Compassion | Evelyn Belseng

Friday Night Live

In small groups they slowly reach the six-fold marked house. They dress their best clothes and proudly show their best jewels. They sit at the best seats they could buy with gold. On special occasions they buy the right to pray loudly to the congregation. They keep both eyes on the public: have they been properly recognized? Time to throw the evening punch line to the neighbor: “Did you hear? Zuckerberg will donate 0.1% of all robbed funds; it’s the latest in Mosaic Law interpretation!” What a laugh! That’s was funny. Whose that bearded guy speaking in the front?

Jesus told them: And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. (Matthew 6:5) Making the word of God of none effect through your tradition, which ye have delivered: (Luke 7:13)

Evelyn Belseng

Evelyn Belseng, 38, came to Israel from the Philippines in 2002 to work as a caregiver at Kibbutz Kfar Menachem. After her employer died in 2006, she went to work in Ashdod. In December 2007, she met Michael David, a religious Israeli Jew from Gedera. "We met through a childhood friend of Miki's," she said in an interview.

"I worked at the time in Ashdod and it was important for me to keep my job, so we met mostly on Saturdays and he would sometimes come visit me. My employers met him and were very supportive of us." In early May 2009, after living together for two years, Michael went to the Interior Ministry in Rehovot and made residence arrangements for her since her Israeli visa was due to expire later that month. An official recommended that he begin the process of having her recognized as a common-law spouse. But the process of obtaining the necessary documents, mostly from the Philippines, was time-consuming and expensive. In The Cross of Bethlehem I expand on how it is almost impossible for someone defined as Jew by Israel’s Internal Affairs Ministry to marry somebody defined by that fine and egalitarian institution as a non-Jew, a “goy.”

"Meanwhile our son Gilad was born, and Miki assumed that when we registered him, everything would be fine," she said. After the child was born, David asked the family court in Rishon Letzion to recognize Belseng as his partner, because he couldn’t legally marry her in Israel; she is a hated goy. Later that year, he became sick with cancer, which drained their energy. They therefore concentrated on trying to settle Gilad's status. In June 2010, the family court recognized David as Gilad's biological father and ordered the child registered in the population registry, meaning he became an Israeli citizen. Ten days later, David died.

Dalia Shmueli, whose father was cared for by Belseng, noted that David made sure to have his son circumcised. "It was very important to him," she said. "Miki was the one who wanted a child, while Evelyn foresaw the problems that could arise. But it was very important for him and it gave him happiness." Thus, mutilated in the Jewish fashion, a tragedy was born.

Due to David's death, Belseng's residency process was halted and in August 2010 she was issued a deportation order. Two weeks later, the immigration police came to David's sister home looking for Belseng. "Seven big guys came in and asked for Evelyn, saying they saw there was a cleaning lady," Belseng said. "I told them I did not work here, that this was my family, but when they see someone foreign, they immediately assume she is a cleaning lady." Then, the family was informed that Belseng would be deported.

As of now, the David family is trying to block Belseng's deportation. Yet, the Population Authority and Eli Yishai – the current Internal Affairs Minister - choose humanitarian cases very selectively. Several months ago, a South African drug dealer serving a long jail term in Thailand was granted Israeli citizenship so he could serve his term here. This is the first time an interior minister has granted citizenship to a foreign prisoner. Yet, in this case involving a citizen already in Israel, the Interior Ministry responded, "Belseng has been in Israel illegally since 2009. Her request for permanent status was rejected because she does not meet the legal requirements." In late May 2011, she’s waiting deportation with her Israeli child. Yes, Israel is about to deport a toddler citizen. Probably they’ll say he is a potential terrorist. They can predict the future over there.

Woe unto you, lawyers! for ye have taken away the key of knowledge: ye entered not in yourselves, and them that were entering in ye hindered. Luke 11:52

On Eli Yishai and Jewish Compassion

This case transcends its particular victims. Eli Yishai, the minister, is a member of the Shas party, a member of the actual coalition. Oriental, nationalistic, Pharisaic, Haredi, Halakha supporter are the main tags associated with it. They definitely put Jewish traditions before the State of Israel, despite the unholy covenant. Thus, Yishai’s behavior gives testimony of Jewish values. On the paper, compassion is one of them.

On the paper, family is also such a value, even if the woman is not a Jew. See for example the case of Rut the Moabite. In one of the most beautiful Books of the Bible, we are told the love story between Boaz and Rut, from whom David and Jesus descended. Ruth 1:16 | And Ruth said, Intreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee: for whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God. Yishai – a Pharisaic Jew – seems to openly reject family as a value. By deporting a widow with no means of support beyond the welcoming husband’s family, he shows no compassion.

Then you must remember that as a Haredi – an ultra-orthodox Jew – Yishai for sure prays every morning at dawn. Half asleep he recites then Birkat Hashachar (Dawn Blessing). There he says among other nonsense:
“Baruch ata adonai shelo asani goy” – “Blessed are you God, for not having made me a non-Jew”
“Baruch ata adonai shelo asani isha” - “Blessed are you God, for not having made me a woman”
These texts are not Biblical, but the evil contraptions of the same sick minds that created the Talmud, a text which sanctifies many crimes, turning over God’s teachings. Yishai just follows the path of hatred and injustice sown by the Pharisees in the past. As such, he and his society cannot be neither honored nor accepted.

Let’s pray for Evelyn Belseng and her son, who would probably be never accepted as equal by neither of its parent cultures.

Jesus told: Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets. (Matthew 7:12)

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