One day after a court in Japan found a young hareidi-religious Israeli man innocent of smuggling drugs, the hareidi news outlet Kikar Shabbat has revealed the secret visit to Bnei Brak that made the verdict possible.
Over recent months, leaders in the hareidi community brought the Japanese legal team to Israel to see the community where the young man in question grew up and lived. After seeing the community, where exposure to secular culture and norms is avoided, the Japanese team was convinced that young Yoel Zev Goldstein was telling the truth when he said that he was unaware of the issue of drug smuggling.
Goldstein and two others were arrested for attempting to bring illegal drugs into Japan. The three, all young hareidi men, say they had no idea the drugs were in their bags and thought they were merely carrying a package for a friend – a practice they did not realize was dangerous.