"The court ruled for the first time: check out the Shawl Cult"

The case of the 19-year-old girl who left her house and is hiding with a family which belongs to the Shawl Cult, continues: A further hearing in the case took place at the Family Court in Jerusalem today (Tuesday). During the hearing the mother and daughter met, after months of not seeing each other.

Attorney Rebecca Schwartz, representing the girl, said in response: "We are unable to address the details of the case, according to the court's decision. However, we are pleased that the court ruled for the first time the need for a thorough examination of the dangerous phenomenon - this cult membership. "

A source familiar with the case said that the last suspicion among family members is that someone is trying to smuggle the daughter outside of Israel to Canada, where she will live amongst an ultra-Orthodox cult, he says, a few days after learning this, the family managed, through thecourt, to prevent her departure, by issuing a restraining order. On the other hand, a source close to the family who the girl lives with denied it and said that was never intended.

"Since the affair is being conducted behind closed doors in court, I can not disclose further details," he said

In addition, according to the court's decision, the Ministry of Social Affairs will intervene in the case, and will meet with the girl and talk to her about her relationship with the Shawl Cult. The meetings between mother and daughter will be arranged in advance by the social services. On the other hand, the father will not see her for various reasons.

The girl disappeared

The girl left her home nine months ago, and moved in with a family who are associated with the Shawl Cult. It is still unclear what the exact reason for her abandonment is, and whether it was voluntarily or she was forced by the group associated with the cult.

Since then her family, and especially her parents, have tried to discover the apartment where she was hiding. They activated tracking devices and recruited the people close to them, to look up apartments in different cities, where it was suspected that she was hiding.

So it went on for a long period where the parents attempted to find their daughter.

The high point came when her parents discovered that the cult tried to marry off their daughter with an older man. The Tenaim was already signed, and the people who stood behind the initiative said to the man: "Five minutes before the wedding, we'll get you."

Following the information, increased efforts were made to thwart the anticipated wedding, and an appeal to the court of the Eideh Charedi was made who issued a ruling prohibiting the man from marrying the girl. During investigations, the father discovered that his daughter is hiding in an apartment near Shivtei Yisrael Street and Mea Shearim in Jerusalem.

A month ago, he came along with his wife and accompanied by a number of people, to the place in order to remove her from the apartment. Due to the large crowd of people which had formed and caused a fuss, residents of the building summoned the police who detained the father and the others involved in the case. Some were released on bail, and were forbidden to approach the apartment where the girl is supposedly staying. One of the detainees refused to sign the guarantee, and was brought before the court, where he was released under similar conditions to his friends.

'בחדרי' גם ברשתות החברתיות - הצטרפו!