Itongadol/AJN.- Bar mitzvah for son of Jewish woman tricked into marrying and living with Arab in Gaza, escaped amid escalating abuse.
An unusual bar mitzvah ceremony was held on Tuesday for the son of a Jewish woman tricked into marrying and living with an Arab man in Gaza for years. The mother and her children recently managed to escape violent abuse and restart their lives as Jews.
"I lived for years as a Muslim. Today I stand as a proud Jewish youth," remarked the bar mitzvah boy, referred to as D., at the event. "I won\’t forget all the days and nights that I knew I was a Jew but lived as a Muslim in Gaza."
The boy lived with his Jewish mother L. and Arab father A. in Gaza with no connection to Judaism until 4 years ago, reports Yisrael Hayom. He comments "I\’m realizing a dream thanks to the Yad L\’achim organization that brought me to the most moving day in my life."
Yad L\’achim, an anti-missionary organization that has saved captive Jewish women on numerous occasions, had been helping L. get back on her feet.
L. immigrated to Israel from the Muslim country of Uzbekistan at the age of 14, settling in Ofakim between Be\’er Sheva and Gaza. At 16 she went to work at a local packing facility to support her family, where she met 17-year-old A. from Gaza, who was working there illegally and hiding his origins.
Despite warnings from those around her and her mother\’s opposition, the girl was tricked into marrying A. a year later, as he bought her gifts and promised her that his family owned land and factories.
"He promised me that he loved me and I was happy," recalls L. "What else does a girl need at that age? He sold me tons of lies, and I believed every word of his."
A month later she conceived her first son. In the third month of pregnancy, A. revealed to her that he was an Arab from Gaza, that his parents were poor, and that his family of 20 lived in two rooms, sleeping on the floor.