The father who managed to prevent his minor daughter's wedding in Yavne'el: "A cult in every sense"

The affair of underage marriages in the local council of Yavne'el continues. Yossi, the father of a 15-year-old girl, discovered an intention to marry off his daughter without his knowledge or consent. In an interview with the program "HaOlam HaBoker" ("The World This Morning"), he described the moment when he found out about it by complete coincidence:

"I found out about it by chance, through my uncle who said to me, 'Did you hear that they want to marry off your daughter?', and I said to him, 'No'."

Behind the attempt lies a story of a painful detachment from his children. After Yossi divorced, his ex-wife and her new husband moved to Yavne'el, and since then the contact with him was cut off unilaterally. Yossi believes that his ex-wife also fell victim to the same closed community, which he described:

"It is a cult in every sense. The meaning is a disconnect from the family, a disconnect from friends, and the imposition of very severe sanctions on those who are not from their stream."

Following the discovery, a decisive preventive action by law enforcement authorities thwarted the planned wedding. Israel Police forces raided the cult's compound in Yavne'el, and during the operation, several suspects were arrested. Conclusive evidence was found at the scene that dispelled any doubt regarding the intentions of the community members: among the items seized were a wedding dress, an engagement ring, and a "Ketubah document" prepared in advance for the girl.

Israel Police response:

"Every complaint or information regarding underage marriages is handled thoroughly by the police. During the last few months, as well as at the beginning of this current week, the police handled a number of cases in which a suspicion of underage marriage arose, in the framework of which dozens of suspects were detained and questioned, and the investigation into their matters is still ongoing."

Ministry of Welfare response:

"From the moment that inquiries were received at the ministry on this subject, professional staff worked with the family in cooperation with all relevant parties in order to ensure the protection of the minor in accordance with their authorities under the law. Due to the duty of confidentiality and privacy, we will not be able to detail beyond this."