Israeli Rabbi Eliezer Berland. Image by Getty

By Andrew Silow-Carroll August 18, 2016

— An elderly Hasidic rabbi caught on video apparently admitting to raping a woman and plotting the murder of an unnamed person will remain in police custody until legal proceedings against him are over.

The Jerusalem Magistrate Court denied bail Thursday to Rabbi Eliezer Berland, 79, who was extradited from South Africa to Israel last month and charged with several counts of sexual assault after three years as a fugitive, The Times of Israel reported. The court considers him a flight risk, according to the newspaper.

Berland, who was arrested in April in Johannesburg, is accused of sexually assaulting a 16-year-old girl and trying to engage in sexual acts with four women who came to him seeking his advice and help. Last month, the media in Israeli reported about a recording allegedly of Berland admitting to rape.

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)

An attorney for Berland attorney has denied that the voice on the recording is his client’s, saying the rabbi’s enemies are trying to hurt him. Berland, a member of the Breslov Hasidic movement and founder of the Shuvu Bonim religious seminary in Israel, has denied the allegations against him.

According to the 2012 recordings, made by two of his followers, Berland is heard instructing followers to place a bomb under the bed of an unnamed person and admitting to ordering a string of arson attacks nearly two decades ago.

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. We’ve started our Passover Fundraising Drive, and we need 1,800 readers like you to step up to support the Forward by April 21. Members of the Forward board are even matching the first 1,000 gifts, up to $70,000.

This is a great time to support independent Jewish journalism, because every dollar goes twice as far.

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

2X match on all Passover gifts!

$90 → $180 $180 → $360

$360 → $720

Other amount