Tinomuda Chakanyuka Sunday News Reporter
ANOTHER Israeli national, believed to be one of the millionaire rabbi Eliezer Berland’s students was on Friday deported by immigration officials for breaching his visa conditions, it has been established.The 61-year-old Gvirt Rafael Amir was deported for overstaying in the country by Bulawayo magistrate Mr Tinaye Tashaya, just days after controversial rabbi Berland was also deported from Zimbabwe for the same offence.
Amir, who was part of rabbi Berland’s followers who were in the country for the past month, was found guilty of contravening section 29 (1) (b) of the Immigration Act Chapter 4:02.
He was asked to pay $100 fine or one month imprisonment, and was ordered to leave the country immediately.
Sunday News gathered that Amir left the country on Friday afternoon for Johannesburg, South Africa, via a South African Airways en route to Tel Aviv, Israel.
He was lucky to escape a custodial sentence after Mr Tashaya took into consideration his mitigation.
In passing sentence Mr Tashaya said: “This court finds you guilty as charged and you must pay a fine of $100 or one month imprisonment.
“The court looked at your mitigation, that you are married with 16 children in Israel. You are a student, you remained in Zimbabwe because you did not check the number of days you were given, you don’t understand English and that you are willing to be deported to Israel immediately,” he said.
For the State, Mr Carlington Dhliwayo told the court that Amir entered the country on the 12th of March through Victoria Falls and was issued with a seven-day single entry visa which expired on 19 March.
At the expiry of his days, he did not go to the department of immigration to extend the days but rather remained in the country.
The court further heard that Amir was arrested on 8 April by Immigration officers at Joshua Mqabuko Nkomo Airport as he tried to make his way out of the country.
Dozens of Israeli nationals flooded Bulawayo in the past month, booked at various lodges around the city, as they sought to be close to their leader, rabbi Berland who is believed to have been in hiding in the country after fleeing sex abuse charges in Israel.
The 77-year-old cleric came into the country sometime in December last year and was given a three-month visa for “religious tourism” which expired on 24 March but continued to stay in the country.
He was arrested on Monday last week at Holiday Inn in Ascot after Sunday News blew his cover.
Rabbi Berland was on Wednesday last week fined $200 by Bulawayo magistrate Ms Sibongile Msipa and was ordered to leave the country immediately.
The controversial cleric left the country on Wednesday and was accompanied by one of his followers, Yaron Yamim, who is also believed to be behind the rabbi’s visit to the country. Following his arrest and deportation, dozens of his followers also left the country in a huff before the Jewish Passover which they were meant to commemorate in Zimbabwe.
Berland, who heads one of the largest Jewish educational institutions, fled Israel after police opened an investigation into his sex scandals.
After fleeing his home country, the cleric is believed to have spent time in the United States, Italy and Switzerland before settling in Morocco.
In November 2013, Berland and his students were ordered to leave Morocco after King Mohammed VI personally ordered their expulsion from the country after a Moroccan newspaper published an article profiling the rabbi and mentioning the circumstances under which he fled Israel. He then fled to Zimbabwe, where he settled under the guise of religious tourism before his cover was blown last week.