Jewish Mother Released from Prison, Son Sent to Non-Jewish Father

A tragic story spanning decades struggles to reach its conclusion. It concerns a 17-year-old ultra-Orthodox boy, son of a Christian father and a Jewish mother, which the authorities in Israel are committed to handing over to his Christian father in Belgium.

The Jewish-Belgian newspaper 'Regards' reported that the ultra-Orthodox boy will be transferred to the custody of his Christian father. This is part of an agreement that shortened the mother's sentence and canceled the legal proceedings against her accomplices in hiding the boy.

The sad story begins about twenty years ago. An Israeli journalist working in Belgium met a young Christian man. They got married and had a son. When the son turned three, the mother decided to return to her Jewish roots.

The couple began to struggle over where and how the child would grow up, with the Belgian court ruling that the child would go to the father's custody. The mother refused to accept the decision and abducted her son to Israel, where they lived at her parents' home in the south of the country.

After a lengthy legal process in Israel, the mother was convicted of kidnapping the child. She was sentenced to five years in prison and was required to return the child to his father.

However, during this time the child went missing, and the mother claimed she did not know where he was. The Israeli police and Interpol were involved in the investigation, and at one point even thought the child had been smuggled to Alaska or Hawaii – which was not the case at all. During this time, the child was hiding in an ultra-Orthodox community in Jerusalem.

Recently, there was a turn of events when the authorities in Israel agreed to shorten the mother's prison sentence by two years, and in return the son was to appear at a police station on a set date. The mother was released a few days ago, and the son, now 17, indeed showed up and informed the authorities he does not want to return to Belgium. According to the Hague Convention, a child who was abducted cannot be forced to return to either parent after the age of 16.

Despite the boy's refusal, it turns out that the deal in which the mother was released included handing over the son to Belgium. Although he is considered an adult by law and has the option to declare that he does not wish to live with his Christian father, he is still required to reside in Belgium.

Captives – Department for Preventing Intermarriage, for inquiries and reports: Tel 073-2221333 or 052-9551591. Emailkalina@htv.co.il