A Story of Courage, Loss and Redemption
It isn’t every day that family and friends gather to celebrate a bris that stirs such mixed emotions: joy at what is and horror at what once was • Full Story
The story begins many years ago when a Jewish girl was forced to marry an Arab. The suffering she endured was indescribable, culminating in her murder. Compounding the tragedy, the eldest of her two teen sons was murdered by a clan member who decided that “he looked too much like his Jewish mother”.
The only survivor was the second son, M. At 16, he decided to sever ties with his father and search out his true identity as a Jew. He escaped the village and found his way to Yad L’Achim, where he was warmly embraced by a professional team that included social workers and lawyers.
The team accompanied him every step of the way through his rehabilitation and went to court to ensure that no harm would come to him at the hands of his violent Arab family.
It’s been 10 years since M.’s daring escape and his spiritual adoption by Yad L’Achim. He is married to a Jewish woman who bore him three children; two of whom were named after his mother and brother. Last week, the fourth, a son, was born and brought into the covenant of Avraham Avinu.
M. insisted on honoring two dedicated Yad L’Achim activists who were instrumental in his rehabilitation: Harav Yoav Robinson, as sandak, and Harav Chaim Kahn with recitation of the brachos.
“From my perspective,” M. told guests at the seudas bris, “I have no physical family members. Yad L’Achim is my family. They are the loyal partners who accompany me every step of my life. They took me in when I was lost and forsaken, and paved the way for my return to Judaism. They arranged my shidduch and continue to be at my side till this day.”
Quoting Rachel Imeinu on the birth of her fourth son, he said: “This time I will thank Hashem… When I remember everything I went through in my youth, I thank Hashem for all the good that He has bestowed upon me and for the good neshamos at Yad L’Achim, without whom I would not be here today. I have no doubt that my mother and brother, may G-d avenge their blood, are now at peace in Shamayim as they see the third generation being raised as Jews.”
Harav Shmuel Lipshitz, one of the leaders of Yad L’Achim, summed up the meaning of the moving event: “This bris and the incredible story behind it illustrate what we have always believed in: That we must not give up on any Jew.
“Even when such a difficult case comes to our attention, we do everything to, with G-d’s help, save a single Jewish soul which has turned into a glorious family that will be a source of pride throughout the generations.”
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