Rabbi Eliezer Berland, one of the leaders of the Breslov Hasidic community in Israel, was indicted Friday on several counts of harassment and sexual abuse. The indictment, filed by the Jerusalem District Attorney's Office in the capital's Magistrates' Court, includes counts of abuse of authority, indecent acts and assault against four women, one of them a minor, as well as aggravated assault against a man who threatened to expose the rabbi's sexual misconduct. The investigation into Berland's alleged misconduct was launched in 2012. He fled Israel in April 2013 and moved between the U.S., Morocco, Zimbabwe, the Netherlands, and South Africa to avoid extradition to Israel. Berland was eventually arrested in Johannesburg earlier this year and extradited to Israel last week. The indictment claims that while Berland served as leader of the Shuvu Banim Yeshiva in Jerusalem, he molested four women. The first count alleged Berland had kissed and hugged a minor against her will during a counseling session. The second count says the rabbi had grabbed and groped a woman seeking spiritual guidance, despite her pushing him away. The prosecution said Berland "forced physical contact" on the woman, and even "offered to give her money to buy a car, so she could visit him." The third count alleges Berland forcibly kissed a follower without her consent. The fourth count details how the rabbi grabbed one of the complainants, forcibly kissed her, groped her and tried to disrobe her. The rabbi is also accused of ordering two of his followers to assault a man who had exposed his actions and threatened to go to the authorities. The court granted the prosecution's motion to remand Berland to police custody pending the conclusion of the legal proceedings in the case, as he was deemed a flight risk. Sara Markowitz, the complainants' attorney, asked the prosecution to completely conceal her clients' identity after a few of them had received threats for coming forward. The State Attorney's Office granted the request, and the indictment does not include any identifying details, even excluding the initials of the women's names. "Regardless of all the media attention, this case boils down to basic charges of indecent acts allegedly carried out five and nine years ago. We have no doubt these charges will be refuted soon," Berland's attorney Rachel Toren told reporters.
