The Israel Prisons Service Parole Board accepted Rabbi Eliezer Berland's petition for an early release from prison for the purpose of receiving medical treatment, and he is set to spend the remainder of his sentence under house arrest.
Rabbi Berland, a leader of one of the main factions of the Breslov Hasidism, fled Israel in 2013 following allegations of sex crimes committedagainst women. He moved between Morocco, the Netherlands and South Africa, until he was finally arrested in Johannesburg and extradited to Israel.
- Five months ago, as part of a plea bargain, Rabbi Berland was convicted of two counts ofindecent assault and one count of assault, and sentenced to 18 months in prison.
Since the rabbi suffers from cancer, he served his sentence in the medical center of the prison service in Ramla. On Sunday, the parole board accepted his attorney’s petition to release him from prison for medical treatment.
According to the decision, the rabbi will stay in a hotel in the Hadassah Hospital compound in Jerusalem under full house arrest conditions, for the remainder of his prison sentence. The ‘house arrest’ will be supervised by a private security company and the rabbi will bear all costs of both hotel and security.
The decision of the parole board also emphasized that the rabbi must take all necessary measures to ensure that no harm will ever come to anyone who complained against him.
The State Attorney’s Office requested to suspend the release in practice in order to consider whether to appeal the decision.
(Translated and edited by N. Elias)