Israel seeks extradition of 'Lev Tahor' cult leader from El Salvador

YNet

February 23, 2025

Elazar Rompler, arrested following Interpol red notice, wanted by authorities after he was indicted of severe physical and psychological abuse of minors and fled the country 

Israel's State Prosecutor’s International Department submitted an extradition request on Sunday to authorities in El Salvador for Elazar Rompler, one of the leaders of the extremist Haredi cult "Lev Tahor," who was arrested last month in Central America.

According to the Justice Ministry, the request is based on a 2020 indictment against Rompler, accusing him of severe physical and psychological abuse of two minors between 2009 and 2011, as well as aggravated assault, in connection with his role in the sect.

Due to the serious charges, a hearing was scheduled at the Jerusalem District Court in December 2020. However, Rompler fled to Guatemala using a forged passport.

The indictment describes Rompler, a former school principal within the "Lev Tahor" community, as having committed serious abuse against minors while the sect was based in Canada. His attorney notified prosecutors in 2020 that Rompler had fled the country to Guatemala, despite a travel ban imposed on him.

According to the indictment, Rompler severely beat two students at the school he ran in Canada. In one case, he suspected a student of stealing money from charity funds. As punishment, the child was tied to a table to prevent movement. Rompler and another teacher allegedly beat him for hours using a belt and a stick, while the child cried, screamed for help, and begged them to stop. As a result, the child was unable to stand and had to be carried home.

In another incident, Rompler suspected a student of lying. He and other teachers gathered the schoolchildren and announced that one of them had lied and needed to confess. When no one spoke up, the student was tied to a table and whipped for about an hour as Rompler and other staff members looked on.

The Justice Ministry stated that Rompler’s arrest was made possible last month after Israel issued a red notice through Interpol following his escape. The International Department of the State Prosecutor’s Office has worked throughout to secure his arrest and return. The extradition request aims to bring Rompler back to Israel to stand trial for the charges against him.

https://www.ynetnews.com/article/hj9ogfdcke

Lev Tahor cult member accused of marrying off minor child

The Jerusalem resident was arrested and released after a court appearance.

Jewish News Syndicate
(May 31, 2023 / JNS)

A member of the Lev Tahor Jewish extremist group was arrested in Israel on Tuesday on suspicion of marrying off a child who is a minor.

The Jerusalem resident appeared in court on Wednesday and was released in accordance with a police agreement.

The accused has agreed to remain in Israel for a period of no less than 30 days and to turn in his passports. The suspect reportedly holds Israeli and one foreign citizenship.

Lev Tahor advocates child marriage, inflicts harsh punishment for minor transgressions and requires women and girls to completely cover up with robes.

Dubbed “the Jewish Taliban” due to a dress code similar to that imposed by the Islamist regime in Afghanistan, the sect, mostly active overseas, has been the subject of regular media coverage in Israel as well as attempts by former members to draw attention to its mistreatment of children.

https://www.jns.org/israel/child-abuse/23/5/31/291862/

Police arrest member of anti-Zionist sect for meeting terror operatives in Jenin

Cops still searching for two more Neturei Karta members, who could face lengthy prison spells if convicted of supporting terror and illegally entering Area A of West Bank


EMANUEL FABIAN
The Times of Israel
12 January 2023


Police on Thursday said officers arrested a man who entered the Jenin refugee camp in the northern West Bank earlier this week along with two other members of the fringe anti-Zionist, ultra-Orthodox sect Neturei Karta, and met with Palestinians from local terror groups.

Elhanan Lax, 38, from the central city of Petah Tikva, was detained on suspicion of “supporting and associating with a terror group” and illegally entering Area A of the West Bank, where Jenin is located. Israeli citizens are barred from entering Area A, as it is under the Palestinian Authority’s civilian and security control under the Oslo Accords.

The three men were filmed meeting with prominent Palestinian Islamic Jihad terror group officials as well as families of terrorist attackers on Monday. Jenin is seen as a hotbed of Palestinian terrorism.

Police said they are seeking to arrest the other two men. The investigation is being led by the Beit Shemesh police station, as the pair at large are reported to be residents of the city or of Jerusalem. The trio could face lengthy prison spells if convicted of supporting terror.

Police in a statement slammed their “serious and irresponsible conduct contrary to the law.”

“Whether this stems from an unacceptable extremist ideology or because of religious extremism, or otherwise, it will be handled with decisiveness and with zero tolerance by police,” the statement added.

Neturei Karta opposes the modern State of Israel on religious grounds, regularly protesting against the Jewish state, and its members have met with Holocaust deniers and leaders of the Iranian government in the past.

The Neturei Karta members were photographed wearing scarves with Palestinian national colors and carrying Palestinian flags.

A video shared on social media showed them visiting the home of senior PIJ official senior official Bassam al-Saadi, who is in jail in Israel. Saadi’s detention last year sparked a round of fighting between Israel and the Gaza Strip.

Another video showed the pair at the entrance to the Jenin refugee camp along with former terror inmate Maher al-Akhras, who is also tied to PIJ.

Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.



https://www.timesofisrael.com/police-arrest-member-of-anti-zionist-sect-for-meeting-terror-operatives-in-jenin/

Leader of polygamous Jerusalem cult found dead in prison cell

Prisons service to examine death of Daniel Ambash, who was serving 26 years for what has been described as one of the most shocking abuse cases in Israel’s history

The Times of Israel
June 10, 2022

A polygamous cult leader was found dead in his cell at the Ayalon Prison in Ramle on Friday morning, the Israel Prisons Service said.

Paramedics that were rushed to the scene declared Daniel Ambash dead after resuscitation efforts had failed.

The prisons service says Ambash’s family was informed of his death and that the circumstances would be examined.

In 2013, Ambash was sentenced to 26 years in prison on 18 charges ranging from sexual offenses, abuse of minors, incarceration and sadistic violence in what has been described as one of the most shocking abuse cases in the country’s history.

He was slated to be freed in 2037. According to Channel 12 news, the parole board had been due to convene next week to deliberate Ambash’s request for an early release.

A Bratslav ultra-Orthodox Jew, Ambash headed what came to be known as the “Jerusalem cult.” He was married to six wives and had 14 children, who were all kept by Ambash and his assistants in slavery conditions, forcibly confined and routinely punished with rape, electric shocks and beatings.

According to the court ruling, on one occasion, Ambash took one of his wives outside the house, naked, in the middle of the night, and splashed water on her and dragged her by the hair. In another incident, he shoved the head of one of his wives into the toilet and flushed it as she suffocated.

He also raped his daughter on another occasion in front of his whole family, including several children, claiming it was “part of her duty in family life.”

The case was exposed in 2011 after one of Ambash’s wives spoke out about what was happening in the cult.

But most of his wives have never renounced Ambash. They still live together, view themselves as his wives and revere him, claiming the entire case against him was fabricated.

In 2018, four of them demanded that Israel grant them conjugal visits, claiming it was their “basic right” to meet Ambash and have more kids with him.

The request was largely denied, with the prisons service noting that the women are considered victims of an offense by the law and that their request was therefore invalid, according to the Walla news site. Ambash had appealed the decision.

The Israel Prisons Service also charged that Ambash was “taking advantage of his rights as a prisoner and maintaining control of his cult via phone calls.”

In 2019, the four wives officially registered as a political party to run in that year’s September elections, running on a political platform that advocated for individual freedom.

“We believe that if the Torah gives people the ability to choose their own life, the state has no place to intervene and prevent that. And we will fight for that right,” Ayelet Ambash, one of the four wives, said at the time, in an apparent reference to polygamous marriage.

Their party, Kama, which aimed to prevent government intervention in Israelis’ private lives, fell well short of the minimum vote total required to enter the Knesset.

https://www.timesofisrael.com/leader-of-polygamous-jerusalem-cult-found-dead-in-prison-cell/

CultNEWS101 Articles: 12/30/2021 (Falun Gong, Australia, Religious Discrimination, Eliezer Berland's Shuvu Bonim, Isreal, Legal, Joel Osteen, Religion and Taxes)

Falun Gong, Australia, Religious Discrimination, Eliezer Berland's Shuvu Bonim, Isreal, Legal, Joel Osteen, Religion and Taxes

WA Today: Falun Gong performers blocked from Perth Christmas Pageant over 'political, security issues'

"Falun Gong practitioners have been blocked from taking part in this [years] Perth Christmas Pageant after organizers deemed the spiritual movement too political and could give rise to "security issues" at the event.

In email correspondence seen by WAtoday, the Falun Dafa Association was initially offered a place in the event, run by billionaire Kerry Stokes' Seven West Media, but the invitation was revoked 10 days later.

Seven organizers told the group the pageant was an apolitical event and their presence could lead to the "airing of international political issues".

"The pageant is not a forum for those involved in such issues to be represented, and it gives rise to potential conflict and security issues for the event," an email to the organization on Monday said.

It is the second time the group has been dropped from the event.

On the eve of the 2018 pageant, Falun Gong performers were told they could not join the parade, which they believed was a result of pressure from the Perth Chinese Consulate on Seven West Media organizers.

The group was eventually allowed to perform after an eleventh-hour backflip, but they were banned from wearing anything that could identify them as Falun Gong, including the movement's motto of "truthfulness, compassion, and tolerance" printed on their drums.

Before 2018, the group had been a regular performer at the pageant, which is one of Perth's biggest events and attracts crowds of about 200,000 people every year.

Falun Gong practitioner Mark Hutchison was surprised when he received an email from Seven West Media last month informing him the group was approved to participate in the event.

After a follow-up email to ensure the group would be allowed to be introduced as Falun Dafa, another name for Falun Gong, he was told they could no longer be accommodated."

Times of Israel: 2 members of Berland's sect charged over 'extremely cruel' 1986 murder of teen

"Two followers of convicted sex offender Eliezer Berland's Shuvu Bonim sect were charged on Friday in connection with the 1986 murder of a teen.

The two were indicted over the murder of 17-year-old Nissim Shitrit. His body was never found and Friday's charges were the first made in connection with his death.

One of the suspects charged in the case was the son of a former minister. His name has not been released for publication. The second suspect was Baruch Sharvit, a Shuvu Bonim follower.

According to the indictment, some of those involved in the abduction and death of Shitrit have not yet been detained.

Prosecutors asked for the suspects to remain in detention until the end of legal proceedings.

"The serious acts attributed to the accused indicate his danger to the public despite the lapse of time since the murder attributed to him," read the indictment for one of the suspects. "The fact that this is a multi-stage event, a very complex and extremely cruel event which was intended to impose the lifestyles of the defendants on the deceased and the public, establishes a reasonable basis for fear that his release will endanger public safety."

According to the indictment, Shitrit was suspected by members of the sect of having some form of relationship with a girl, in contravention of the sect's religious norms, the Ynet news site reported.

The teen was collected from his boarding school in Ashdod by the sect's "religious police," in January 1986, four months before he disappeared.

He was driven to Jerusalem and taken to a secluded location, where he was beaten."

Houston Chronicle: Some Texas religious leaders live in lavish, tax-free estates thanks to obscure law

" ... Most people know that religious organizations pay no property taxes on their houses of worship. Lesser known is that many also get a valuable break on residences for their clergy as well.

The word "parsonage," as these residences are called, conjures images of humble, spartan rooms attached to drafty churches. A few still are.

Yet in many places across Texas, parsonages are extravagant estates nestled in the state's most exclusive enclaves. Like their wealthy neighbors, the clergy occupants enjoy spacious and well-appointed homes, immaculate grounds, tennis courts, swimming pools, decorative fountains and serene grottos.

Unlike their neighbors, the parsonage owners pay nothing in taxes, leaving other Texans to backfill the uncollected revenue to cover the cost of schools, police and firefighters.

State law allows religious organizations to claim tax-free clergy residences of up to 1 acre. Yet each of the state's counties has its own appraiser responsible for overseeing local properties. So no one entity has examined how many parsonages there are in Texas, their value and their legality."

" ... Religious organizations own tax-free homes worth at least a billion dollars in Texas thanks to an obscure state law. Here are some examples of the homes.

Well-off religious organizations that clearly have the means to afford their taxes don't have to seek the exemption. Lakewood Church did not ask the Harris County appraiser for a tax break on the 15,000-square-foot residence of the state's most famous prosperity gospel preacher, Joel Osteen. His annual tax bill comes to $218,000 a year, according to county tax records.

Osteen, who hasn't taken a salary since 2004, believes it's important for donors to know all their money goes to the church, said his brother-in-law, Don Illof.

"He could take the parsonage break," Illof said. "But he pays his property taxes, just like he's supposed to."

Property records also show that San Antonio's Cornerstone Church didn't seek an exemption for any clergy residences in Bexar County. Appraisal records show its well-known spiritual leader, John Hagee, pays $42,000 annually in property taxes. A spokesman said the matter was personal and declined to comment.

But Harris County Appraisal District documents show New Light Church World Outreach & Worship Centers pays no taxes on its nearly 25,000-square-foot mansion in Spring perched on the shore of a private lake and occupied by its high-profile leader, I.V. Hilliard. The 11.8-acre lot includes three hot tubs, two fountains and a swimming pool and tennis court, property records show.

Hilliard's wife told appraisal officials it was their home, district documents show.

"Because Bishop Hilliard and his wife are living there, we are treating the 24,900-square-foot home as a parsonage," said Jack Barnett, a spokesman for the Harris district.

New Light's attorney, Malachi Johnson, said "Apostle Hilliard occupies only a portion" of the home and that the "primary use" of the property, which in addition to the mansion includes six other homes, was a "minister's retreat and conference center" that qualified for its tax break as a place of religious worship.

Johnson added that the large "H" adorning the wrought-iron gate surrounding the property didn't refer to Hilliard but to the Biblical word Hamath — a city of "wealth and prosperity." The tax break on the property where Hilliard lives saves New Light $100,000 a year in foregone property taxes.

Some religious organizations maintain deluxe accommodations for their clergy that appear at odds with their self-described austere values."

News, Education, Intervention, Recovery

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CultMediation.com   

Intervention101.com to help families and friends understand and effectively respond to the complexity of a loved one's cult involvement.

CultRecovery101.com assists group members and their families make the sometimes difficult transition from coercion to renewed individual choice.

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Please forward articles that you think we should add to cultintervention@gmail.com.

CultNEWS101 Articles: 12/28/2021 (ultra-Orthodox, Israel, Legal, Russia, Father Sergiy, Covid, Falun Gong, Misinformation)

ultra-Orthodox, Israel, Legal, Russia, Father Sergiy, Covid, Falun Gong, Misinformation

Times of Israel: Berland's son-in-law, follower named as suspects in cold case murders linked to sect

"The son-in-law of convicted sex offender Eliezer Berland and another follower of the extremist Shuvu Bonim sect were named on Monday as two of the suspects in the cold case murder and suspected murder tied to the cult.

The names of the two were permitted to be published after a ruling by the Jerusalem Magistrate's Court.

The first suspect was named as Tzvi Tzucker, Berland's son-in-law who served as head of the ultra-Orthodox sect's "religious police." He left the sect a few years ago amid the allegations of sexual abuse against his father-in-law.

Tzucker has denied all involvement in the killings.

The second suspect was named as Baruch Sharvit, a member of Berland's cult. According to Channel 13 news, Sharvit has admitted to investigators that he killed 17-year-old Nissim Shitrit and has implicated other suspects.

Earlier this month, Kan news reported that Sharvit met with Berland in the interrogation room, where the sect leader instructed his follower to provide information to the investigators.

According to the report, Sharvit then admitted to playing a role in the murder of Shitrit as well as the killing of 41-year-old Avi Edri. Sharvit was said to have additionally incriminated other suspects.

Shitrit was allegedly beaten by the sect's "religious police" four months before he disappeared in January 1986.

In a documentary broadcast by Kan in 2020, one of Berland's former disciples said that the religious police murdered the boy, dismembered him and buried his body in Eshtaol Forest near Beit Shemesh. His remains were never found and the case was never solved.

Edri was found beaten to death in Ramot Forest in the north of Jerusalem in 1990."

AP News: Russian coronavirus-denying monk given prison sentence

"A rebel Russian monk who castigated the Kremlin and denied that the coronavirus existed was convicted Tuesday on accusations of encouraging suicides and given a 3½-year prison sentence.

The monk, Father Sergiy, was arrested in December 2020 on charges of inciting suicidal actions through sermons in which he urged believers to "die for Russia," breaching the freedom of conscience and making arbitrary moves. He rejected the accusations and his lawyers said they would appeal Tuesday's ruling by Moscow's Ismailovo District Court.

Father Sergiy reacted to the verdict with a biblical "Do not judge and you will not be judged."

When the coronavirus pandemic began, the 66-year-old monk denied its existence and denounced government efforts to stem the pandemic as "Satan's electronic camp." He has spread the long-debunked conspiracy theories about COVID-19 and described the coronavirus vaccines being developed against COVID-19 as part of a purported global plot to control the masses via microchips.

The monk urged followers to disobey the government's lockdown measures and holed up at a monastery near Yekaterinburg that he founded and had dozens of burly volunteers, including veterans of the separatist conflict in eastern Ukraine, help enforce his rules while the prioress and several nuns left."

New York Times: Those Cute Cats Online? They Help Spread Misinformation

"On Oct. 2, New Tang Dynasty Television, a station linked to the Chinese spiritual movement Falun Gong, posted a Facebook video of a woman saving a baby shark stranded on a shore. Next to the video was a link to subscribe to The Epoch Times, a newspaper that is tied to Falun Gong and that spreads anti-China and right-wing conspiracies. The post collected 33,000 likes, comments and shares.

The website of Dr. Joseph Mercola, an osteopathic physician who researchers say is a chief spreader of coronavirus misinformation online, regularly posts about cute animals that generate tens or even hundreds of thousands of interactions on Facebook. The stories include "Kitten and Chick Nap So Sweetly Together" and "Why Orange Cats May Be Different From Other Cats," written by Dr. Karen Becker, a veterinarian."

" ... Videos and GIFs of cute animals — usually cats — have gone viral online for almost as long as the internet has been around. Many of the animals became famous: There's Keyboard Cat, Grumpy Cat, Lil Bub and Nyan Cat, just to name a few.

Now, it is becoming increasingly clear how widely the old-school internet trick is being used by people and organizations peddling false information online, misinformation researchers say.

The posts with the animals do not directly spread false information. But they can draw a huge audience that can be redirected to a publication or site spreading false information about election fraud, unproven coronavirus cures and other baseless conspiracy theories entirely unrelated to the videos. Sometimes, following a feed of cute animals on Facebook unknowingly signs users up as subscribers to misleading posts from the same publisher."

News, Education, Intervention, Recovery

CultEducationEvents.com

CultMediation.com   

Intervention101.com to help families and friends understand and effectively respond to the complexity of a loved one's cult involvement.

CultRecovery101.com assists group members and their families make the sometimes difficult transition from coercion to renewed individual choice.

CultNEWS101.com news, links, resources.

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Please forward articles that you think we should add to cultintervention@gmail.com.

2 members of Berland's sect charged over 'extremely cruel' 1986 murder of teen

One suspect is unnamed son of ex-minister; indictment says they were part of group that lured Nissim Shitrit, 17, before beating him to death due to disapproval of his lifestyle

Times of Israel
December 3, 2021

Two followers of convicted sex offender Eliezer Berland’s Shuvu Bonim sect were charged on Friday in connection with the 1986 murder of a teen.

The two were indicted over the murder of 17-year-old Nissim Shitrit. His body was never found and Friday’s charges were the first made in connection with his death.

One of the suspects charged in the case was the son of a former minister. His name has not been released for publication. The second suspect was Baruch Sharvit, a Shuvu Bonim follower.

According to the indictment, some of those involved in the abduction and death of Shitrit have not yet been detained.

Prosecutors asked for the suspects to remain in detention until the end of legal proceedings.

“The serious acts attributed to the accused indicate his danger to the public despite the lapse of time since the murder attributed to him,” read the indictment for one of the suspects. “The fact that this is a multi-stage event, a very complex and extremely cruel event which was intended to impose the lifestyles of the defendants on the deceased and the public, establishes a reasonable basis for fear that his release will endanger public safety.”

According to the indictment, Shitrit was suspected by members of the sect of having some form of relationship with a girl, in contravention of the sect’s religious norms, the Ynet news site reported.

The teen was collected from his boarding school in Ashdod by the sect’s “religious police,” in January 1986, four months before he disappeared.

He was driven to Jerusalem and taken to a secluded location, where he was beaten.

Shitrit, who was a volunteer with the police, filed a complaint over the assault, and one of his suspected killers was detained for questioning. That individual fled the country after Shitrit was killed, in an attempt to construct an alibi, Channel 12 news reported.

The report said that Shitrit was lured to his death four months later by a woman connected to the sect who pretended that she wanted to spend the night with him. When Shitrit arrived at the address she gave him, he was beaten by the same group of followers who carried out the first assault.

When the suspects realized the attack was making too much noise, they moved to a second location before burying him outside Jerusalem.

In a documentary broadcast by Kan in 2020, one of Berland’s former disciples said that the “religious police” murdered the boy, dismembered him and buried his body in Eshtaol Forest near Beit Shemesh.

Nobody has been indicted yet in the second, related case of the murder of 41-year-old Avi Edri in 1990. He was found beaten to death in Ramot Forest in the north of Jerusalem.

Berland was released on Thursday from remand after he was detained in connection with the two murders — but remains in prison to serve a sentence on unrelated charges.

Berland, the leader of the extremist Shuvu Bonim sect, has been implicated in the murder of Edri and the kidnapping and murder of Shitrit. Police have accused Berland of sending his followers to kill Shitrit. His followers have also been tied to Edri’s death.

But on Thursday prosecutors said they would release Berland and his son-in-law, Tzvi Tzucker, as well as a third suspect — an unnamed Haredi mayor — under restrictions.

Last month, Berland was remanded in custody for continued interrogation over his role in the cold case murders. Judge Elad Lang said at the time that “there was reasonable suspicion that [Berland] committed offenses. He implicated himself and provided a detailed version of events.”

Though he is being released from custody in regards to the decades-old murders, he will remain in prison on charges of fraud for swindling sick and elderly followers out of millions of shekels. He previously served a sentence in prison for sexual assault.

On Thursday it was reported that another suspect in the killing of Edri recently died of complications related to the coronavirus at a northern hospital.

Dozens of figures — including many with ties to local and national politics — have been questioned in connection with the two alleged homicides, after the case burst back onto the scene in mid-October with a series of arrests.

Last month, an ultra-Orthodox current mayor was remanded in custody over allegations that he was present at Edri’s murder when he was 17.

The cult-like Shuvu Bonim offshoot of the Bratslav Hasidic sect has had repeated run-ins with the law, including attacking witnesses.

Berland fled Israel in 2013 amid allegations that he had sexually assaulted several female followers. After evading arrest for three years and slipping through various countries, Berland returned to Israel and was sentenced to 18 months in prison in November 2016, on two counts of indecent acts and one case of assault, as part of a plea deal that included seven months of time served. He was freed just five months later, in part due to his ill health.



https://www.timesofisrael.com/2-members-of-berlands-sect-charged-over-extremely-cruel-1986-murder-of-teen/

Berland's son-in-law, follower named as suspects in cold case murders linked to sect

Tzvi Tzucker was head of Shuvu Bonim cult’s ‘modesty patrol’ at the time 17-year-old Nissim Shitrit disappeared; police tell court they plan to charge ex-minister’s son

Times of Israel
November 29, 2021

The son-in-law of convicted sex offender Eliezer Berland and another follower of the extremist Shuvu Bonim sect were named on Monday as two of the suspects in the cold case murder and suspected murder tied to the cult.

The names of the two were permitted to be published after a ruling by the Jerusalem Magistrate’s Court.

The first suspect was named as Tzvi Tzucker, Berland’s son-in-law who served as head of the ultra-Orthodox sect’s “religious police.” He left the sect a few years ago amid the allegations of sexual abuse against his father-in-law.

Tzucker has denied all involvement in the killings.

The second suspect was named as Baruch Sharvit, a member of Berland’s cult. According to Channel 13 news, Sharvit has admitted to investigators that he killed 17-year-old Nissim Shitrit and has implicated other suspects.

Earlier this month, Kan news reported that Sharvit met with Berland in the interrogation room, where the sect leader instructed his follower to provide information to the investigators.

According to the report, Sharvit then admitted to playing a role in the murder of Shitrit as well as the killing of 41-year-old Avi Edri. Sharvit was said to have additionally incriminated other suspects.

Shitrit was allegedly beaten by the sect’s “religious police” four months before he disappeared in January 1986.

In a documentary broadcast by Kan in 2020, one of Berland’s former disciples said that the religious police murdered the boy, dismembered him and buried his body in Eshtaol Forest near Beit Shemesh. His remains were never found and the case was never solved.

Edri was found beaten to death in Ramot Forest in the north of Jerusalem in 1990.

According to reports, police told the court on Monday they also intend to charge the son of a former senior cabinet minister who was arrested earlier this month in connection with the investigation. His identity has not been cleared for publication.

Police say their investigations into the suspected murder of Shitrit and the murder of Edri are tied to the Shuvu Bonim sect, run by Berland.

Last week, police told the court that the current mayor of an ultra-Orthodox city was also present and played an active role in the murder of Edri. The mayor was 17 years old at the time.

The mayor’s attorney told reporters that his client “has nothing to do with the grave affair and has no idea how his name was insinuated into it.”

Police have previously said that some of those arrested were questioned over allegations of kidnapping, murder, and conspiracy to commit a crime. Not all are suspected of direct involvement in the killings.

Berland, the head of the sect, currently in prison for fraud, was remanded earlier this month to allow his continued interrogation in connection to the murders. A police representative said that there was evidence showing Berland’s responsibility for, and involvement in, the killings.

The cult-like Shuvu Bonim offshoot of the Bratslav Hasidic sect has had repeated run-ins with the law, including attacking witnesses.

Berland fled Israel in 2013 amid allegations that he had sexually assaulted several female followers. After evading arrest for three years and slipping through various countries, Berland returned to Israel and was sentenced to 18 months in prison in November 2016, on two counts of indecent acts and one case of assault, as part of a plea deal that included seven months of time served. He was freed just five months later, in part due to his ill health.

Berland was arrested for fraud in February 2020, after hundreds of people filed police complaints saying that he had sold prayers and pills to desperate members of his community, promised families of individuals with disabilities that their loved ones would be able to walk, and told families of convicted felons that their relatives would be freed from prison.

Berland entered prison last month after he was convicted of fraud in June, in a plea deal that saw him sentenced to 18 months.

https://www.timesofisrael.com/berlands-son-in-law-follower-named-as-suspects-in-cold-case-murders-linked-to-sect/

2 more arrested in cold-case murders from '80s, '90s linked to Hasidic cult

Jerusalem men bring to 10 the number of suspects detained in connection with murder of man and suspected murder of missing teen

TOI Staff
Times of Israel
October 31, 2021

Two people were arrested Sunday in connection with decades-old homicide cases linked to an extremist ultra-Orthodox sect, the Israel Police said.

The two men, residents of Jerusalem, are in their 60s and 70s, police said in a statement.

The developments raised to 10 the number of people detained recently over the suspected murder of a teenage boy and the unsolved murder of a man in the 1980s and 1990s.Stay

“Their arrests add to the other arrests made in the past two weeks within the framework of those cases,” police said.

Most details of the investigation are under a gag order that is in place until the end of the year.

The investigation into the disappearance and suspected murder of 17-year-old Nissim Shitrit and the murder of 41-year-old Avi Edri is tied to the Shuvu Bonim sect.

One of those arrested earlier this month was the husband of a woman who has told police she was forced by sect members to lure one of the victims to a specific location.

An attorney for the woman has said that her client was a victim of the extremist sect, and is cooperating with police in order to see justice done.

Police have previously said that some of those arrested were questioned over allegations of kidnapping, murder, and conspiracy to commit a crime.

Kan public broadcaster has reported that law enforcement are probing whether convicted sex offender Rabbi Eliezer Berland, head of the Shuvu Bonim sect, was personally involved in the cases.

Shitrit was allegedly beaten by the sect’s “religious police” four months before he was last seen in January 1986.

In a documentary released by Kan in 2020, one of Berland’s former disciples said that the religious police murdered the boy, dismembered him and buried his body in Eshtaol Forest near Beit Shemesh. His remains were never found and the case was never solved.

Kan reported earlier this month that police have not made any progress in locating Shitrit’s body.

Edri was found beaten to death in Ramot Forest in the north of Jerusalem in 1990.

Kan reported that Edri’s murder was linked to Shuvu Bonim by former members. It too has remained unsolved for over 30 years.

The cult-like Shuvu Bonim offshoot of the Bratslav Hasidic sect has had repeated run-ins with the law, including attacking witnesses.

Berland, its leader, fled Israel in 2013 amid allegations that he had sexually assaulted several female followers. After evading arrest for three years and slipping through various countries, Berland returned to Israel and was sentenced to 18 months in prison in November 2016, on two counts of indecent acts and one case of assault, as part of a plea deal that included seven months of time served. He was freed just five months later, in part due to his ill health.

Berland was arrested for fraud in February 2020, after hundreds of people filed police complaints saying that he had sold prayers and pills to desperate members of his community, promised families of individuals with disabilities that their loved ones would be able to walk, and told families of convicted felons that their relatives would be freed from prison.

On Thursday Berland entered prison after he was convicted of fraud in June, in a plea deal that saw him sentenced to 18 months. The sentence will include time already served as he spent a year in jail before being released to house arrest in February of this year.

https://www.timesofisrael.com/2-more-arrested-in-cold-case-murders-from-80s-90s-linked-to-hasidic-cult/

3 arrested over cold case murders from 80s, 90s reportedly tied to Hasidic cult

2 men, woman held over disappearance of Nissim Shitrit, 17, in 1986, and murder of 41-year-old Avi Edri in 1990 near Jerusalem; Shitrit’s brother: Want him to have a proper burial

EMANUEL FABIAN

Times of Israel
October 17, 2021

Police on Sunday announced the arrest of three suspects over their alleged connection to two unsolved murders in the 1980s and 90s near Jerusalem.

According to Hebrew-language media reports, the suspects — two men and a woman in their 60s from Jerusalem — are from the extremist Shuvu Bonim sect led by convicted sex offender rabbi Eliezer Berland.

Reports said they were arrested over their involvement in the disappearance of 17-year-old Nissim Shitrit, who was allegedly beaten by the sect’s “religious police” four months before he was last seen in January 1986.

Shitrit reported the assault to police at the time, and identified a number of suspects, who were apparently never charged.

In a 2020 documentary released by the Kan public broadcaster, one of Berland’s former disciples said that the religious police murdered the boy, dismembered him, and buried his body parts in the Eshtaol Forest near Beit Shemesh. His remains were never found and the case was never solved.

Shitrit’s brother, Meir, told Kan on Sunday that at the time a group of Shuvu Bonim members were arrested over the incident, but they remained silent and were eventually released without charge.

“I don’t believe the police would re-arrest the same people, knowing they would remain silent,” he added, saying he hoped there had been a development with the case.

Meir Shitrit explained that he cannot sit shiva, the Jewish mourning ritual, for his younger brother since he does not know “for sure” if he was murdered.

“The documentary has a man, whose name can’t be said currently, admitting to me that he knew Nissim was murdered. But he wasn’t prepared to incriminate himself,” he told Kan.

“We want to know where my brother was hidden, in order to give him a [proper] burial,” Shitrit added.

The second murder reportedly connected to the arrested suspects was of 41-year-old Avi Edri in 1990, who was found beaten to death in Ramot Forest in the north of Jerusalem.

In the Kan documentary, Edri’s murder was tied to Shuvu Bonim by former disciples. It too remains unsolved for over 30 years.

Police said Sunday that the individuals were arrested and questioned over allegations of kidnapping, murder and conspiracy to commit a crime. Most details of the investigation are under a gag order in place until the end of the year.

The suspects were brought before a Jerusalem court on Sunday afternoon, to request an extension to their remand amid the investigation. The court ordered all three arrested suspects to remain in custody for another eight days. More suspects related to the two murders are expected to be detained, police said.

An attorney for the female suspect told the court that her client was a victim of the extremist sect, and is cooperating with police in order to see justice done. According to the attorney, the woman was forced by members of the sect to lure one of the victims to a specific location.

The cult-like Shuvu Bonim offshoot of the Bratslav Hasidic sect commanded by Berland has had repeated run-ins with the law, including attacking witnesses.

Berland fled Israel in 2013 amid allegations that he had sexually assaulted several female followers. After evading arrest for three years and slipping through various countries, Berland returned to Israel and was sentenced to 18 months in prison in November 2016 on two counts of indecent acts and one case of assault, as part of a plea deal that included seven months of time served. He was freed just five months later, in part due to his ill health.

Berland was arrested for fraud in February 2020 after hundreds of people filed police complaints saying that he had sold prayers and pills to desperate members of his community, promised families of individuals with disabilities that their loved ones would be able to walk, and told families of convicted felons that their relatives would be freed from prison.

Last May, he was further charged with tax evasion, violations of money laundering laws, and other offenses for failing to report and concealing income generated through his activities with Shuvu Bonim.

Berland is set to return to prison this month after being convicted of fraud in a plea deal in June that saw him sentenced to 18 months in prison. But the sentence will include time already served, after Berland spent a year in jail before being released to house arrest in February of this year.

Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.

https://www.timesofisrael.com/3-arrested-over-cold-case-murders-from-80s-90s-reportedly-tied-to-hasidic-cult/

Sex offender rabbi Eliezer Berland hospitalized, on ventilator with COVID

83-year-old convicted criminal slated to return to prison in October after conviction on charges of fraud

TOI STAFF
Times of Israel
August 9, 2021

Rabbi Eliezer Berland arrives for a hearing at the Jerusalem District Court on February 28, 2020. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

Eliezer Berland, a prominent ultra-Orthodox rabbi and convicted sex offender tested positive for the coronavirus and was hospitalized Saturday in serious condition.

The 83-year-old has been hooked up to a ventilator at Hadassah Ein Kerem hospital in Jerusalem, according to Hebrew media reports.

Berland is set to return to prison in October after being convicted of fraud in a plea deal in June which saw him sentenced to 18 months in prison.

Berland, the leader of the extremist Shuvu Banim sect, already spent a year in jail before being released to house arrest in February in a demonstration of leniency by the Supreme Court, which took into account his frail state.

Berland was arrested for fraud in February 2020 after hundreds of people filed police complaints saying that he had sold prayers and pills to desperate members of his community, promised families of individuals with disabilities that their loved ones would be able to walk, and told families of convicted felons that their relatives would be freed from prison.

In the arrest raid, dozens of boxes of powders and pills were found at Berland’s home that were given to supplicants as “wonder drugs.” Initial laboratory checks revealed them to be over-the-counter pain medication and candy, including Mentos, officials said.

Berland has denied the charges, saying he only offered blessings and healing services when asked, and at sums far lower than those alleged by police.

Last May, he was further charged with tax evasion, violations of money laundering laws and other offenses for failing to report and concealing income generated through his activities with the Shuvu Bonim sect.

Berland fled Israel in 2013 amid allegations that he had sexually assaulted several female followers. After evading arrest for three years and slipping through various countries, Berland returned to Israel and was sentenced to 18 months in prison in November 2016 on two counts of indecent acts and one case of assault, as part of a plea deal that included seven months of time served. He was freed just five months later, in part due to his ill health.

Despite his repeated run-ins with the law, Berland continues to command a cult-like following among the thousands of members of his group, an offshoot of the Bratslav Hasidic sect.

https://www.timesofisrael.com/sex-offender-rabbi-eliezer-berland-hospitalized-on-ventilator-with-covid/

Lag Ba'omer: What's Toldot Aharon, hassidic sect whose members were killed?

It is perhaps the most insular, well-organized and cohesive of the groups that make up Israel’s haredi community.

JERUSALEM POST STAFF
APRIL 30, 2021

Many of the dead and injured at the Lag Ba'omer stampede on Mount Meron Thursday night were from the insular Toldot Aharon Hassidic sect, which is based in Jerusalem. The stampede took place during the lighting of the bonfire by the current Rebbe (spiritual leader).

It is perhaps the most insular, well-organized and cohesive of the groups that make up Israel’s haredi (ultra-Orthodox) community; any type of intervention in its domestic affairs is tantamount to a total usurping of the community's belief system.

The hassidic sect was established in Jerusalem by Rabbi Aharon Roth in 1928 as an offshoot of Satmar, a hassidic movement that originated in Germany. In 1942 shortly before Nazi Germany invaded Hungary, Roth and his followers fled Europe for Mandatory Palestine.

Today, Toldot Aharon hassidim live in the heart of Jerusalem despite their staunch opposition to Zionism. They have developed extensive social and cultural barriers to protect their community from the bustling secularism of Jaffa Road and Ben-Yehuda Street, located less than a kilometer away.

Roth, who died in 1947, started the tradition, which continues to this day, that every male member of the sect signs a contract obligating him and his family to abide by the strict dictates of Toldot Aharon.

Clothing, customs – even how the hassidim spend their spare time – is carefully regulated. Cohesion is as tight as super glue. In contrast, the outside world – especially anything affiliated with Zionism – is described as dark and evil.

Shlomo Guzmen-Carmeli of Bar-Ilan University's Department of Sociology and Anthropology, who is an expert on the Toldot Aharon hassidim and is the source for the information here about them, explained in 2009 that the hassidim do not view themselves as individuals.

In his study The holy contract: The Social Contract of the Toldos Aharon Hasidic group, Guzmen-Carmieli, along with Asaf Sharabi, wrote about the core texts of the Toldot Aharon community. One of the central books that the community follows was written by Roth and is called Sefer Takkanot ve-Hadrachot (The Book of Regulations and Guidance). He wrote the book toward the end of his life; it contains many of his stringent and mystical beliefs which are followed in the community until this day.

"Members of Toldot Aharon do not see themselves first and foremost as individuals. Rather, they see themselves as one organic entity," said Guzmen-Carmeli. "No one would ever think of involving outsiders in internal issues of the community, let alone representatives of the Zionist entity, which is perceived as an apostate body inimical to the sect's belief system."

https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/what-is-toldot-aharon-hassidic-sect-whose-members-were-killed-at-meron-666808

CultNEWS101 Articles: 1/30-31/2021 (Research, Book, Extremism, QAnon, Covid, Israel, ultra-Orthodox, Oath Keepers, Three Percenters)

Research, Book, Extremism, QAnon, Covid,  Israel, ultra-Orthodox, Oath Keepers, Three Percenters

Study is to understand the processes of cultic organizations

Letter from the Researcher:

I hope this email finds you and your family safe and healthy. My name is Carlie Cegielski and I am an undergraduate student in my senior year at the University at Albany. Through the school of Criminal Justice Honors program, I have been given the opportunity to conduct my own research, which I invite you to take part in. The goal of my study is to understand the processes of cultic organizations. More specifically, to understand the system of cults, their leaders and how individual's get involved.

You will be asked to respond to a series of questions via an anonymous online survey that will take approximately 30 minutes. Prior to beginning the survey there are a few things you should note. I ask that you answer these questions to the best of your ability. If at any point you feel uncomfortable sharing information, there is the option to skip the question or stop the survey altogether. This survey has no intention of collecting any identifiable information, as all information will be completely anonymous, and all information will be held confidential. I urge you not to share any information that may be too descriptive or could potentially be identifiable. If I believe any information could possibly be traced back to any person, it will be excluded from the research.

Chicago Tribune: I was caught up in a religious cult. I know there's a way to reach today's young extremists

"I was once an extremist. Now I am not. I was a member of a fundamentalist Bible organization that was homophobic and misogynistic, denied the Holocaust and used psychological terror and manipulation to control its followers. The leader believed in eugenics.

Now I am a retired grandmother living on a farm. How did this happen?

President Biden wants to unite the country by encouraging us to stand in one another's shoes. But standing in the shoes, more likely boots, of one whose views we consider abhorrent and immoral is no easy matter. The first step, if you'll forgive the pun, is to acknowledge our views are equally abhorrent and immoral to them.
During my 15 years in the group, the only "outsider" who made a consistent effort to keep in touch with me was my mother. She wrote letter after letter, though I rarely answered. She had been, after all, offended by the leader from the moment she heard him speak. "Sounds like the Third Reich to me," she said. I didn't understand what she meant. I was only 14.

Being the liberal-minded intellectual that she was, my mother, a secular Jew, never attempted to limit my explorations. She believed the First Amendment applied to everyone, irrespective of age. She learned this lesson at 6, when her progressive father sat her at Sunday dinner and engaged her in lively conversation with his guest, the political activist and socialist, Eugene V. Debs. (My grandfather, William Castleman, owned a press that published The Unionist, the largest labor newspaper in Chicago in 1920.)"

CultNEWS101: QAnon Collection

Independent: Ultra-Orthodox rabbi tells followers Covid vaccine 'can turn people gay'

LGBT+ rights group Havruta says it is 'currently gearing up to welcome our impending new members' after a bizarre and factually inaccurate claim.

"An ultra-Orthodox rabbi has told his followers to avoid getting a Covid vaccine because it can "make them gay".

Israeli media reported that Rabbi Daniel Asor, who has amassed a large online following, also claimed inoculation efforts were part of a "global malicious government" trying to "establish a new world order".

While his claim of a link between the vaccine and homosexuality is factually incorrect, it also contradicts statements from leading orthodox rabbis who have called on their followers to come forward for a coronavirus jab.

According to news outlet Israel Yahom, Mr Asor used a recent sermon to claim: "Any vaccine made using an embryonic substrate, and we have evidence of this, causes opposite tendencies. Vaccines are taken from an embryonic substrate, and they did that here, too, so ... it can cause opposite tendencies," seemingly referring to homosexuality.  

Responding to his comments, LGBT+ rights group Havruta joked that it was 'currently gearing up to welcome our impending new members'."

Washington Post: FBI moves on alleged members of extremist groups Oath Keepers, Three Percenters

"A heavy-metal guitarist, the alleged leader of a Colorado paramilitary training group and two ex-military militia members from Ohio have been charged with allegedly taking part in the riot at the Capitol last week, as the FBI ratchets up its investigation into the role extremist groups played in storming the building.

Jon Schaffer, an Indiana musician, turned himself in to the FBI on Sunday afternoon, officials said. On Jan. 6, Schaffer was photographed inside the Capitol, wearing a hat that said "Oath Keepers Lifetime Member." Schaffer founded Iced Earth, a heavy-metal band, and music fans quickly recognized him as the FBI circulated wanted posters with his face on them.

Schaffer was charged with six counts, including engaging in an act of physical violence. Authorities said Schaffer was among the rioters who targeted U.S. Capitol Police with bear spray.

Also charged in a court filing made public Sunday was Robert Gieswein, 24, of Cripple Creek, Colo. Court papers say that Gieswein is affiliated with an Oath Keepers-related extremist group called the Three Percenters, and that he assaulted federal officers outside the Capitol with bear spray and a baseball bat; "encouraged other rioters as they broke a window of the Capitol building; entered … and then charged through the Capitol building."

Gieswein runs a private paramilitary training group called the Woodland Wild Dogs, and a patch for that group was visible on a tactical vest he wore during the attack on Congress, an FBI affidavit said.

Gieswein gave a media interview in which he echoed anti-Semitic conspiracy theories, the affidavit said, and said his message to Congress was 'that they need to get the corrupt politicians out of office. Pelosi, the Clintons … every single one of them, Biden, Kamala.'"

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