A pattern across the decades: a Bnei Baruch timeline, 2012–2025
Where you are in the dossier: Documents and appendices Source document
This timeline proves nothing new. It just lays out, year by year, what the dossier already documents — so the continuity comes into view, rather than a single isolated episode. The colour and label on each entry mark its evidence level: document, testimony, suspicion or editorial conclusion — exactly as set out on the methodology page.
The events, year by year
- 2012
In December, Aharon Appelbaum sent a letter to the Ministry of Education calling "Kabbalah la-Am" a cult. That single letter set the whole later run of lawsuits in motion.
to the movement's legal machine → - 2013
The association filed its first defamation suit — against Appelbaum himself.
to the movement's legal machine → - 2014
The "K." episode: a public account of an attempted sexual assault. Milwidsky flatly denied the accusation.
to the complaints against Milwidsky → - 2015
A suit against the website "The Seventh Eye" and the journalist behind its investigations of the movement.
to the movement's legal machine → - 2016
By David Sakiyan's account, Milwidsky kept his then-wife from submitting an affidavit in which she attributed a sexual assault to Laitman.
to the silenced testimonies → - 2017
After Army Radio (Galatz) and Kan 11 investigated a "closed cult", the suits turned on the broadcasters themselves — Army Radio and the public broadcaster Kan — and on Megiddo as well; in parallel ran a 3 million ₪ claim against the victims' assistance center, Appelbaum, and related defendants.
to the movement's legal machine → - 2018
A November claim of 600,000 ₪ against Megiddo over two tweets from October 2018 — already the third case against him since 2017.
to the movement's legal machine → - 2018–19
On the suspicion under investigation, Milwidsky coached A. ahead of the hearing — to deny any tie to Laitman. In 2019 she was brought to Israel, and in court she did deny it.
to the Olesya / A. story → - 2019
In August the Jerusalem Magistrate's Court dismissed Bnei Baruch's roughly 415,000 ₪ suit against Didi Remez, Guy Bahar and Dalia Aloni — technical and communications figures around the Google ads linked to the assistance center and Appelbaum; the association was ordered to pay 130,000 ₪ in costs.
to the movement's legal machine → - 2021
The public broadcaster pulled two Kan investigations into Bnei Baruch — under a confidential settlement.
to the movement's legal machine → - 2022
The LAHAV 433 investigation opened; Milwidsky took his seat in the Knesset (November); News 12 published A.'s testimony.
to the investigation of the movement's counsel → - 2022
On September 5 Bnei Baruch filed a 2.87 million ₪ defamation suit in Lod District Court against Benjamin "Boka" Rafaeli, Laitman's former security chief, after his News 12 interview; it did not sue A., Omri Maniv, or News 12.
to the Olesya / A. story → - 2023
On March 2 the Bat Yam Magistrate's Court dismissed the suit by Milwidsky and Bnei Baruch against Megiddo: abuse of process, forum shopping, and the marks of a SLAPP.
to the movement's legal machine → - 2024
On January 18 the Tel Aviv District Court rejected the appeal. The tally: four suits had demanded roughly 2 million ₪, Megiddo paid nothing, and Bnei Baruch paid him about 70,000 ₪ in costs — after more than five years of pursuit.
to the movement's legal machine → - 2024
Over the summer a LAHAV 433 delegation took A.'s testimony; the meeting was formally recorded.
to the Olesya / A. story → - 2025
In July, Milwidsky was questioned under warning at LAHAV 433 — on suspicion of rape, inducement to give false testimony, and indecent acts — on the eve of his appointment as chair of the Finance Committee.
to the questioning under warning → - 2025
The reverse side: in November a court found the 2012 letter (the word "cult") to be defamation — 168,000 ₪ in damages and an apology in Israel Hayom. In a legal fight the word "cult" needs an evidentiary footing, not a general impression.
to the legal caveat → - the takeaway
Thirteen years, the same mechanisms again and again: suits against critics, blocked testimony, protection through politics. This is a design, not a coincidence.
how it adds up to a pattern →