Jewish News

All the latest news on the Breslovs

All the latest updates and information about Rabbi Berland and his followers, in Israel and South Africa, including pics of weekly rallies at the Kotel, more on the spurious case of the Chabad Rabbi, the goings-on in Joburg streets this morning and the million dollar question: Where is the elusive Rabbi Berland? ALSO: Who is the Breslov Rebbe? Who is Rabbi Berland? Catch up on all the history.

Published

10 years ago

June 2, 2014

admin

ANT KATZ

Numerous reports were received by SAJR this morning of Rabbi
and Rebbetzen Eliezer Berland being at a house in the shtetl area. One eyewitness, who
asked not to be named, spoke of “at least 150” followers dancing in the street
around a white car in which the eyewitness believed Rabbi Berland was sitting.

Meanwhile, followers at the Shuvu Banim Yeshiva gather
every Wednesday night at the Kotel to hold weekly prayer rallies for Rabbi Berland – see exclusive pictures.

They gather from 06:30 to 09:30 at the Kotel (Western Wall) praying
for their Rosh Yeshiva – who is presently believed to be at an undisclosed
place in South Africa.

Hundreds of people attend each week.

These pictures and this SHORT VIDEO (warning, they are not the quietest of daveners) were taken on Wednesday May 21 and provided to Jewish Report
by Yossi”, one of Rabbi Berland’s senior followers at the Shuvu Banim Yeshiva
in Jerusalem.

STORY CONTINUES BELOW PICTURE

Who is Yaron Yamin

One of the most read stories Jewish Report Online over the
past month was Who
is Yaron Yamin? about Rabbi Berland’s
benefactor in Zimbabwe who told SAJR that he had built a house for Rabbi Berland
outside Bulawayo and that work on a large new yeshiva there was progressing.

A spurious story indeed

Followers of Rabbi Berland who had returned to Israel,
published a blog on the Shuvu Banim website last month about a friendly
Chabad rabbi they had encountered in Johannesburg. SAJR Online was
asked to republish the story but had never heard of a “Rabbi Kinn.” As is
normal journalistic ethic, Jewish Report attempted to contact Rabbi Kinn, only
to find that there was no active Chabad rabbi of that name.

Yossi* at Shuvu Banim had always proven a reliable source and
he had told SAJR that he had personally spoken to “Rabbi Kinn” who had been
doing his best to help the followers with food. And so, in line with the Jewish
Report’s policy of giving Rabbi Berland’s followers the courtesy of a fair hearing,
SAJR did publish the story – but ensuring that the report warned readers that it
could be “spurious” – something that Rabbi Berland’s followers took strong
exception to.

The followers at the Jerusalem Yeshiva then sent SAJR Online
the full name and South African cell phone number of the rabbi. SAJR called the number
given. The recipient confirmed his identity but made it quite plain that he had
no wish to speak to Jewish Report. SAJR Online editor Ant Katz then wrote to Yossi
at the Shuvu Banim Yeshiva telling him what had happened.

Given the blow back that was received from the Breslovers, albeit
off the record, and given that Rabbi Kinn appeared to be real, Jewish Report
felt journalistic ethics demanded our re-clarification of the situation with
the Lubavitch/Chabad authorities.

So it was that SAJR Online today contacted Lubavitch House
to confirm if there was a “Rabbi Kinn” involved in the SA Chabad movement. Rabbi
Lipskar was not available at the time and another senior member, who is not
authorised to speak to the media on behalf of the organisation, said that Kinn
is a building contractor, had children at the movement’s Torah Academy School,
but was not involved in the movement and certainly did not speak for them.

SAJR was assured that Rabbi Lipskar would send a formal
statement to this effect but none had been received at the time of publishing
this story. Should it arrive later, the story will be updated accordingly.