After three years of police searches for recordings that would conclusively vindicate the claims against Rabbi Eliezer Berland of rape, a new recording was released this evening which would seem to provide significant evidence against the founder and spiritual leader of the Shuvu Banim yeshiva.
According to Channel 2, the recording is four years old, and was recorded by close followers of the rabbi. Yesterday, one of the men that made the recording passed it over to investigators.
Berland can be heard in the recording describing sexual acts that he did, presumably with one of the claimants against him.
"She was completely forced from beginning to end," Berland can be heard saying. "After that, she thought it was allowed, she thought it was...the first time I raped her, she was permitted to her husband , without a doubt. She didn't understand what's happening, she doesn't have any need for a bill of divorce. After that, she was already asking me, "what's going on here? I told her, 'you're not bound to your husband anymore!"
After that, the rabbi can be heard saying, "she never does it from her own will. She understands it as a Godly mission to be the wife of the rabbi."
All these stories appear in the Israeli secular press. I am wondering what image this gives of frumkeit to the average secular Israeli? Is it just adding fuel tot he flame, or would a reasonable person get the impression there is something wrong with organized religion?
ReplyDeleteIn the recording he seems to be more concerned about the marriage of the alleged victim than himself. Perhaps this is the proof that he is a real Godol.
ReplyDeleteOnly now they find recordings? Before they couldn't find? Or maybe couldn't release? .....
ReplyDeleteWow. Talk about absolute power corrupting absolutely.
ReplyDeleteMakes absolutely no sense !! Why would he say that to anyone?!?! And record it?!?!
ReplyDeleteIt's hard to tell from this article, but it sort of sounds like he was saying she is permitted to her husband b/c she was fooled into thinking the act was permitted, and therefore she was an אנוסה, which the article is translating as "forced." If that's the context, then "forced" is not the correct translation. More like "unintentional," with respect to the sin.
ReplyDeleteAnd if you think he's any different than Shmuel Kaminetsky your a fool
ReplyDelete?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?
ReplyDeleteThe secular Jews are not FRUM but they are not idiots either. They can figure out the truth if the want but they can also believe anything if the choose to. This story is a reminder to the religious what is really going on is some places. We can carry on thinking that our duty is to follow those who made it to the top and we will be safe or it is time to wake up and demand better from our leaders
ReplyDeleteIt was a joke!
ReplyDeleteIf the recording is authentic then apparently the confession was made under pressure that was applied on him from within his community. They truly needed to find out if the woman required a GET ad he wanted or had to help out the situation
Because the woman and her husband are FRUM and they needed to know if she required a GET!
ReplyDeleteIf the recording is authentic then he must have been under pressure to resolve the problem.
Another way to view it is the democratization of the Shabbetai Zvi movement - in other words, today any bum can become a jacob frank and gain followers, and feel immune to keeping the Torah. they justify it by using freaky ideas they picked up in their kabbalah studies, but of course that is precisely what Shabbetai zvi did. But they do not claim to be Messiah, but rather local mystics.
ReplyDeleteWhy would he..? ? Because he's nuts. I hope that answers your question and many others too.
ReplyDeleteI basically agree with the premise but it's time to realize that we truly have no worthy leaders. If we have to demand better from our leaders and that would have an effect, then they are followers of our demands and not leaders at all. And that is in fact the truth. We have rabonim signing letters about things of which they they have no direct first hand knowledge, so we are all being told what to do by the gabai. And that's of the better scenarios. Much worse and very common is that the rabonim do know the story and distort the halacha.
ReplyDeleteThere is no reason to believe this recording is authentic.
ReplyDeleteWho is behind this crazy silence from YWN and MATZAV. YWN was at one point covering his story. All of the sudden there as silent as fish under water. Who'se behind them? What's the political motive? What has changed?
ReplyDeleteBTW - the rhetoric of his followers sounds like they do speak about him as their messiah... As well as his own weird expressions.
I don't think there is any connection - Rabi Berland constantly denied the accusations, rather than arguing that he was exempt from keeping certain laws. On the contrary, he emphasised that this was untrue, and declared that a sefer which stated otherwise should be destroyed, if I recall correctly.
ReplyDeleteThere is a difference between what he'll say to the wider public and what is said in the inner circles...
ReplyDeleteIf the leaders would have to be more accountable for their mistakes then many of the current leaders would look for other positions to suit their amibitions. Only then we have a chance to have better leaders
ReplyDeleteThere is a difference between what he'll say in front of the public eye and what he'll say in his own close circles
ReplyDeleteNebach! We have forgotten what a real leader is like. A leader is a leader. If there would be a worthy person with a mind of his own and with the ability and courage to express his ideas, and with ideas which are good enough to truly deal with the issues, then he waits for no permission to lead, and he doesn't wait for an opening, but he naturally leads. If we have to facilitate it somehow, then....
ReplyDeleteEvidence please!
ReplyDeletewe have worthy leaders, or great leaders, although they might not agree with each other all the time. But there are few of the great ones left, and sadly there are imposters and charlatans who nevertheless managed to study a lot and gain followers.
ReplyDeleteWho?
ReplyDeletethe ones who don't indulge in these things -
ReplyDeleteRav Kavievsky, Rav Shteinman for Misnagdim, I don't know who the current Chassidic rebbes are. The MO world has its problems, as their leaders are attacked by Hareidim.
Rav Shmuel Auerbach,
ReplyDeleteIn the DL world, Rav Shmuel Mordechai, Rav Yaakov Ariel, and many other fine Roshei yeshiva of all parts of the Kehal. There is nobody who is as great as leaders of 50 or 100 years ago - but this is part of the reality we live in. There is also no Shakespeare or Einstein in the secular academic world.