Judge Bavli in the Hearing of Rav Berland shlit"a Summoned for Clarification

After our teacher, the holy tzaddik Rav Eliezer Berland shlit"a, felt unwell and even fainted during the hearing to extend his detention, it was clear that his condition was dire. This occurred less than a day after he had undergone a cardiac catheterization, was transferred from a Jerusalem hospital to the Nitzan detention center, and was then returned to Jerusalem the next day for the hearing. All of this while he is nearly 83 years old and known to suffer from various health issues.

Without any display of mercy or Jewish soul, and by taking a one-sided stance even before the defense attorneys were heard, Judge Sharon Larry Bavli expressed herself in an infuriating and alarming manner. This happened when the attorney for Rav Eliezer Berland shlit"a argued that it would have been better to leave him in the hospital in light of his difficult condition. Judge Larry Bavli responded: "Give him a Mentos."

Later, when attorney Amit Hadad tried to detail the illnesses from which Rav Eliezer Berland shlit"a suffers, Judge Bavli interrupted him with an insolent tone and said: "We understood that his condition is not that of a 17-year-old pullet."

If that were not enough, the judge continued to take a clear stance and said: "People like us do not go to rabbis."

And we ask, if this is the judge who does not even try to hide her biased opinions, does anyone even believe that a fair trial can take place?

Apparently, the judge's words were so inappropriate that those responsible for her had no choice but to address the matter. Judge Bavli was summoned for a clarification hearing with the President of the Supreme Court, Justice Esther Hayut, or with the Director of the Courts, Dr. Yigal Mersel.

It must be noted that this matter itself reinforces the words of our teacher, Rav Eliezer Berland shlit"a, in the past. To all those who asked why he did not appear for questioning in Israel and instead chose to extend his stay abroad, Rav Eliezer Berland answered his associates: "A fair trial does not await me in Israel; they have already passed judgment before any evidence was heard." As it is known that Rav Eliezer Berland did not break any law in doing so—the Rav left the country legally with a valid passport—any response on his part to return to Israel was merely an act of good citizenship, not an obligation on his part.