Convicted Sex Offender Rabbi Berland to Light Lag Baomer Bonfire at Meron

The Jerusalem and Israel Tradition Ministry has allocated a slot for the "Shuvu Banim" community, led by convicted sex offender Rabbi Eliezer Berland, to hold a festive lighting ceremony at Mount Meron during Lag B’Omer.

This decision was made despite Berland’s criminal history and his community’s prior violations of commitments to abstain from such events.

People are outraged, and rightly so. The Magen Support Center, advocating for sexual assault victims in ultra-Orthodox and religious communities, urged Minister Meir Porush to bar Berland, stating, “There is no moral, public, or halachic justification for granting such an honorable platform to a convicted sex offender who harmed many.”

Magen’s letter was signed by Shana Aaronson and Yaakov Sela. It emphasized that Meron’s annual event is a “focal point of holiness, unity, and remembrance of Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai’s legacy.” They argued that Berland’s participation causes “direct harm to the sanctity of the place, Israel’s tradition, and thousands of victims,” who feel society prioritizes the offender’s honor over their well-being. The center called the Lag B’Omer lightings a “sacred occasion,” not a stage for rehabilitating offenders, and demanded Porush intervene.

Berland’s Background

Eliezer Berland, born in 1937 in Haifa, is a Breslov Hasidic rabbi and head of Yeshivat Shuvu Banim in Jerusalem’s Old City. Known for guiding secular Jews toward observance, his movement is often labeled a sect. Berland studied at prominent yeshivas and is part of the Vaad Olami D'Chasedai Breslov. However, his reputation is marred by serious criminal convictions.

In 2016, Berland was sentenced to 18 months for indecent acts, assault, and ordering an attack on a victim’s husband. In 2021, he received another 18-month sentence for fraud, tax evasion, and money laundering.

He has been also linked to two 1980s murder cases, including the 1986 killing of 17-year-old Nissim Shitrit, allegedly tied to his sect’s “modesty squads.”

After sexual misconduct allegations in 2012, Berland fled Israel, evading arrest across multiple countries until his extradition in 2016. Despite his convictions, he retains a loyal following, despite the fact that his community is both cult-like and exploitative.