Arab Security Guards Hired by the Persecutors of the Gaon and Tzaddik Rabbi Eliezer Berland shlit"a Attacked Breslov Chassidim Using Excessive Force

They call it a dispute, but the truth is that this is a one-sided and unrestrained persecution. The media, fed by one-sided and completely unreliable information, conveys a distorted picture of what is actually happening on the ground. As a result, the Shuvu Banim community, which has already been under severe attack for 4 years, continues to suffer from criticism it does not deserve.

With Hashem's help, in this article and the following ones, we will endeavor to bring order to the blitz of false allegations against the holy community of Shuvu Banim and the one standing at its head—the Gaon and Tzaddik Rabbi Eliezer Berland shlit"a.

"I want to speak about my personal feelings regarding what I saw today in the synagogue (the Breslov Shul) in Mea Shearim, Jerusalem. I will start by saying that what happened today was a Kiddush Hashem (sanctification of God's Name) like no other." Thus opens Rabbi Yaakov Salame shlit"a, Head of Kollel Netzach Netzachim in Bnei Brak, in his personal testimony regarding the unrestrained attack carried out by Arab guards under the direction of the persecutors of Rabbi Berland shlit"a, against innocent Breslov Chassidim.

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"I will explain: In the call of our Master and Teacher, Rabbi Berland shlit"a, to come and participate in the protest against the degradation of Torah scholars and the honor of the Torah, Rabbi Berland shlit"a mentioned three of those who were disgraced. However, in reality, we are not speaking here of three people of the same standing, for Rabbi Berland shlit"a mentioned one of them who is himself counted among the leaders of those persecuting Rabbi Berland."

"Here we see the greatness of Rabbi Berland shlit"a, who called upon his followers to come and protest the disgrace (someone knocked off his Shtreimel) of a person who actually disgraces Rabbi Berland morning and evening. Meaning, there are two here (who spoke in favor of Rabbi Berland and were criminally persecuted because of it) and there is one here (who actually persecutes Rabbi Berland, yet received treatment from him as if he were one of his admirers). Rabbi Berland shlit"a, in his greatness, included all three of them, as if to say: 'We are one, there are no disputes, and because Rabbis were disgraced, we are coming to make a protest.'"

"We are not naive; we all understand what is happening (that the specific individual counted among Rabbi Berland's persecutors is now receiving honor from him as if he were the persecuted one). And this is a Kiddush Hashem, that although everyone knew this, and although about a thousand of Rabbi Berland shlit"a's Chassidim arrived at the event—who could have created a great tumult knowing how great the persecution is against them and their Rabbi—they did not. After all, everyone knows that in any other community undergoing such a persecution saturated with lies and devoid of restraint, the result would have been extremely violent. Yet here, the Chassidim of Rabbi Berland shlit"a arrived to continue their holy custom: reciting the Tikkun HaKlali in public and dancing to 'Hoshia Es Amecha' (Save Your People) together."

"This is no exaggeration; the Shuvu Banim community is undergoing persecution of the soul at a level difficult to describe. The persecutors brought a group of Arabs to the protest rally against the degradation of Torah scholars in order to cause a riot there. When a number of young men arrived at the scene—those who are not Torah students engaged in clarifying issues of Gemara, but whose sole motivation to come and protest was that their 'mother' was being disgraced (see Torah 4 in Likutey Moharan, where Rebbe Nachman writes that the Tzaddik is called 'Mother')—the rioting was actually perpetrated by those Arabs (we will bring many testimonies to this later). Those young men expressed themselves in the most moderate way possible in such a situation."

"Gentlemen, we must not forget that we are speaking of young men who have already been persecuted for 4 years together with their Rabbi. And despite not being in a Yeshiva framework, they still feel that all their chiyus (vitality) comes from Rabbi Berland shlit"a (while in any other place, such young men are thrown into the streets). Furthermore, the reason these young men are not in Yeshivas is, absurdly, caused by the very people who are persecuting Rabbi Berland shlit"a today, and who in the past did everything to ensure such young men would be thrown into the streets."

"True, thank God we are with the Tzaddik of Truth who wants us to remain silent and accept all the humiliations with love. Indeed, over a thousand people came in humility and with bowed heads—because Rabbi Berland said so. I saw with my own eyes how those who are supposedly called 'famous' came and wildly tore down notices calling people to come to the protest rally regarding the degradation of the Torah, solely because Rabbi Berland was the one calling for it. So, after seeing such things, and then those Arabs came and threw them out like animals, turned off the electricity on them, broke furniture in the synagogue, and threw holy books... Those Arabs even sprayed tear gas. So if after all that, those young men reacted the way they reacted—there is no greater Kiddush Hashem than that.

Words of Rabbi Salame courtesy of the "Breslov Emet" Line (02-800-8800 from the US 18456400007 from England 442038073333)