Community leaders and campaigners are sounding the alarm over a growing crisis: young Israeli women brought to Britain for marriage are finding themselves trapped in abusive
and isolating relationships.
Jewish Women’s Aid (JWA) and Rabbanit Ramie Smith, co-founder of GETToutUK, say they are supporting an increasing number of these cases—women who arrive with hopes of a stable marriage but instead face domestic abuse, sexual violence, and even religious barriers preventing them from leaving.
Sam Clifford, JWA’s chief executive, said her team has worked with six women in just the past six months.
“These women are promised safety and stability, but instead they face abuse, control, and isolation,” she said. “We cannot allow this to continue. Rabbis, matchmakers, community leaders, and frontline workers all need to know the warning signs and step in before the situation escalates.”
JWA has put Hebrew-speaking counsellors and confidential support in place to help survivors begin rebuilding their lives. “We want every woman to know—there is a safe space for you, and you do not have to live in fear,” Clifford added.
Ramie Smith, who works internationally with women trapped in abusive marriages, said she has personally helped more than a dozen Israeli women in the UK over the past year—one of them married as a teenager.
“Some of these women spend years trapped in devastating situations, sometimes with children, unable to leave because of financial, legal, or religious barriers,” she explained. “Many don’t even speak English, making it so much harder to reach out for help. We need every part of the system—law enforcement, social services, and our own community—to step up and protect them.”
Both JWA and Smith stress that prevention and awareness are key. They are urging everyone—leaders and ordinary community members alike—to share responsibility for making sure these women are not left isolated, silenced, or forgotten. Photo by Peter van der Sluijs, Wikimedia commons.
