Disturbing allegations of underage marriages within a Breslover community in the northern town of Yavne’el took center stage Tuesday during a special Knesset hearing, where lawmakers, former community members, social workers, and government officials described what committee members called a deeply entrenched and ongoing crisis.

The hearing was convened by the Knesset Committee for the Advancement of the Status of Women and Gender Equality following mounting accusations that girls as young as 14 and 15 had been pushed into marriage over many years while authorities allegedly failed to intervene.

The Breslov community at the center of the allegations was established in Yavne’el in 1986 and is made up largely of baalei teshuvah. According to testimony presented at the hearing, the community encouraged marriages at extremely young ages, with girls often marrying at 15 or 16 and boys around age 18.

Committee chair Merav Cohen opened the session by saying officials have known about the issue for years but repeatedly failed to stop it.

“This has been in the background for two decades,” Cohen said. “This is a principled debate about minors who are forced into marriage and sexual relationships at a young age. Time and again, the public is shocked, but nothing changes, and the authorities fail to stop a phenomenon that endangers lives.”

Cohen said an investigative team had uncovered “very serious” findings, though the details had not yet been publicly released. She added that lawmakers would demand answers regarding how such practices were allegedly permitted to continue unchecked for so long.

Several former members of the community delivered emotional testimony before the committee, recounting experiences of being married off as teenagers against their wishes.

Sarah Maimoni, a mother of eight and grandmother of five who has publicly campaigned against the alleged marriages in Yavne’el, told lawmakers she herself was married at 15 and became a mother a year later.

“This is how my childhood was taken from me,” she said, alleging that girls as young as 14 continued being pushed into marriage and pregnancy. Maimoni accused welfare authorities of abandoning vulnerable children and called for a joint police-welfare task force to confront what she described as “complete lawlessness” in Yavne’el.

She further claimed that influential figures within the community consolidated power and used it to perpetuate the system, while families who resisted the marriages allegedly faced retaliation and pressure.

Another witness, Ruth Reichman, testified that she was forced into marriage at 16 to a man approximately ten years older than her despite objecting to the arrangement.

“I wanted to study and build a future,” she told the committee. “Instead, I knew I was going to be married off.”

Reichman said she became aware at age 15 that preparations for her marriage were already underway but was instructed to keep the matter secret.

Nachman Boltin, who was raised in the Yavne’el community, told lawmakers he married a 14-and-a-half-year-old girl when he himself was 18, describing a culture where teenagers were heavily encouraged to wed young and taught that such marriages represented the proper path in life.

“We were brainwashed for years that this was the right thing,” he said, adding that many children within the community suffered from severe trauma that was never properly addressed.

Social activist Heidi Mozes shared similar allegations, telling lawmakers she too was married at 16 against her wishes despite repeatedly pleading with relatives not to force the marriage.

“Why wasn’t there an adult there to protect me?” she asked during emotional testimony, while criticizing what she described as insufficient enforcement mechanisms to stop such situations.

Officials from Israel’s welfare agencies and law enforcement also appeared before the committee to address questions surrounding the government’s handling of the allegations.

Ilan Sharif, who heads the cults department at the Ministry of Social Affairs, acknowledged that authorities have long been aware of concerns in Yavne’el and said efforts had recently been made to strengthen local welfare services and improve coordination between agencies.

“This situation is horrific, and we are not minimizing it,” Sharif said, noting that staffing levels in the local welfare department had been increased and that a formal report on the issue was nearing completion.

Deputy Police Chief Avi Ayish said police investigated several incidents involving suspected underage marriages but noted that prosecutions are often difficult because ceremonies are sometimes presented publicly as “introduction parties” rather than formal weddings.

Welfare official Ami Romano said social workers had intervened in cases involving minors dressed for wedding ceremonies but emphasized that ultimate enforcement authority rests with police and prosecutors.

Batya Menachem, a social worker in the area, testified that authorities often receive reports only after ceremonies have already taken place, making meaningful intervention extremely difficult.

Representatives from the Knesset Research and Information Center presented statistics showing that between 2023 and 2025 authorities received 321 reports involving underage marriages conducted without legal authorization, yet only four indictments were ultimately filed.

The Health Ministry informed lawmakers that current Israeli law does not require mandatory reporting of pregnancies involving girls over age 16, suggesting that legislative changes may need to be considered.

The hearing intensified growing calls for tougher enforcement measures and new legislation amid accusations that underage marriages in Yavne’el continued for years despite repeated warnings from survivors, activists, and social service professionals.

{Matzav.com}