Israeli Rabbi Eliezer Berland. Image by Getty

JERUSALEM — A rabbi who was extradited back to Israel from South Africa to face sex abuse charges is heard admitting to raping one woman on a years-old recording.

The recording purported to be Rabbi Eliezer Berland was aired Tuesday night on Israel’s Channel 2. It reportedly has been turned over to the police.

Berland is accused of sexually assaulting several of his female followers; he has denied the allegations.

Forwarding the News

Thoughtful, balanced reporting from the Forward and around the web, bringing you updated news and analysis each day.

Terms(Required)

I agree to the Forward's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Email(Required)

Among the recordings is a conversation between Berland, 79, and several of his followers in which he talks about “the first time I raped her” — her refers to one of his followers. On the recording, Berland explains that the woman was not obligated to divorce her husband with a Jewish divorce, or “get,” since she did not consent to the sex act.

“She had no idea what was happening, so there is no need for a get,” Berland told his listeners. “The rape had completely broken her, start to finish.” He also said that “she never did it out of her own free will.”

Berland’s attorney has denied in interviews with the Israeli media that the voice on the recording is Berland’s, saying his enemies are trying to hurt him.

The attorney for several of Berland’s victims has called for the rabbi not to be released to house arrest, as a court is now considering.

Berland, founder of the Shuvu Bonim religious seminary in Israel, fled to South Africa for a year before he was extradited to Israel earlier this month. He was arrested in April in Johannesburg.

Last summer, prior to his move to South Africa, he had fought his extradition from the Netherlands on the grounds that the alleged assaults happened in the West Bank and Israel does not have jurisdiction there.

Since the accusations in 2012, Berland had also hidden in Morocco and Zimbabwe.

The Forward is free to read, but it isn’t free to produce

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward.

Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda.

At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse.

Readers like you make it all possible. Support our work by becoming a Forward Member and connect with our journalism and your community.

This is a great time to support independent Jewish journalism you rely on. Make a gift today!

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.

$90 $180

$360

Other amount