Eliya Haliwa, who was exposed as a Lebanese non-Jew after marrying a Syrian Jewish girl from Brooklyn last October, is actually Jewish, according to Rav Avraham Reich of the Hatzalas Yisrael community in Brooklyn.
Rav Reich, who is an expert in the investigation of the yichus of Jews from the former Soviet Union, revealed on Zev Brenner’s Talkline program on Motzei Shabbos that he thoroughly investigated Haliwa’s background and spoke with his mother, who admitted that she and her mother are Jewish. Rav Reich also spoke with Haliwa’s grandmother in Lebanon.
Despite this, Rav Reich said that Haliwa still underwent giyur l’chumra since there weren’t four consecutive generations in the family who were shomer Torah u’mitvos and therefore giyur l’chumra was required.
Rav Reich didn’t want to reveal who served on the Beis Din for various reasons but said that he himself witnessed the giyur l’chumra process and confirmed that Haliwa is a kosher Jew l’mehadrin. The Beis Din members are reportedly some of the most chashuve Rabbanim in the US.
It is unknown why Haliwa didn’t reveal that his mother and grandmother were Jewish after the whole story blew up shortly after his wedding.
Haliwa wants to return to his wife since ultimately his marriage was completely kosher since he is Jewish. However, apparently, some members of the Syrian community in Brooklyn are heavily pressuring him to grant his wife a get, but Haliwa refuses to do so.
His wife would require a get l’chumrah since Haliwa’s status as a Jew is based on the fact that his mother and grandmother say they are Jewish [which is enough evidence to confirm Jewish identity according to Rav Moshe Feinstein, zt’l and HaRav Ovadia Yosef, z’tl] but there are no others or evidence who can confirm that fact, in addition with the fact that there weren’t four consecutive generations of Jews who were shomer Torah u’mitzvos.
sketchy…very sketchy
Keep us updated. Lol
It is not a funny story nor is it entertaining in is a serious matter upon which the rabbonim will deal with
This guy is a proven swindler he for sure just got his mother to say that for him. WHT didn’t he say this earlier?
He’s Jewish explains why he was so drawn to this girl and to Judaism in the first place.
But he’s deceptive,
narcissistic maybe?
This story is one of abuse. This fellow is obviously not well.
It looks like he’s onto his next phase of abuse…. Withholding a get? Make the victim pay for a Get?
Why would one believe this quack – he realized now after 8 months that he’s really a Jew?
Can someone put an end to this story already and help the young lady move on with her life.
Especially since we knew fit he last few month he wasn’t Jewish, he’s not withholding a get, they were never married in the first place. Non jews don’t give gets!!
Fool me once, shame on you!
Fool me twice, shame on me – not buying this! This sick person was caught in many lies.
He is not credible.
One thing for sure, he is very smart in getting attention. Negative attention is still attention. Let’s stop playing into his hands. I suggest you remove the story. We don’t need stories that sensationalize abusers.
I suggest more fact finding investigation before posting “stories”
Woah that’s harsh
I think he is a tzaddik falling into the troubles of ikvisa demeshicha the poor yid just lost his family! Shame on you for hating a fellow yid!
He is no Tzadik. He is a Rasha who violated a Jewish women. Like many reshaim throughout history. Who abused a Jewish women while he was with her. Controling everything she does and continues to harras her and won’t leave her alone. This poor girl and her family. Shame on you for taking the side of a Shakran Goy.
Its already a thing, i thibk is good to be updated about it.
“Haliwa’s status as a Jew is based on the fact that his mother and grandmother say they are Jewish” Hang on a minute, so I anyone’s mother and grandmother just utter the words ‘I am Jewish’ then they are Jewish? That’s it? Seriously? It probably took this guy Haliwa a couple of easy moments to convince his mother and grandmother to say so and walla he’s in. That sounds ridiculous. WORSE IT GOES ON TO SAY: “but there are no others or evidence who can confirm that fact, in addition with the fact that there weren’t four consecutive generations of… Read more »
This Rabbi is a fraud and con artist. Now he claims that the mother and grand mother are Jewish? Where was every one before this bum married this poor girl and destroyed her life with all his lies. How come he didn’t claim this story before the wedding? Just more and more of his lies and Rabbi Reich is wrong for kashering him.
Can someone tell us more about Rabbi Reich? Is he indeed such an expert? And if it is so clear why wouldnt the other rabbonim be willing to disclose their names? I they sat jn a beis din why would they hide the fact? Aren’t their supportive of their own psak? Also… i assume that a mothers statement of being jewish etc is if “masiach lephi tumo”, meaning that she said it without a motive. In this case however there was a huge motive as her son would have been sued etc etc. I am not saying just asking. It… Read more »
He’s a liar, narcissist and entitled, and conned the Rabbis and still the Rabbis side with him over the wife, a woman. Hashem is crying over this chillul hashem.
You can’t make up stories like this. Oh, wait. Apparently you can. This ganiv just did.
So now she was not only decieved into marrying him, now she can’t move on! Sick and twisted. They should not have agreed to convert him until he gave her a get. But I guess they didn’t realize she even needed one 🤦♂️
This cant be true…
First she is shamed now she will be chained…totally fake news
U cant go turn her into and aguna
This has to end
Very! Say that maybe he is Jewish not that he is
No genealogy documents? Not even a DNA test? Just the word of the mother is enough? Total bs
Sketchy, untrue. This man is a sham and a liar .. again and again and again. Who is this Rabbi Reich? Has he spoken with the Rabbis who have dealt with Ali untill now? Why won’t he list who the beth din is
SUPER SKETCHY AMD continues click bait..
He wants her to be forced to marry him since she has not get.
Come on this is clearly a lie
Anyone ever heard of this expert before? Any link to his organization?
Why are you even posting this story? This man is sick. R’ Avraham Reich foolishly allowed himself to get duped by this guy. He has more than a chazaka of lying. He lies about things he doesn’t even need to lie about. That is all he knows LIES. How is Reich speaking to his mother and grandmother any proof to Jewish identity? How does that make him an expert? What a sham! Ali Hassan never was Jewish and neither is anyone in his family. He has been making up story after story. Reich should not have been megayer him until… Read more »
This ‘expert’ did zero research. Reich says that his own parents never had to proof that they were Jewish! They never claimed to not being Jewish either. How he compares his own yuchsin with this Arab just raises more questions. He never claimed his mother was Jewish. He never claimed his grandmother was Jewish or great grandmother. (His own mother said she wasn’t Jewish before and after his scam!) He forged his mother license. He forged he own passport. He forged Tax papers. He forged emails. He forged his own ancestry. He only started to make up these claims after… Read more »
According to my opinion it does not help to spread lies however if he is now a ger he is a ger so even if you say that what his mother said is not true he is a jew cause he did a the things to become ger. Honestly I do not understand why people say that he was crazy. Yes it is very sad what happened to the girl, but he is allowed to marry her. If she does not want to, fine she does not have to. Anyway I´m not a expert in Halacha so I don´t know… Read more »
Now he got his mother and his dead grandmother to lie for him too? Rabbi Reich spoke to his dead grandmother? The Syrian community made a mistake of believing this guy’s lies, Rabbi Reich does it bimazid while besmirching the Syrian community. This is not Tzedek this is Rishus and Rabbi Reich just played into the ploy. Welcome to Aliwood.
Been there, done that. In that case it didn’t prove they were Jewish, and unless there is something much more significant than two people who want to extricate their relative in this case, it doesn’t prove they are Jewish.
Why is this Reich guy so naïve!! This guy is clearly unstable. He first provided some bogus “family tree”, claiming that Meyer Lansky (yes, the notorious gangster of Eastern European origin, even though he’s from Lebanon) was his great uncle, among other things. It was clearly made up. NEVER did he utter one word about having a Jewish mother. And now all of the sudden his mother is Jewish?? Something is super off here… And we’re supposed to believe this? Don’t forget he first made up this whole story and lied about working for the CIA so he couldn’t contact… Read more »
I am confused: “Despite this, Rav Reich said that Haliwa still underwent giyur l’chumra since there weren’t four consecutive generations in the family who were shomer Torah u’mitvos and therefore giyur l’chumra was required.”
There are plenty of Jews in Eretz Yisroel where 4 or more generations of their families weren’t shomeri Torah u’mitzvos. So does that mean all those Jews are not Jewish? I never heard of this ‘halacha,’ if it is even true, that after 4 generations of hilonim, one’s children lose Jewish status. Can someone elaborate please???