A special operation of the Yad L’Achim organization ended successfully last week, with the rescue of a Jewish mother and her three children from the Arab man she had been tricked into marrying.

The Jewish woman, identified only as A., met and was deceived into marrying a young Arab working illegally in sovereign Israeli territory a full 15 years ago.

Every time the Arab man was arrested for his illegal entry to sovereign Israel, they moved in with his family in an Arab village in Samaria controlled by the Palestinian Authority (PA). Ten years ago their first child was born, followed by two more.

The Arab husband had promised A. that they would live a charmed life together, but those deceptive vows turned out to be a bitter joke. For months he would disappear and leave her locked in the house, and when he returned home he would beat her.

Several months ago as she crossed a security checkpoint in Samaria, A. was questioned by an IDF soldier who noticed the Jewish name on her teudat zehut (ID card).

The female soldier asked if she was happy with her life, at which point A. broke down and confessed she was miserable but did not know how to save herself and her children. She begged the soldier to help her, and gave her her phone number.

The soldier contacted Yad L’Achim, which lost no time in reaching out to the suffering Jewish woman, having one of its social workers call her. A. told her about how she suffered at the hands of her husband and his family, who berated her as the “unsuccessful Jews” they were stuck with.

She described how her home with the Arab man and his family was in awful conditions, with scorpions and snakes freely wandering through the house. A. added that she felt her life was in immediate danger, as her identity as a Jew was becoming known among residents of the Arab village.

Last week Yad L’Achim acted, having A. take her children and cross into sovereign Israeli territory from Samaria, where she was met by a Yad L’Achim rescue team. They took her to a police station to file a complaint against her Arab husband for severe domestic violence.

The team then brought her to a secret safe house, where a hot meal was waiting for her and her children.

The abusive Arab husband for his part went to the police station to report that his wife and children had disappeared.

At the station the police officer who took his details was surprised to see he was wanted for questioning on charges of domestic abuse, and promptly arrested him – the court has since extended his arrest.

A.’s children are now just starting to learn about Judaism and their heritage as members of the Jewish people, aided by professional mentors provided by Yad L’Achim. It is hoped that A. will be able to integrate into the Israeli job market and start a new life.