A Lebanese man impersonating a religious Jew was revealed by his father-in-law through "Google" and separated him from his wife
The story of a Lebanese who impersonated an ultra-Orthodox Jew for several years sparked controversy, after it turned out that he was originally a Shiite Muslim, but his marriage to one of the daughters of a member of the isolated Syrian Jewish community in Brooklyn, New York City, revealed what he had hidden for a long time.
The FBI conducted an investigation with Elia Hawila, 23, to ascertain whether he was working with a “terrorist group trying to infiltrate the Jewish community,” especially after “the rabbis who oversaw his wedding failed to discover that he was a fraud,” according to a report by the website. Times of Israel".
For his part, Hawila revealed, in an interview with the Israeli channel "Kan", that "two weeks after the wedding, the bride's family found documents (belonging to him) in her home, including his Lebanese passport with a different name," and she realized what he had done.
Hawila was born in Lebanon to Shiite Muslim parents, and lived in the southern city of Tire, and his father was religious, but Hawila himself had no connection to Islam, nor any connection to any religion, he said.
He explained that "he learned about the Jewish religion while he was in secondary school in Lebanon, using search engines on the Internet," as he was looking for the religion closest to him and who could believe in it.
He added: "My mother and the residents of my area learned about my conversion to Judaism, so people started spitting on me in the streets, and I started receiving death threats."
In September 2015, the Huwaila family moved to the United States.
"When we arrived in America, I searched for synagogues in my area, because no one here can prevent me from Judaism," Huwaila says, noting that he resorted to a local association in Houston, and asked them to change his religion, but his request was rejected.
He continued, "When I was rejected, I started saying that I was a Jew, and I chose the name Elijah because I loved the story of the prophet Elijah."
Later, after he began studying engineering in Texas, he became an attendant at the Chabad Synagogue, and was active in Jewish and pro-Israel organizations, noting that no one doubted that he had Jewish roots.
After his deception was revealed, the president of the Chabad Center at Texas A&M University, who was present at the wedding, issued a statement explaining his knowledge of Hawila.
Meanwhile, Rabbi Yossi Lazarov revealed that Hawila met his wife on a Jewish dating site, and "falsely presented himself to her as an observant Jew."
"When Rabbi Ezra Zafarani, a Syrian rabbi, asked me if Elijah was Jewish, I told him frankly that I did not know," Lazarov said, after the family suspected some of his behavior, which they considered non-conformist.
Huwaila explained, in an interview with the Israeli channel, that doubts about him arose after the wedding, especially after the absence of relatives from the groom's side.
He continued, "My father-in-law started searching for my family name on Google, until he reached my father, who told him many things about me, and that I am not Jewish."
He stressed, "Once I was sure of my true identity, I was separated from my wife and completely removed from me."
בלעדי: ריאיון עם המוסלמי מלבנון שהתחזה ליהודי והתחתן עם חרדית עם חרדית: "שתחברתי ליהדות - אבל הל שקרים יצאוה
87 תות תוח תותך תו תות תוness 2 תו
— כאן חדשות (@kann_news) November 28, 2021
He was investigated by the FBI, after suspicions were raised that he might be working with a terrorist group trying to infiltrate the Jewish community, especially since he is from southern Lebanon, which is considered one of the areas under Hezbollah's influence.
The reports said that the FBI did not find anything to convict him of involvement in terrorist activities, or falsification of documents.
Huwaila insists he did not mean to harm the woman he married, whose name has not been mentioned, and who refuses to speak to the media.
He concluded, "If she wants to give me a second chance, she can give me a second chance, and if she doesn't want that, I still don't blame her, she is the love of my life."
Follow our latest local and sports news and the latest political and economic developments via Google news