Seminary
in Sanhedria raided and Rabbi Aharon Ramati arrested amid media storm;
since 2014, parents have said he is running a 'cult.'
Be'er Miriam, Sanhedria
Earlier Sunday, the Israel Police raided the Be'er Miriam seminary in Sanhedria following a media storm over the allegations. The raid is being conducted as part of criminal investigation into its director, Rabbi Aharon Ramati, a social worker involved in the case said.
The raid team included investigators from the Jerusalem District Police's fraud unit, its leader, Superintendent Isaac Simon, as well as a team of social workers.
The team was accompanied by representatives of all the emergency agencies including the Fire Department, the Gas Authority, representatives of the Jerusalem income tax depot, the Social Security, the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Social Affairs, the collection enforcement authority at the Justice Ministry, and municipal officials. Each of the representatives conducted their own investigation of the premises during the raid.
The Gas Authority has determined that the seminary's gas connection is pirated; gas has been shut off for the building and for several nearby buildings for security reasons as the investigation continues.
Fraud investigators seized evidence upon entering the premises and have questioned six of the women involved so far, they said.
In May 2014, Ramati was asked to leave Jerusalem within 30 days after the allegations first surfaced. Ramati never left, however, and there has been little police involvement in the case until now.
Tensions have mounted over the intervening months - so much so that concerned parents staged a protest in April.
The seminary has no connection to the similarly-named Ba'er Miriam Seminary in Har Nof, which is a one-year program for English-speaking students.
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/194901#.VUZOyfBinzL