(excerpt) When Abecassis, who had been convicted of domestic violence by a civil Israeli court and divorced from Amber’s mother, saw the picture of his biological child in Israel, he filed a complaint with the Rabbinic Court in Ashdod, claiming that his daughter had been “kidnapped and taken to America.”
Legally, however, Abecassis is no longer the Amber’s father. According to adoption papers issued by a US court and obtained by Israel Today, Jeremy Layman, who married Amber’s mother, is now her legal father and guardian.
At least that’s what an American District Court determined, and it is a view shared by the Ministry of Interior in Israel, which removed Abecassis’ name from Amber’s Israeli ID and listed Jeremy Layman as her father. Even Amber’s American and Israeli passports register Jeremy as her father.
http://www.israeltoday.co.il/NewsItem/tabid/178/nid/24925/Default.aspx
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As well as the Morning Sun, Pittsburg, Ks "Scammon family stranded abroad"
(excerpt)The 13-year-old daughter of a Southeast Kansas family may not leave Israel after a religious court ruling.
Members of the Layman family are caught between differing rulings from a State of Israel agency and a Jewish court over the custody of their daughter, Amber Hope Layman.
Danielle Layman claims that Abecassis Shahar, Amber Hope's biological father, was previously convicted in Israel of threatening to kill his biological daughter and that he was "abusive." Because of this, Layman said, Shahar's custody rights were stripped. http://www.morningsun.net/article/20140909/NEWS/140909824/2135/NEWS
Amber is the adopted daughter of Active duty US Soldier Jeremy Layman who is currently stationed in Afghanistan and not scheduled to return home until July 2015. This is an absolute outrage! Is Israel a Democracy or a Theocracy? Which is it because they cannot have it both ways.
His parental rights were terminated in an adoption case (TPR-adopt or termination of parental rights and adoption) because of abandonment and failure to pay child support. He had notice and did not enter into the case which he could easily have done from Israel by retaining a Kansas attorney.
That simple. The dude is no longer her legal dad. He has no rights whatsoever. Israel has an obligation to recognize the judicial decisions of the courts of the child’s home state. I have no doubt this will get straightened out and encourage the mother to calm down.
The article is written entirely from the ex-wife’s view.
The dad is only asking for visitation. Whatever convoluted laws man can invent, the fact remains that this man is the girl’s biological father regardless of the fact that US courts allowed the mom’s new husband to adopt, based on mom’s testimony alone, that the dad was not involved.
Nowhere does the article state that the dad was served notice of the adoption.
Also, nowhere does the article state that the dad was convicted of domestic violence. It merely states that the mom obtained a restraining order against him, which are handed out like candy.
This may not be as “cut and dry” as the author would have us believe.
It would be irresponsible for us to jump to conclusions this “journalist” intends for us to conclude, without knowing all the facts of the case. I do not know.
I just know that there are a lot of important, unanswered questions, not the least of which is: “why fight so hard to keep your daughter from seeing her biological father when the girl is going to be an adult in one year or so and can do what she wants?”