ANT KATZ

SAJR has it from three reliable sources that Rabbi Berland is free and plans to spend the holidays in Holland. These sources are:

• A cryptic sms from a so-far reliable local source seconds after Shabbos came out yesterday reading: “Rabbi Berland released. He will be back after the holidays.”
• An e-mail from senior follower **Yossi at 03h15 this morning with a partial translation of a YNet article in Hebrew (see below)
• Later news from Yossi who promised to send Jewish Report later today “video clips of the celebrations last night at the Kotel, and of the talk the Rav had with us for two hours, until three in the morning.”

Celebrations among the Shuvu *Bonim followers went on through the night, says Yossi, who has also promised to provide Jewish Report with “a clip” in which “you can hear him. It’s being played over and over on all the National television stations in Israel.” He said.

“Today there is an exclusive video on Walla of the Rav,” explained Yossi, who also has “recordings of conversations we had with the lawyers” which he will send to SAJR for publication. He will also provide video clips of the celebrations of the followers last night at the Kotel.

All of this material will be of great interest to the followers of Rav Berland both in SA and worldwide as they have been relying on the Jewish Report to keep them updated with the true and real facts of the case.

Rabbi Berland has had quite a fortnight:

• Two weeks ago he TOOK ILL and required medical treatment for blood pressure issues;
• Despite R. Berland’s international televised appeal to followers to go to Uman and not come to SA for Yom Tov, FOLLOWERS STARTED TO POUR IN to SA to be with him for the high holidays;
• In Sandringham last Monday, COPS BOTCHED HIS ARREST ONCE AGAIN as he skipped their roadblock;
• R. Berland jumped out of the car he was in and SPED OFF IN ANOTHER CAR leaving SAPS officers stunned and helpless to act;
• He somehow LEFT SA on Tuesday or Wednesday despite there being an arrest warrant out for him;
• On Thursday SAJR Online broke the story that R. Berland had been HELD IN HOLLAND; and
• On Friday the 78-year-old Breslover Rav was released after an eight-hour-long court ordeal.

The story on Y-Net

The following is a hybridised version of an actual Hebrew STORY ON Y-NET which has been partially (and fundamentally) translated by an Israeli follower:

הרב ברלנד, מהמנהיגים הבולטים של חסידות ברסלב, נעצר על ידי משטרת הולנד בעת ששהה באמסטרדם הבירה. הרב ברלנד (78),

Rabbi Berland of the outstanding leaders of Breslov Chassidus was arrested on Thursday by the Holland police only to be released the next day after a nearly 8 hour long court case.

הרב לאחר שחרורו ממעצר בהולנד
הרב שוחח עם ynet מעט לפני כניסת השבת, אחרי שחרורו.

After being released the 78 year old Rabbi spoke with Ynet shortly before the beginning of Shabbat.

הרב עצמו היה נרגש מאוד מהשחרור ותקף את משטרת ישראל

The Rabbi was very happy about his release and attacked the Israel police authority:

“אין להם שום דבר נגדי.”

They have nothing against me. I feel great that the Israeli police are chasing after me, and I hope that they continuum chasing me till my last day.

“אני מרגיש מצוין שהמשטרה רודפת אחריי. אני מקווה שהיא תרדוף אחריי עד היום האחרון שלי.

When asked if he is planning on returning to Israel he said, “I am finished with Israel. It is a Hamas State not a Jewish State. 500 rockets daily are being thrown on the residents and they are not searching for anyone. Me they are searching for. They have nothing better to do. Instead of searching for the true criminals, for the true terrorists, they search for me. We will prove that they have nothing, not even the beginning of a thread.

אני גמרתי עם ישראל. זאת מדינה של חמאס. לא ליהודים. מעיפים 500 טילים על התושבים ולא מחפשים אף אחד. אותי הם מחפשים. אין להם מה לעשות. במקום לחפש פושעים אמיתיים, מחבלים אמיתיים, אז מחפשים אותי. אנחנו נוכיח שאין להם שום דבר ואין להם שום קצה חוט.

We established 10 kehillot. Wherever I go and there are people they become religious abs return to Judaism.

“אנחנו הקמנו 10 קהילות. איפה שאני בא ויש אנשים – חוזרים בתשובה וחוזרים ליהדות”.

 SEE ALL RELATED READS IN SA JEWISH REPORT

*SA Jewish Report is reliably informed that the correct spelling of R. Berland’s branch of Breslovs is Shuvu Bonim, as it appears on their own website

**Yossi – Members of R. Berland’s sect go by their first names only