have left Morocco for Cairo, Egypt.
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Eliezer Berland reportedly bought tickets for multiple destinations to confuse pursuers and in the end chose Zimbabwe.
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Eliezer Berland then flew to Zimbabwe, reportedly in a private jet owned by a wealthy follower.
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Eliezer Berland lived in an upscale hotel room in Bulawayo and led worship services for members of the small Zimbabwean Jewish community in a synagogue in the Bulawayo suburb of Khumalo.
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Eliezer Berland hired two attorneys in Israel due to the possibility of being forced to return to Israel if his options ran out.
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Eliezer Berland pleaded guilty before a magistrate judge and was remanded to custody.
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Eliezer Berland paid the fine, and left for South Africa, returning to Johannesburg.
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Eliezer Berland claimed there was a conspiracy against the rabbi due to religious persecution by a sectarian Israeli government.
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In September 2014, Eliezer Berland left South Africa to the Netherlands and was arrested after arriving at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol on September 11.
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On December 1,2014, Eliezer Berland's extradition was further delayed by a Dutch court due to new evidence submitted by his defense.
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Eliezer Berland's followers tried to install themselves in a camp in Susteren, but it was full.
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The ruling was appealed to the Dutch Supreme Court, which on June 30,2015, said that Eliezer Berland could be extradited to Israel.
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On March 22,2016, facing arrest, Eliezer Berland asked his followers to hold an all-night prayer vigil at the cave of the patriarchs in Hebron.
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Eliezer Berland spoke about this to the media to raise awareness; other rabbis, like Shalom Arush, followed suit and spoke to the media about Berland's condition.
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On May 27,2016, Eliezer Berland released a letter and audio recording to his followers saying, "I decided to return to Israel".
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On November 18,2016, Eliezer Berland was convicted by the Jerusalem Magistrate's Court after admitting to two counts of indecent acts and one assault.
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On February 12,2017, Eliezer Berland was taken to the hospital for an urgent operation.
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Eliezer Berland was later released to house arrest because of his health.
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In February 2020, Eliezer Berland was arrested for fraud after hundreds of people filed police complaints alleging that he had sold prayers and pills to desperate members of his community, promised to cure disabilities, and promised the family members of imprisoned people that their relatives would be freed soon.