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One organization says at least 10,000 Jewish girls are currently stuck in abusive marriages to Arab Muslim men
- 05 July 2020
- 12:19 pm
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- 05 July 2020
- 12:19 pm
“Maya” aka “Daughter of Hamas” gives over a Zoom talk about her life story | Photo: Doron Berger (Zoom)
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She is known as the Jewish Daughter of Hamas.
The woman, who simply goes by “Maya”, has a harrowing tale about life as the daughter of a Muslim Sheikh with Hamas roots and a Jewish mother.
Maya recently recounted her story to 150 captivated participants at an online event hosted by Montreal’s Chabad Of The Town and Yad L’Achim, an organization that rescues Jewish women and children from abusive Islamic fundamentalist relationships, in Israel and the Palestinian-controlled areas.
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Maya first elaborated upon her mother’s experience as an impressionable 14-year-old from a broken home. Charmed by an Arab Israeli, she quickly fell in love and moved to his village. Shortly after their marriage, the man became abusive, and Maya’s mother turned to drugs. After the birth of a son, she managed to escape with him, only to be denied help from her family who refused to accept her “Arab child.”
With no choice but to live on the streets, Maya’s mother lost her son to the foster system. Eventually, she met Maya’s father, an Arab man from “a good, loving family.” Initially, he treated her mother very well, only to revert to the same abusive behaviour as her first husband.
“He is a very religious man – they call him a Sheikh and he has Hamas connections,” said Maya of her father, who also holds a prominent position at a Temple Mount mosque.
When Maya was three, her father disowned her mother, fearing she would negatively influence her. After some effort, her mother managed to register Maya in Israeli foster care.
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Tragically, Maya’s roots came back to haunt her. She was treated terribly in foster care and Israeli schools and ultimately returned to her father’s house. The Sheikh welcomed her with open arms, asking only that she “learn the Quran well.”
At 15, Maya was married off to a 22-year-old villager. Initially a gentleman, he too became terribly abusive when she was pregnant with her first child – beating her one night, and leaving her nearly dead with broken bones.
“My crime was going to my husband’s cousin’s home to inquire about his whereabouts,” she said. “It is contrary to Islamic customs for a woman to venture out alone at night.”
Israeli organization Yad L’achim aims to rescue Jewish girls in similar, if not the same, situations as Maya | Photo: Yad L’achim
Thanks to a compassionate uncle who helped her to escape on a trip to Jerusalem, Maya successfully broke free of her tormentor. After months of homelessness (her mother refused to take her in for fear of reprisal), she eventually agreed to help from social workers.
“With the inspiration of a religious neighbour at [my] homeless shelter, I visited the Kotel and was inspired to fully embrace my Jewish side,” she said.
Today Maya is happily married to a Hasidic man with whom she is raising a beautiful family. Her life’s mission is to rescue Jewish girls like her; girls who are suffering in Arab villages. Maya’s commitment to the cause has led her to address girls directly, in private.
Heartbreakingly, Maya’s story is far from unique. Yad L’Achim estimates that at least 10,000 Jewish girls are currently stuck in abusive marriages to Arab Muslim men in Israel and the Palestinian-controlled areas.
The organization aims to rescue all of them. Often, it is the women themselves who reach out to Yad L’Achim for help. Other times, desperate Jewish families communicate with Yad L’Achim for assistance with bringing their daughters back home.
Never has Jeremiah’s prophecy of, “And The Children Will Return To Their Borders” (31:16) held greater meaning.
Doron Berger is a finance professional, a Toronto ex-pat now living in the US. He was a former reporter for Afterword newspaper for five years, and was a feature writer for LandmarkReport.com, an online news site.
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Thank you for choosing TheJ.Ca as your source for Canadian Jewish News.
We do news differently!
Our positioning as a Zionist News Media platform sets us apart from the rest. While other Canadian Jewish media are advocating increasingly biased progressive political and social agendas, TheJ.Ca is providing more and more readers with a welcome alternative and an ideological home.
We revealed the incursion of anti-Israel progressive elements such as IfNotNow into our communities. We have exposed the distorted hateful agenda of the “progressive” left political radicals who brought Linda Sarsour to our cities, and we were first to report on many disturbing incidents of Nazi-based hate towards Jews across Canada.
But we can’t do it alone. We need your HELP!
Our ability to thrive and grow in 2020 and beyond depends on the generosity of committed readers and supporters like you.
Monthly support is a great way to help us sustain our operations. We greatly appreciate any contributions you can make to support Jewish Journalism.
We thank you for your ongoing support.
Happy reading!
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