News
The Jewish communal statement that wasn’t
ANT KATZ
However, it was later decided to rather not issue the statement. The Chief Rabbi, who is in New York at present, has released the statement to Jewish Report Online this evening as a portion of it appeared in the Sunday Times today and he wished to share it with the entire community.
The statement speaks for the following organisations: The South African Jewish Board of Deputies, The South African Zionist Federation, The South African Rabbinical Association, The Office of the Chief Rabbi, The Union of Orthodox Synagogues and The United Communal Fund.
The statement reads: “The South African Jewish community calls on Rabbi Eliezer Berland to return to Israel immediately to face the serious criminal charges laid against him and for which there is an international warrant of arrest against him.”
The organisations say that they also condemn the “baseless malicious lies and incitement to violence aimed at our Chief Rabbi, including the libellous accusation that the Chief Rabbi was responsible for, or had any involvement whatsoever in, the alleged police raid on Berland’s compound this past Shabbat”.
The organisations say that they speak on behalf of all South African Jewry, and wish to remind SA Jewry that Rabbi Berland is a fugitive from justice “and the only solution to the current situation is for him to return to Israel and for the criminal justice system to take its due course”.
After the Shabbos raid by Interpol and the SA Police Service (SAPS) and the subsequent branding of Chief Rabbi Goldstein as a “din rodef” by the followers of Rabbi Eliezer Berland, a statement was prepared by representatives of a full spectrum of SA Jewish organisations and representing the full spread of South African Jewry.
However, it was later decided to rather not issue the statement. The Chief Rabbi, who is in New York at present, has released the statement to Jewish Report Online this evening as a portion of it appeared in the Sunday Times today and he wished to share it with the entire community.
Avraham
February 1, 2016 at 9:10 am
‘More South African Jews speak out against the discrimination of Chief Warren
http://en.shuvubanimint.com/2016/01/31/more-south-african-jews-speak-out-against-the-discrimination-of-chief-warren/
“They are also imigrants, it is not thier right to say who can stay and who can’t. He has enough work to deal with assimilation in his community, and internal controversies, he should leave Rabbi Berland alone. Rabbi Berland should he welcomed into the community, he is a messenger from Hashem and can only help out.”
‘
Malka Gotleib
February 1, 2016 at 9:15 am
‘Goldstein who gives you a right to make a \”communal statement\”?!
Did you ask the community what they believe?!
I for one disagree with this statement and I know many who feel like me.
Please stand behind your own words and don’t throw them on the community.
I wouldn’t want to be in your shoes, don’t put me in them! ‘
nat cheiman
February 1, 2016 at 12:08 pm
‘Nice to turn in a fellow Jew. In my view it doesn’t matter what Berland did.
Surely its up to our useless cops to bring him to justice?
SA Jewry are not accessories to his alleged crime and are not shielding him either.
Why on earth do we want to turn the man in? ‘
LJ
February 1, 2016 at 2:09 pm
‘ I must say I am shocked and appalled by your above statements for a multitude of reasons.
The charges of sexual offenses against female followers of Berlands cannot be ignored. Are we to honestly state that we do not care about these women who trusted a religious leader and were punished for it?
Secondly I dont care who said it but to say that Rabbi Berland should be welcomed into this community and that he is a messenger from Hashem is diabolical. This man is a bounder and a cad who treats women with absolute disdain and in the same way that Bill Cosby has. I have absolutely no patience for this argument and no sane or rational human being should.
If he is religious then the need to act more morally is even more so a factor. Rabbi Berland chose to be religious and therefore puts himself out there as a follower of G-ds law and part of that law is definitely against sexual abuse of women.
To say that we should not turn him in because he is a Jew is a very medieval and barbaric approach to take. This man committed a crime and needs to be punished regardless of his faith. You turn him in because G-d forbid it was a member of our community being sexually abused by this wolf in sheeps clothing then we would want justice.
ENOUGH SILENCING CRIME TO PROTECT THE IMAGES OF MEN WHO DO NOT CARE ABOUT THE LAWS OF GOD. SIS.
Those who do hide this Rabbi not in my name.
‘
nat cheiman
February 6, 2016 at 5:30 am
‘These are allegations. Unless you have other evidence, you cannot appoint yourself judge and executioner.
No one said \” hide\” the man.
Let the law take its course.
Finally, no one said Berland should be welcomed. But why make him unwelcome?
Whose word do we have that these offences have been committed? Has he been tried?
NO!!!! So let the law take its course. You have absolutely no right to judge.’