Rabbi Berland indicted for promising followers healing miracles for money
The indictment said that Berland is the head of a cult with thousands of followers who treat his orders as practically divine commands.
By YONAH JEREMY BOBRabbi Berland Arrest(photo credit: MARC ISRAEL SELLEM)
The Jerusalem District Attorney’s Office filed an indictment on Sunday with the Jerusalem District Court against Rabbi Eliezer Berland for an alleged multi-million shekel scheme to trick followers into giving him massive amounts of money in exchange for promises to heal them miraculously.According to the indictment, Berland not only promised followers he could heal them, but in some instances offered to resurrect dead people for money.Another aspect of the indictment dealt with Berland’s command to his followers to attack and break the bones of some of their family members.The indictment said that Berland is the head of a cult with thousands of followers who treat his orders as practically divine commands. Berland’s method of operation was to collect some thousands of shekels from each follower-victim and then to launder the funds in a variety of his allies’ private accounts or in private real estate.While the indictment contains charges for a multi-million shekel fraud, there are reports that Berland could be worth up to NIS 1 billion, but that the police hit limits in how much they could uncover since many members of his cult remain loyal to him to this day.Next, the indictment said that the fraud perpetrated by Berland and sometimes by aides of his, went on from 2014-2020, including during a time period when he was in jail on a previous conviction.In 2016, the Jerusalem Magistrate’s Court approved a plea bargain for Berland in which he pled guilty to two counts of indecent assault.Berland was sentenced to 18 months in prison incarceration for his sexual attacks on two women, as well as his instructions to assault the husband of one of the women, but was released early due to poor health.
