"For the things I have done, in biblical times I would have deserved to be stoned and burned," Rabbi Eliezer Berland said on Tuesday at his sentencing hearing at the Jerusalem Magistrates' Court, where he received 18 months in prison following a plea bargain. Berland, 79, was convicted by the Jerusalem District Prosecution in August for a series of sex crimes, including indecent acts, indecent acts against a minor, abuse of authority, and aggravated assault. Berland, a Haifa-born Breslov hassid who headed the Shuvu Banim yeshiva in Jerusalem, had fled to Morocco earlier this year to escape justice, but was later expelled from the North African country by order of the king. "I regret what I have done and I have nothing to do with women anymore," he told the court. Two other women of the four who complained against him were removed from the indictment, but the prosecution said the plea deal included all the women who cooperated with the investigation and that compensation payments include one of them. Thus, Berland was also ordered by the court to pay compensation of 80,000 shekels ($21,000) to the female complainants and 5,000 shekels ($1,300) to a male disciple who was assaulted. His confession and punishment were agreed upon in plea bargain between the prosecution and the rabbi's lawyers. His wife, Tehilla Berland, said she doubted the integrity of her husband's confession to police investigators and the sincerity behind his request for forgiveness. In an interview to Channel 2 News, she said: "Who knows if the apology wasn't faked? What is he asking forgiveness for? Maybe it is a trick to expedite his release. I am not in that place at all anymore. Maybe the apology was to get out [of prison], but not to confess. For me he is something from the past." Attorney Sarah Markovich, who represented two of the female complainants and another victim, said, "On one hand, the [female] victims are disappointed, both because it was important for them to testify and expose his deeds and because of the severity of the punishment. On the other hand, they are satisfied that after all of the rabbi's denials, he unequivocally confessed to committing the crimes attributed to him, while stating that in days past he would have been punished for his crimes with a stoning and burning. The plea bargain saved the complainants and another [female] witness (who does not appear in the indictment as a victim) from having to detail the full scope of what he did to them." Attorney Ephraim Damari, who defended Berland, said: "I'm glad the judge accepted the plea deal. It is reasonable, logical and compatible to the amended indictment and the severity of the punishment and offense." Yuval Keidar, the state prosecutor trying the case, said that "a sharp and clear message was delivered, whereby an accused person who commits sex crimes against women who come to receive his blessing, will spend time under lock and key, even if he is nearing the age of 80." Berland's alleged activities came to light about a year ago. At the time, Israel Hayom published details of an incident in which one of the rabbi's disciples allegedly happened upon his teacher at home standing beside a naked woman. The rabbi's supporters expressed anger, including taking violent actions, against the person who had relayed the story to the press. When police intervened and launched an investigation, Berland fled the country. Following a brief stint in the U.S., he traveled to Morocco, where he was welcomed by the local Jewish community. His followers began gravitating to the rabbi in Morocco, with thousands arriving to celebrate holidays and commemorate various events with him, and some opting to stay in Morocco.
