Dozens of police officers carried out a raid of the Breslov kehilla in the northern town of Yavne’el on Wednesday morning as part of an investigation into suspected illegal marriages of minors.

The raid, carried out in several locations in the community, followed a month-long undercover investigation into what investigators describe as an organized system of underage marriages within the closed community.

The police detained dozens of community members suspected of organizing secret weddings, arranging matches between minors, and conducting marriage ceremonies allegedly performed in violation of the law.

Several minors who are suspected of having married in recent months were also detained for questioning.

Police investigators discovered that the community used various methods to keep the illegal marriages secret, with most of the weddings held in the morning and attended by only a small number of participants. Wedding locales were revealed only shortly before they took place, and photos and videos were banned.

In some cases, following the religious ceremony, a larger public event was held for the community under the guise of an “engagement party.”

As part of the investigation, police officers raided an alleged underage wedding ceremony held in a private home in February after receiving real-time intelligence about the event. During the operation, officers found the couple dressed in wedding attire, and after searching the residence, found a kesuvah, wedding rings, and a ceremonial glass wrapped in aluminum foil hidden inside a cabinet.

Police investigators also obtained court orders allowing them to collect information from hospitals in northern Israel. The investigation uncovered over 20 cases over the past three years in which minors from the community gave birth while officially registered as single in the population registry.

(YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)