An Israeli rabbi who fought his extradition from the Netherlands for alleged sex crimes may be turned over to Israeli authorities, a Dutch court ruled.

The ruling on Eliezer Berland, the founder of the Shuvu Bonim seminary, was made by a Haarlem tribunal on Thursday at the request of Dutch justice officials who support extraditing Berland as per the request of Israeli prosecutors, the NRC Handelsblad reported in its online edition. The final decision on whether to send him to Israel will be made by the justice minister of the Netherlands, Ivo Opstelten, in the coming weeks.

Berland, a Braslav rabbi who is suspected of sexually assaulting several of his female followers, including one minor, denies the allegations. He was apprehended in Amsterdam in September during a layover at Schiphol Airport on his way from South Africa to Ukraine. Since fleeing Israel in 2012, he has lived in Morocco, Zimbabwe and Switzerland.

Forwarding the News

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

Terms(Required)

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

Email(Required)

The court dismissed all of the objections raised by Berland’s attorney, who cited the rabbi’s poor health and that Israel does not have jurisdiction to prosecute his actions.

In an interview last month for a Dutch daily, Berland, who was born in prestate Israel in 1937, claimed he was persecuted in Israel for what he defined as his love of Palestinians and that he survived the Holocaust in the Buchenwald death camp, though no such record exists.

Several dozen devout followers from Israel followed Berland and settled in the Netherlands to be near their spiritual leader.

A message from our CEO & publisher Rachel Fishman Feddersen

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.

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.

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

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

$36 $500

$120 $180 Other amount