"Freedom for a Father: Out of Debt, Into Hope"is a fundraising campaign to support the financial rehabilitation of myself and my family, following a biased and crushing divorce agreement. An agreement I signed in an effort to avoid a long, potentially destructive, and very expensive legal process that could easily have spiraled out of control, escalated, and exacted an even heavier financial and emotional price.
This situation, in which I had to choose between two harmful options, was not new to me. These divorce proceedings put an end to an abusive relationship disguised as a marriage, which operated in a similar way: in situations of conflict, I had learned that my options were to obey or be hurt. You’re welcome to listen to social worker Hani Gitlis and me discussing this further on her excellent podcast “My Dad Has a Story” [Spotify] [Apple] [PodBean].
I turned to the court a few years after the divorce, when my daughter’s mother refused to honor the division of time we had agreed on. Going to court was my last resort to fight for this basic, right of my daughter and myself. This legal process painfully confirmed my suspicions that such a move would be damaging. I tell of this painful experience in a short illustrated booklet I created, called “Rakafet and You,” which I am distributing as part of this campaign.
Today I own and run a business in which I earn a decent income. I have done everything in my ability to recover financially. Unfortunately the heavy financial obligations that resulted from the divorce settlement, drain any and all income and don’t allow my business to grow while simultaneously causing me to go deeper into debt with high monthly repayments.
The campaign goal is to raise is 450,000 NIS:
300,000 in order to cover debts and close monthly repayments of several thousand shekels
150,000 in order to expand my business, which will, God willing, lead to a financially stable future
I want to be a good, ordinary person, a citizen with equal rights and obligations. To enjoy the fruits of my labor, to pay taxes, to do reserve duty (over 200 days in this war), to be a father to my daughters, a present, supportive, and loving family member. Not more than that – but by no means less.
