Good News and Jews From Gaza!

י"ט לחודש האחד עשר תשע"ד

Arutz 7: Bar Mitzvah: 'I Was a Muslim from Gaza, Now I'm a Jew'
Bar mitzvah for son of Jewish woman tricked into marrying and living with Arab in Gaza, escaped amid escalating abuse.

Ari Yashar, January 15, 2014

An unusual bar mitzvah ceremony was held on Tuesday for the son of a Jewish woman tricked into marrying and living with an Arab man in Gaza for years. The mother and her children recently managed to escape violent abuse and restart their lives as Jews.

Tefillin, which all Jewish men (from age 13) are commanded to don daily,
save for Shabbath and certain festival days.

"I lived for years as a Muslim. Today I stand as a proud Jewish youth," remarked the bar mitzvah boy, referred to as D., at the event. "I won't forget all the days and nights that I knew I was a Jew but lived as a Muslim in Gaza."

The boy lived with his Jewish mother L. and Arab father A. in Gaza with no connection to Judaism until 4 years ago, reports Yisrael Hayom. He comments "I'm realizing a dream thanks to the Yad L'achim organization that brought me to the most moving day in my life."

Yad L'achim, an anti-missionary organization that has saved captive Jewish women on numerous occasions, had been helping L. get back on her feet. (Read the entire article)

Esser Agaroth (2¢):
This story is yet another of countless examples of the amazing and heroic work of Yad leAchim (A Hand To Brothers). As alluded to above, Yad leAchim not only rescues Jewish women and children from abusive, Arab men and their abusive families, but also battles against the cancer of Christian missionary activity in Israel. The organization operates much like Jews For Judaism in English speaking countries, but with the necessary, Israeli touch.

Mazal Tov to D. on the occasion of his becoming bar-misswah, and Kol HaKavod to Yad leAchim for making it all possible.

תלמוד בבלי סנהדרין לז,א
...לפיכך נברא אדם יחידי ללמדך שכל המאבד נפש אחת מישראל מעלה עליו הכתוב כאילו איבד עולם מלא וכל המקיים נפש אחת מישראל מעלה עליו הכתוב כאילו קיים עולם מלא....

BT Sanhedrin 37a
...Therefore, man was created singly, to teach you that whoever causes a single soul from Israel to perish, Scripture considers him as if he had caused an entire world to perish, and whoever preserves a single soul from Israel, Scripture considers him as if he had preserved an entire world....