"They gave a pill, maybe it's poison, they want to kill me"

The Tel Aviv Magistrates Court today ordered to send to involuntary treatment Yehuda Aryeh Leib Pilz, an avreich, resident of Modiin Illit – who allegedly assaulted R' Aharon Leib Steinman - until next Monday.

After his arrest on Wednesday of last week, judge Shmuel Melamed ordered to send him to the Abarbanel psychiatric hospital for a checkup. The District Psychiatrist prepared an initial opinion in the case. On Thursday, the suspect was brought to court again, and a police representative said that six people were present during the event, and five of them have yet to be questioned, and that he believes on Sunday afternoon an indictment will be filed against the suspect.

The suspect's lawyer, attorney Azriel Shaul Karvatsov, said then: "The suspect has been treated for mental health up to age 18 and since then he did not receive care, as I understand the family. The attending physician is not alive. What happened with the rabbi is the result of a mental condition."

The judge then ordered the Bureau of Prisons to transfer the suspect to the Abarbanel hospital, given the fact that "the suspect is in an acute psychotic behavior accompanied by dangerous behavior towards others. The uspect is in a state of non-judgment."

As mentioned, today Yehuda Pilz was brought to court for the third time and the judge decided to extend the detention until next Monday, 1st Kislev. An indictment was filed against the suspect, charging him with the offenses of assaulting a respected Rav in his community and trespassing.

"He is an avreich with no criminal record"

The suspect's lawyer, attorney Azriel Shaul Karbatsov, told the hearing that his client was about 30, and his wife is supposed to give birth in a week.

"He is a kollel avreich with no criminal record, only occasional crimes of violence or assault. Rabbi Aharon Leib Steinman is Gadol Hador of Ashkenazi Jews so his house is a open house to the public every day, hundreds of people arrive every day to ask for advice and blessings. Regarding what is written in the indictment that this is trespassing – the home is an open house.

"There is a state of mind known in the past, we did not know there was an aggravation. He came to receive advice from the Rav at dawn, he visits the home of Rabbi Steinman. Due to the state of mind he received an 'enlightenment' that Rabbi Steinman is the Mashiach ben David and the respondent is Mashiach ben Yosef and it is his capacity to discover the Mashiach therefore he grabbed Rabbi Steinman and shook him."

His lawyer went on to say: "Even if we say something like that that he is against Harav Steinman, the intention is Mashiach ben David. This is the event. He has an involuntary commitment under law which is unrelated to criminal law. Why can one not differentiate between the two things? They should continue to hospitalize him until he is stabilized and then determine whether he is fit to stand trial."

"I do not believe anybody there at all"

The suspect, Yehuda Aryeh Leib Pilz, began to speak and said: "They took me into a mental hospital, where people attacked me with drawn guns. If I deserve it, it should be an atonement, I do not think a man should be murdered because he attacked a Rav. Whether the State of Israel does not identify with this ruling. I do not believe any human being."

The suspect said: "They wanted to give me a pill, it might poison me, why should I believe? They told me here I'm flying to a spacecraft. They ant to kill me there. You want me to die? I do not believe anybody there at all. Okay I will die."

His lawyer repeated his request and said that the respondent is in a psychotic fit, and based on the application he sought to arrest him until the end of proceedings.

Judge Yuval Gazit summarized the discussion and said, "An indictment was filed against the respondent, charging him with the offenses of assaulting a respected Rav in his community and trespassing. I reviewed the initial psychiatric examination held for the respondent and the forced treatment orders given by the Deputy Regional District Psychiatrist.

"The documents and the direct impression of the respondent indicate that there is a need for observation and providing psychiatric evaluation. Consequently, and in light of the medical material presented before me, I order the remand of the respondent until another decision provided by the outpatient psychiatric hospital Abarbanel. The Psychiatrist District will use judgment and decide whether to transfer him to the mental hospital in Be'er Yaakov, in order to perform psychiatric observation and giving an opinion regarding whether the respondent is fit to stand trial and whether he was responsible for his actions at the time of the offenses attributed to him."

"The District Psychiatrist may order to transfer the defendant to detention, after the test, if the conclusion will be that he does not need further hospitalization."

'בחדרי' גם ברשתות החברתיות - הצטרפו!