Fugitive Rabbi Arrested in Amsterdam

i24 News
September 11, 2014

http://www.i24news.tv/en/news/israel/society/43511-140912-fugitive-rabbi-arrested-in-amsterdam

Rabbi fled Israel after several female followers accuse him of sexual abuse

Rabbi Eliezer Berland, a rabbi who fled Israel two years ago to escape charges of sex crimes, was arrested on Thursday in Amsterdam.

Berland, 77, is a prominent rabbi in the Breslov sect and founder of the Shuvu Banim yeshiva in Jerusalem's Old City who was instrumental in bringing many Jews closer to ultra-Orthodox faith.

Berland had arrived in Amsterdam from South Africa, and was arrested at the airport on an international arrest warrant.

In 2012, Berland was accused of sexual abuse by a number of his female followers, including a 15-year-old girl.

During his 23 months on the run, Berland was accompanied by about 200 followers, who helped him avoid capture in places like Zimbabwe Miami, Zurich and Morocco.

This past Monday night, Johannesburg police tried to arrest him. With the rabbi narrowly escaping by driving a car on sidewalks and knocking over plants. Several months ago he was conducting a wedding in Johannesburg when police showed up. About 12 people surrounded him, and police gave up, unable to identify which man was the suspect.

Rabbi Berland had a following of extremely devoted disciples in Israel, so devoted, that he was allegedly able to have closed-door sessions with their wives without objection. During these sessions, the rabbi would allegedly fondle and commit sex acts with the young women.

After one such act, Ha'aretz reported, Berland told the husband that "your wife will have the privilege of being in the world of nobility."