Let us pray for Ofek

Ofek, who was born in Israel, goes to a municipal kindergarten in Tel Aviv. Her father is a legal foreign worker however her mother has no visa. Ofek and her mother were arrested on Monday and it was decided to deport them from the country, following a policy that was adopted in August 2010. Following prolonged protest, the implementation of the policy was delayed in March 2011. The arrest signals the beginning of the implementation of the policy. The authorities claim that the mother and daughter do not fulfill the agreed upon conditions for staying in the country. Only children who are born in Israel and learn in Hebrew language schools (from Grade 1 and up) are allowed to remain in Israel.

At the last minute, Ofek's father succeeded in getting a Tel Aviv court injunction delaying the deportation because the child was not given the opportunity to part from her father. In addition, the judge pointed to the fact that the father had not had the chance to appeal the deportation decision. There will be another hearing on Thursday, August 18.

The wife of the Prime Minister, Sarah Netanyahu, wrote an urgent letter to the Minister of the Interior, Eli Yishai, and asked for clemency for the child. In the letter, Mrs. Netanyahu writes: "We are speaking about a child who was born and educted in Israel. Her first language is Hebrew. She lives alone with her mother in the city of Tel Aviv, the attends a kindergarten in the heart of Tel Aviv, she expects to begin the new school year with her friends… She is being deported to the Philippines, her official country of origin, which she has never even visited. It is very likely that this will cause her psychological trauma and great pressure. It can take a long time to get over this kind of trauma. Prison is not a place for a four year old girl, born in Israel and who knows only the Israeli environment".

Let us pray for Ofek and for her parents in these trying circumstances.

(photo Oren Ziv – HaAretz)