Shocking: In this Israeli town, 80% of female students marry in 9th grade

An emergency meeting of the Knesset Committee for the Advancement of Women's Status revealed that approximately 80% of female students in Yavniel marry in the 9th grade. Harsh testimonies were presented, including a mother whose daughter was forced into marriage at 17 and a father of a 15.5-year-old girl about to be married. Former cult member Sarah Bolotin described a mechanism of organized sexual abuse. Government ministry representatives pledged to investigate the phenomenon but avoided concrete commitments to remove children from the environment.

An emergency meeting of the Knesset Committee for the Advancement of Women's Status revealed a severe phenomenon in the town of Yavniel, where approximately 80% of female students marry in the 9th grade. The hearing heard harsh testimonies: Devorah, a mother of a 17-year-old girl who was forced into marriage, described how she discovered her daughter's pregnancy through an HMO notification, and that her daughter has been ignoring her since the wedding. Yossi, a father of a 15.5-year-old girl about to be married, expressed frustration with the system. Sarah Bolotin, a former cult member, revealed a mechanism of organized sexual abuse that has been ongoing for 40 years. Government ministry representatives acknowledged the existence of the phenomenon but avoided concrete commitments. The committee chair called for cutting funding to organizations linked to the cult and for dismantling the cult. The head of the Yavniel council boycotted the hearing.