JERUSALEM (VINnews) — After a marriage to a resident of a village near Hebron that was marked by severe abuse, Michal managed to break free from the relationship and rebuild her life. This week, after strengthening her Jewish faith with the help of the Yad L’Achim organization, she married a combat veteran suffering from PTSD following his service in Gaza, in an emotional wedding held according to Jewish law.

The wedding was attended by Michal’s family, who stood by her throughout her difficult journey, as well as her three children, who also returned to Judaism, along with other relatives and guests.

Michal, a pseudonym, was just 17 when her story began. Young and insecure, she met an older man from the Hebron area at her workplace. Over time, he showered her with compliments and encouragement, focusing on the very vulnerabilities that made her susceptible to his attention. Their relationship quickly intensified.

He eventually persuaded her to convert to Islam. She left her family home and abandoned her plans to enlist in the IDF, convinced that she had found the right path for herself.

The relationship ultimately led to marriage, and the couple had two children. But almost immediately after the wedding, the reality she faced changed dramatically. The courtship and affection were replaced by control, restrictions and violence.

According to Michal, the abuse she experienced was physical, psychological, verbal and financial. On one occasion, when she attempted to leave, she said her husband threatened her in graphic detail, describing how he would kill her and dispose of her body. The threats left her feeling that escape was impossible. In another incident, Michal said that when their son was only a few weeks old, her husband assaulted the infant and slammed him onto the floor. She described the incident as another devastating breaking point.

Over the years, Michal repeatedly tried to escape the life she had found herself trapped in. But fear and threats repeatedly drove her back. She also said that her husband attempted to further draw her into Islam, including by reading verses from the Quran to her.

Throughout the years, Michal was assisted by Yad L’Achim, which helped her and her children through the difficult process of breaking away from the relationship.

In an interview she gave previously, Michal said the organization’s representatives continued to support her even after she returned to the relationship she had been trying to escape. She said they did not judge her for returning. According to Michal, the organization helped provide housing, financial assistance and emotional support. Her children have also continued to receive guidance and mentoring.

“My relationship with Yad L’Achim, I credit them for the place where I am today,” Michal said. “Without Yad L’Achim, I’m not sure I would have managed to do it.”

Escaping the abusive relationship, however, was not the end of Michal’s journey. It was the beginning of a completely new chapter. After finally breaking free, Michal deepened her religious commitment and reconnected with Judaism and a life centered on faith and observance. She wanted to create a different future for herself and her children, one built around the Jewish values she had chosen to embrace.

It was during this new chapter that she met a man who had been traumatized by his military service in Gaza. Their relationship developed gradually, and Michal decided that this time she wanted to build a relationship based on faith, commitment and the dream of establishing a Jewish home. After everything she had endured, she worked toward reaching the chuppah under Jewish law, determined to begin again. This week, that moment finally arrived.

The couple were married in an emotional Jewish wedding surrounded by family and friends. For Michal, the ceremony represented the culmination of an extraordinary journey, from a vulnerable teenager drawn into a relationship that led her to convert to Islam and eventually subjected her to years of fear and abuse, through repeated attempts to escape, and finally to a renewed choice of freedom, Judaism and a life of faith.

For those who supported her along the way, the wedding was more than a celebration. It was a visible symbol that the story of a person who has endured years of fear and hardship does not have to end there.

Yad L’Achim says Michal’s story demonstrates that even after years in circumstances that may appear impossible to escape, it is possible to rebuild one’s life and begin a new chapter.

The organization continues to assist women involved in relationships with Muslim men and provide support to them and their children. In many cases, the organization says, leaving such relationships is a lengthy and complicated process requiring sustained practical, financial and emotional support.