Following allegations of sexual misconduct, Berland fled Israel, traveling from country to country to avoid extradition to Israel. He was eventually returned to Israel, where he confessed to having committed rape, [4] and was sentenced to 18 months' incarceration for his sexual attacks on two women, as well as his instructions to assault the husband of one of the women he had sexually assaulted.
Berland was born in Haifa in While a youth, he was recognized as a gifted student. Several women have reported that Berland sexually harassed or raped them. His supporters expressed anger over the report, and the person who leaked the story to the media was later violently attacked.
According to Berland's followers, the accusations were made by relatives of Berland's enemies. After the police opened an investigation, Berland immediately fled Israel, and spent time in the United States, Italy, and Switzerland. He then left for Morocco, settling in Marrakesh. He intended to establish a kehilla in Marrakesh, based on the Shuvu Banim yeshiva, and planned on building a community center, educational institutions, and apartments for his followers.
Thousands of his followers began travelling to Marrakesh to celebrate holidays and commemorate events with him, and some took up residency. According to news reports, a Moroccan newspaper had published an article profiling the rabbi and mentioning the circumstances in which he fled Israel, and the king ordered Berland's expulsion after reading the article.
Berland's followers claimed that the king was merely concerned for their safety, as they were Hasidic Jews living in a Muslim country. He reportedly bought tickets for various destinations to confuse pursuers and in the end chose Zimbabwe. From there, he allegedly took a flight to Johannesburg , South Africa, where he was taken in by a relative. He lived in an upscale hotel room in Bulawayo and led worship services for members of the small Zimbabwean Jewish community in a synagogue in the Bulawayo suburb of Khumalo.
