 |
| Woman reveals sex abuse of rabbi Berland |
(Scroll down for video) A woman told Israeli police details how the Breslov Hasidic leader sexually abused her.
The woman, who was a follower of the Rabbi Eliezer Berland since she was born, said that everything has changed the day she turned 18-years-old.
The complainant said that she and her husband used to come often to the rabbi. "He told my husband to stay in the waiting room and he told me: 'Come in the room with me.’ He took me into his bedroom and locked me inside. He then put his hands underneath my shirt for about fifteen minutes," the woman told police.
She describes how he touched her when they were both locked inside the bedroom. "He licked me, kissed me and started to **** me. He did very nasty things to me. I was very scared from him, but every second he would say to me: 'The rebbe loves you, the rebbe is thinking about you,’” the woman also said.
Since she complained to the police she is afraid for her life. "If I walk in Jerusalem without any protection they will kill me," the woman said about the followers of the rabbi. She said that on one occasion where she went to Jerusalem, she was cursed and yelled at. “Even my family refuses to believe me and my father continues to be a strong follower of the rabbi,” the woman continued. Police are so far unable to arrest Berland as he fled from Israel several months ago.
“I am shocked that this rabbi continues to flee like a coward and continues to fool innocent women and children who still believe that he is some kind of a saint. He is nothing more than a sexual predator who needs to be jailed,” Nechama Wertheimer, 41, a former Breslov follower in Los Angeles, California told YourJewishNews.com after learning about the accusations.
As we reported earlier, the leading rabbi in Jerusalem, Rabbi Eliezer Berland, fled Israel after he was accused of sleeping with numerous married women and underage girls.
At first, he fled to Miami, Florida, then, he left the United States out of fear that he might be extradited to Israel. He reportedly fled to Switzerland and after meeting his attorney he fled to Morocco. Morocco does not have an extradition treaty with Israel.
Berland, who is wanted for questioning on suspicion of sexual offenses he committed, was recorded on video recently, blessing people in Morocco. The Jewish community hosting the rabbi in Marrakesh, did not know about the allegations against him in Israel.
Since learning about the allegations they are now contemplating what action to take against the man.
The rabbi was also seen in Casablanca, according to eyewitnesses.
The rabbi chose to flee to Morocco because there he is not afraid of extradition, according to witnesses. Berland is the head of “Shuvu Banim”, one of the largest yeshivas in Jerusalem, and a leader of Breslov. Over the past several months, numerous women have come forward accusing the rabbi of rape.