Police raid Jerusalem seminary over series of alleged crimes
Administration at Be'er Miryam accused of failure to meet basic health and safety standards; principal arrested
Jerusalem police officers raided the Be’er Miryam seminary for girls in the neighborhood of Sanhedria on Sunday and arrested six women as part of an integrated operation to investigate suspected illegal activity at the institution.
The school’s principal, Rabbi Aharon Ramati, was not on seminary grounds during the raid but was later arrested by police as well.
In recent months, members of the administration at the seminary have been investigated for a series of alleged criminal offenses, including violations relating to health and safety regulations, as well as suspected cases of money laundering and a general failure to meet official Education Ministry requirements.
During Sunday’s raid, it was revealed that the institution had set up a pirated gas connection, leading the authorities to immediately cut off the supply of gas to the seminary.
Aside from the alleged crimes committed by the administration at the seminary, Ramati has also been accused by parents of the institution’s attendees of attempting to establish a cult.
Last month, a demonstration against Ramati was held in the capital, with protesters demanding that police intervene in order to halt his activities at the seminary.