Shocking! What Led to Corona and the Persecution of Religion in Israel: Watch

On February 9, 2020, the 11th of Shevat 5780, police thugs arrived at the house of prayer and study of Rabbi Eliezer Berland shlit"a (may he live long and good days). Until then, there was not a single Coronavirus patient in Israel, and the world of Torah flourished in all its glory.

The police entered in the early morning hours and, in a brutal and ugly manner, arrested Rabbi Berland while he was in the middle of delivering a Gemara (Talmud) lesson to hundreds of early-rising students, just before the Shacharit (morning) prayer at sunrise.

The arrest was well-timed; the police were fed false information by a group of hooligans disguised in black with beards and peyos (sidelocks). These individuals have been persecuting Rabbi Berland for a long time with a cruelty reserved for the harshest enemies of Israel.

Rabbi Berland's students were shocked to witness these difficult scenes. Refined young scholars, along with tinokos shel beis raban (young schoolchildren) and their wives, stood desolate before this horror. They protested and pleaded for the honor of their Rabbi, the honor of the Torah, and its students, but the Israeli police and the legislative authorities ignored them with hardened hearts.

Since then, the Rabbis of the Shuvu Banim community have repeatedly warned with tears that Heaven would not remain silent about what is happening to Rabbi Berland. This is only the beginning, and the entire Torah world will be swept into a harsh religious persecution; Hashem (God) will simply demand justice for the humiliation of the Tzaddik (righteous person). However, unfortunately, the world remained silent; everyone preferred to stay quiet and not protest against this severe disgrace.

Once again, the Rabbis of Shuvu Banim warned that the Attribute of Judgment is very tense, and this is not just a private matter of one community or another, or a specific Chassidic group. Rather, this would unfortunately affect all of Israel—but they did not listen, and the "measure for measure" retribution was not long in coming.

Immediately upon the arrest of Rabbi Berland, the first Israeli fell ill with Corona. The entire world entered a state of lockdown unlike anything in the history of the state; synagogues and study halls were closed, their doors welded shut, and the entire Torah world was persecuted.

To those few Rabbis outside the Shuvu Banim community—such as the Kabbalist Rabbi Menashe Amon shlit"a, the Rebbe Rabbi Pinto shlit"a, Rabbi Yisrael Sharat shlit"a, and others—more Rabbis slowly began to join the protest.

Perhaps the first to cry out about the connection between Corona and the troubles of Israel to the arrest and humiliation of Rabbi Berland was the Gaon, Rabbi Aharon Stern shlit"a, head of the Ziv Yehuda institutions and son of the Kabbalist Rabbi David Chaim Stern of Bnei Brak shlit"a. "Our Sages of Blessed Memory (Chazal) say there are things upon which the judgment is sealed; when they came and took Rabbi Berland and put him in prison—this is the cry that rises to the Heavens," cried Rabbi Stern.

In a brave and admirable move, Rabbi Pinchas Bunker shlit"a crossed the lines and courageously fled from the cellars of the persecutors, sparing no descriptions or testimonies regarding the terrible system of persecution by those who target Rabbi Berland and authentic Judaism. Since crossing over, Rabbi Pinchas Bunker has also suffered severe humiliations and terrible threats, as he has testified publicly several times.

Following him, the Gaon and head of the Kever Rachel (Rachel's Tomb) institutions, Rabbi Moshe Menachem Kluger shlit"a, came out with heart-wrenching tears and declared that one of the greatest Halakhic authorities (Poskim) of our generation called him to his home and urged him to go out and protest before the entire congregation of Israel. "You are a Breslov Chassid and close to Mother Rachel, and you must protest against the terrible humiliation being done to Rabbi Berland; otherwise, the situation in the Land will not calm down."

Not a few hours passed before the Gaon Rabbi Moshe Bransdorfer shlit"a, Ga'avad (Head of the Rabbinical Court) of Heichal Hora'ah, sent a sharp letter to the honorable Rabbinical Committee for Communication Affairs. In his letter, Rabbi Bransdorfer ruled that all distribution lines and materials from Rabbi Berland's persecutors are absolute Lashon Hara (slander) and Rechilut (gossip), and they must not be allowed to continue. In his words: "...Therefore, I have come to convey the clear Torah law—that according to Halacha (Jewish law), you are obligated to act and stop the plague by immediately closing and blocking all the lines tainted by the sin of Lashon Hara and Rechilut, etc., and specifically one line called under the guise of 'Kav Breslov'."

We ask each and every person to spread and share these words so that the people of Israel will know what to protest and what to pray for, as Rabbi Kluger shlit"a said: "That they should at least stop persecuting Rabbi Berland for two or three months, so that the people of Israel can rest a little from all the troubles that are befalling us."