fundamentals of our religion. We must uproot and remove this heresy from within us." Fraud sentence In February 2020, Berland was arrested for fraud after hundreds of people filed police complaints alleging that he had sold prayers and pills to desperate members of his community, promised to cure disabilities, and promised the family members of imprisoned people that their relatives would be freed soon. During the arrest raid, police seized dozens of boxes of powders and pills which he had marketed as "wonder drugs." Laboratory tests revealed them to be over-the-counter pain medication and candy. June 2021, Berland was sentenced to 18 months in prison after pleading guilty to fraud in a plea bargain. The sentence included time served; he had spent a year in detention prior to being released to house arrest in February 2021. As he entered prison, a group of his supporters held a demonstration nearby. References External links Shuvu Bonim Yeshiva website Shuvu Banim International website 1937 births Living people Breslov rabbis 20th-century Israeli rabbis 21st-century Israeli rabbis Hasidic rosh yeshivas Israeli Hasidic rabbis Ponevezh Yeshiva alumni People from Haifa Orthodox Jewish outreach People extradited to Israel Rabbis convicted of crimes Jewish cults