No Christmas, Hanukkah Spirit for Israel Father's Rights Activists, Children
By Joel Leyden Jerusalem-----December 24 ....... It's Christmas Day in Israel - the Holy Land, the warm lights of Hanukkah are now fading and a New Year is just days away. Tis the season to merry, many say. It is the season of family. Of father, mother and children. Or is it? On
this Christmas day, on the eight days of Hanukkah how many divorced men were separated
from their children by family courts and negligent social workers in Israel, North
America and Europe? The
State of Israel has not reformed its Knesset Family Custody Act since it was passed
into law in 1962. "There is salt in the air," said one social worker to a divorced dad. "And because of this you will not see your child more than twice a week for a few hours." The divorced dad protested stating that his ex was doing all she could to maintain and increase conflict knowing that the social workers knee jerk reaction would be to punish the father with less time with his child. He said that his ex was playing a deadly power control game using their child as a pawn. "They are not punishing me," he said. "They are punishing my child who as a direct result of the divorce and continued conflict is now undergoing psychological treatment. The mother is narcissistic, the social workers are amateurs who abide by research from 1962 and the mayor takes no responsibility." On
this day, how many children are suffering from not having been with their fathers? Many divorced, Jewish fathers in Israel may now start pondering the merits of Christianity as Shalom Biet (enforced peace in the home by Rabbis) has proven to be nothing more than an empty farce. One
man has decided to do something about being separated from his son. Murtari
who protested in the Onondaga County jail in New York by refusing to eat was released
on December 1. It's was all an effort to create awareness for what he calls Parents' Civil Rights. He says his rights were violated when his ex-wife moved across the country with their son. Because Murtari spent thousands to visit the child, he says he was unable to pay child support and spent six months in jail for falling behind. Murtari claims being in his son's life should be considered more important than the money. Murtari tells akidsright.org he will hit up several restaurants when he is released and he plans to get on a plane in a few days to go see his son. He went several months without food while in jail, but now John Murtari is getting the food he was dreaming of. While in jail, he went on a hunger strike to protest the court's decision. As a result, he had a feeding tube inserted in his stomach. The day he was released from prison, John Murtari headed over to Friendly's for some ice cream. He had been on a hunger strike during his sentence to protest the court's decision. His first stop after being released was to get ice cream at Friendly's. "Well it was just a little bit of heaven. I love peanut butter. I love ice cream. I've been dreaming about it for the last three or four months. I told my son, 'when I get out of here, the first thing daddy is going to get is some ice cream.' It's been terrific," John Murtari said. Murtari said he plans to spend the holidays with his family. "Being in jail, the feeding tube, the agony. It's like having strep throat. It hurts every time you swallow. But I compare that pain to the agony we've been through with my son. And what he's been through as an innocent. He didn't deserve any of this," Murtari said. John Murtari endured the suffering that comes from dehydration and starvation, surprisingly, conditions he imposes upon himself. Murtari, father to Domenic, 13, decided his 6-month sentence for child support arrears would include the “nonviolent action of noncooperation,” to draw attention to the need for Family Law Reform and Parents’ Civil Rights. Murtari, a faithful, loving, gentle man graciously calls it being “uncomfortable,” yet speaks in a weak voice, saying the feeding tube he once feared was, ” now the best thing I can imagine.” Members of A Kids Right, the parents’ group Murtari founded, seek congressional hearings on Family Law Reform and want to draw attention to the Civil Rights of all Parents. They want passage of a Family Rights Act, which protects the average parent’s right to custody of their children. Murtari was taken to a local hospital emergency room when his heartbeat became rapid and irregular. Plans to give him fluids by IV were halted and he was returned to the Onodaga County Justice Center medical unit. Today a Senior Medical Administrator at the Onondaga County Justice Center told Murtari they would not be putting in an IV or feeding tube, as he’d been told Friday. She said there were ethical considerations involved because he had the choice to eat and drink normally. Fearing permanent kidney failure the administrator again asked him to drink. She said if the condition progressed to an emergency situation they would take action and send him to an emergency room for treatment. Murtari had no food or liquid for six months, [except for 3 small cups of water, about 18 ounces] and small amounts of water that get swallowed when he brushes his teeth. Saying, “It’s not easy,” Murtari continued his hunger strike, yet prayed for guidance. He asked that his sincere thanks are conveyed to everyone concerned about his situation. The 6-month sentence came from Judge Bryan Hedges of Onondaga County, New York who says Murtari is $60,000 behind in child support. Murtari disputes that claim, and says his case is full of injustice, including the wrong jurisdiction, travel expenses to see his son who was moved across the country not taken into account, and perjury. But Murtari isn’t thinking about money right now, he’s thinking about Domenic, and praying that he has and continues to do the right thing.
Today Murtari sent out a holiday's greeting. One for which the Israel News Agency received. The INA is proud to reprint this message from a divorced dad who refused to be turned into a victim. Who continues to refuse the label of "visitor" to his child. " To Good People and People of Faith, my best wishes for a very Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah and a Happy Holiday Season! Please understand that our group is not just about the Christian Faith, or that it is the only faith -- but for most of us these traditions have strong meanings. My apologies for falling behind in answering your emails. I hope to get everything caught up by early January and that we can begin to execute some plans for making reform a national issue: www.AKidsRIght.Org/archive/archive2006/0053.html Perhaps this Holiday season can give us time to reflect on what it takes to make reform happen. Does one key to our success lie in our faith & willingness to sacrifice? What stops us? Can we work to make reform a reality for our children and for others? Here are a few thoughts and maybe we should look in a mirror first - as always, your feedback is welcome. Please note that sometimes a lot of this stuff sounds like pie in the sky theory. It certainly was not theory for me when I was refusing to eat and drink voluntarily until they fed me in jail. As I grew weaker and lay in bed, I had plenty of time to reflect on some hard reality - "John, if these guys don't give you fluids you could lose your kidneys. How does dialysis for the rest of your life sound? Worth it? Of course, maybe your heart will just stop. Are you sure you want to keep this up? Will it matter? Is it worth it? How much faith do you have?" Fortunately, I didn't have to find out how far I was willing to go thanks to the efforts and prayers of many of you! It's not fair! It's Christmas morning as I type this and I'm alone in the house. My son Domenic is not here, his flights were delayed by the big Denver blizzard -- not fair! I pick him up at the airport tonight. A former spouse or social worker has deprived you of any contact with your children for Christmas -- not Fair! You have grown children that were so alienated during childhood that they want no part of you during the holidays -- not fair! In the jail hospital ward I met a man who was infected with HIV while a teenager from a sex-partner who didn't care. The doctor delivered the death sentence to him at 18. He could expect a life of 15-20 years. His time is now running out. He has full blown AIDS and expects to die, alone, in a prison -- not fair! Any of us, at our next check-up, could hear (and may have already heard), from the Doctor, "Sorry, we found something on a lab test, looks like a very malignant Cancer" - not fair! If there really was this 'loving God', how could he allow all these things to happen! I once read a line in a novel that really stuck with me, "even the angels look to Earth and sigh (for the chance to experience the uncertainty and joys of physical life?) ..." Do you know there are people who are absolutely color blind? Who live life with the view of a black and white TV. Could you explain to them what the color red is? Would you be willing to undergo a painful medical procedure for the 'chance' to see life in color? Would you put the child you love through such a procedure? Proof for the existence of an almighty God, hardly. I read a recent article about a book by scientists 'proving' there is no God -- hardly. It's all about faith. Who's on the Team? Can we just all get along? One large obstacle to public action is a lack of sense of "team" or "union." Right now we are just a bunch of individuals nursing our own pain first, and not really willing to make sacrifice (and experience more pain) for the sake of: those crazy Father's Rights groups... Those crazy Women's Rights groups... Those crazy collections of accused child abusers...yuck! Some of the Men can't even stand to look at a scene of Mother and Child happily together without some anger -- b$%tch! And we're sure many Women have experienced the same after seeing their child "taken" by their former husband... creeps! Come on, admit it you Men, deep down, you know you'd be the best parent! After all, who's the big bad hunter-gatherer! Ladies, that child came out of your body -- their yours, after all possession is nine tenths of the law! We're talking a biological reality here! Please, step back and remember the words on which our Country was founded, "...all men are created equal." That is biological, psychological, and social nonsense. We are very "unequal." The real message is what, "we have a right to be treated equally." To the Founders of this Nation, we were all children of the same God, deserving of the same opportunities. In the spiritual measure (the only real measure), we are equal and society is at its best when it acknowledges that. A Prayer for Family Rights: Almighty and ever-living God, hear our prayer for justice. Give us the courage and Faith we need to meet the challenges of reform. Help all people recognize the rights of parents to be secure and treated equally in their ability to love their children. Inspire us to follow your example of divine love not only for our children, but for all our brothers and sisters. Amen. Hanging on to Hatred? There is some truth that sometimes you have to let go of hatred before you can be effective for change. Here is an old time reading from a book of Wisdom. Even if we don't believe, does it ring true? Can we still think of an 'ex', social worker, or judge -- as neighbor? Sirach 27:30 Wrath and anger are hateful things, but the sinner hugs them tight. The vengeful will suffer the Lord's vengeance for he remembers their sins in detail. Forgive your neighbor's injustice; then when you pray, your own sins will be forgiven. Could anyone nourish anger against another and expect healing from the Lord? Could anyone refuse mercy to another like himself, can he seek pardon for his own sins? If one who is but flesh cherishes wrath, who will forgive your sins? Remember your last days, set enmity aside; remember death and decay, and cease from sin! Think
of the commandments, hate not your neighbor; remember the Most High's covenant,
and overlook faults.
Related Web site: Fathers4JusticeIsrael
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