An eighteen year old girl was tackled by two Arab men in a city in Northern Israel and shoved into the back seat of a car when walking home from her Sherut Leumi yesterday afternoon. Forced to keep her head down, all she could see were the feet of another girl in the seat next to her. The girl managed to escape from a gas station after she complained hysterically to use the bathroom.
The girl identified the Arab men as her abusive “ex-boyfriend” and his friends from her home-town in the South. She was recently rescued, by Learn and Live (also known as Learn and Return), an organization dedicated to preventing the exploitation of Jewish girls in Israel, from the relationship that started out with gifts and compliments and quickly turned into two years of life threatening abuse and rape. At the time of the abduction, she was residing in a safe house for abused teens that is operated by the organization.
“We see this all the time,” says Learn and Live field investigator Shlomo Cohen. “The girls live in constant threat and fear, even after we rescue them and bring them to a safe place; their lives are forever in danger.” In most cases, notifying the police is perceived by the abused girls as a greater risk to themselves than to the Arab man, who often threatens a life of torment and abuse for the girl and her family should she reveal his crime.
Earlier this month, the abducted girl was targeted by this particular Arab man for the first time since being rescued four months ago. The first abduction resulted in a group, an incident she reluctantly revealed to Learn and Live staff only after yesterday’s horrifying case.
“Teen girls can be easily intimidated. It is traumatic for any girl, and all the more so when she is threatened that her younger sister will be attacked. In cases like these, the unfortunate and frightening reality more often than not is that the Arab men continue to walk free and repeat their crimes,” explains Patty Kupfer, Director of Learn and Live. “In many cases, our first priority is to get her to a safe house, and then to convince her to report to the police.”
Recent reports of the Knesset Committeeof the Rights of the Child indicate that the government is aware of this rapidly developing trend, but government-run shelters are full to capacity, leaving private institutions struggling to fill the void. “There is a great need for more shelters; it’s a crime that these girls are being abused because they don’t have a safe place to go,” says Kupfer.”Can you imagine rescuing a girl and having nowhere safe to put her? Something needs to change.”
Contact information: Learn and Live www.learnandlive.org.il.
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12 Responses
This does not sound like a frum girl, though perhaps she will do tseuvah.
Many religious girls especially those who live in mixed cities or near Arab villages (nvei Yaakov, nazarath, beer sheva, tzefat, gilo, etc.)are exposed too often to young men……who they do not realize till too late are from Arab lineage.
For instance, one of the major supermarkets in HarNof were hiring Arab workers who were socializing with frum girls without them being aware that they were talking to ARABS. Israeli Arabs speak an excellent ivrit and many Sefardic girls still speak Arabic at home with elderly grandparents. This is a major issue and Yad L’Achim are willing and wanting to educate the girls (even in Bet yakovs)of the dangers in the streets.
Maybe akuperma will do teshuva for casting aspersions on the character of a bat yisrael – a daughter of the King of kings. You should be shaking in your boots and begging HKB”H’s forgiveness right now if you have any yirat shamayim.
May Hashem have mercy on his sons and daughters and deliver us NOW from all the evil which lurks and preys upon am yisrael.
#3- read the article closely – the girl in question was escaping from her “ex-boyfriend.” A Bas Yisrael does not have to worry about abusive non-Jewish boyfriends. The correct reading from the article is that this was an off the derekh (if she was ever on it, I’ll be dan le kaf zechus and assume she was raised secular) whose secularity got her in trouble – as frequently happens to Jews who reject frumkeit.
Kidnapping your ex-girlfriend is a totally different matter than grabbing a sem girl off the street. The headline suggests the former (which if it occured would be a very serious matter), the latter is just another inevitable result of Jews not following Torah.
“Liberalism is a mental disease!”
When will the secular fools who rule Israel realize that the Torah was right:
“Don’t leave gentiles in the land of Israel, because they will cause you to sin against me.”–So said G-D in the Torah.
Why are these secular fools populating the Holy Land with idol worshipers from all over the world? Why are they encouraging fraternization with Arab students in Israel’s Hebrew University?
Sheer insanity…and a terrible tragedy.
She was dating an Arab–are there many frum girls who do that? She sounds like an OTD girl, which is why he was praying for her to come back.
#3, I agree with you 100%. And, BTW, if she was not frum and will never do Teshuvah, then it’s ok for her to be abused?
Does it really matter if she isn’t religious?
Yet another unique gift of Zionism.
Only in Israel…
Number 7 it is not okay for her or anybody to be abused; but the secular way of life in Israel leaves this poor uneducate [not in math and science]girl at the hands of these donkeys. This is what ben Gurion wanted to be like any other nation. If you are secular and he is secular what wrong. Why be only with Jews.
Sorry so many of you are off base 100%.
Went to a Lev Achim melave malkah with girls who escaped or were rescued from Arab villages (some want to return to the abusive, sick husbands also)….there were 2 beis yakov girls from Kiryat Sefer, 2 ex bet yakov yashun graduates and others. The allure of gifts, love, admiration and especially attention from males (not knowing they are ARABS to start) fills a huge void in these girls’ hearts. Has nothing to do with Ben Gurion, secular Israel or zionism it is dysfunctional families, lack of parenting, poverty, huge families, etc. Find out the facts and then write!!!!
If there s any doubt about the pernicious attitude espoused by some holier than thou posters (I will not stoop so low as ro call them chareidim) all you hae to read apukerma and his ilk’s postings. I would not want to e in your “daled amos” when you confront your Maker. You should go to bais hamedrash and fall to your knees before the aron kodesh and ask for mechillah for your horrid sins of “sinas yisroel”