ISRAEL
i24 News
Judge says Rabbi Berland poses a high risk of fleeing the country, just as he did in 2012
An Israeli judge has extended the remand of Rabbi Eliezer Berland, accused of sexual offenses, until the end of his trial, calling him a flight risk, according to the Walla news site.
Judge Joya Skappa-Shapiro said that Rabbi Berland was a flight risk and that releasing him could increase the chance of obstruction of justice. She cited the fact that he previously left Israel when he knew he was being investigated and was on the run for three years before being extradited.
Berland, 79, was accused in 2012 of sexual abuse of a number of his female followers, including a 15-year-old girl.
Given that Berland is a prominent rabbi in the Breslov sect and founder of the Shuvu Banim yeshiva in Jerusalem’s Old City, the court was likely concerned that his release would enable him to increase pressure on the complainants to withdraw their claims.
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