Help Bring My Daughters Home - Support Legal Costs

My name is Elina, and I am writing as a mother whose heart has been broken. I live in Germany, but my two daughters- 12 and 8 years old. have been taken from me. What was meant to be a simple 3-week-long vacation with their father turned into a nightmare: without my consent, he has relocated them “permanently” to Israel, a country affected by war(s).

According to my eldest daughter (their father occasionally allows us to speak via WhatsApp), on 13.09- the day they were supposed to fly back to Germany- he told them they had “missed the flight” and would not be returning. The very next day, 14.09, he informed me that he had already enrolled them in school there. Just like that, he created a new life for them- while disregarding our bond.

Since then, he has pressured me through his lawyer to sign papers declaring that I ‘voluntarily’ agree to grant my daughters a new citizenship. I was never given a real choice- not even regarding the most basic human right: to meet and hug my own children.

Meanwhile, my daughters are living in a country where security threats overshadow daily life. In the past year, Tel Aviv has experienced multiple missile attacks, and tensions on the country’s borders continue to escalate. Sirens, safe rooms, and uncertainty are not the stable childhood every parent wishes for their children. And while their father finds time to visit his own mother, he denies them the right to see theirs. Since 14.09, I have carried the heavy burden of this injustice every single day.

I have been told that I must act quickly and hire a lawyer experienced in international custody cases. 

As of 26.09, I have hired a strong lawyer in Munich and have a strong case, and at this point, going to court is unavoidable.

So far, I have about one-third of the required funds, but time is running out. International custody and visitation cases are complex and costly. Applications for state-funded legal aid take time, and the lawyers I have contacted who work with state funding have simply refused to take on our case

Without legal support, I cannot fight this urgent battle alone.

That is why I am reaching out to you- and it is not an easy decision.

Every contribution, no matter how small, is a step closer to reuniting me with my daughters and giving them the safe, loving environment they deserve.

Your support means hope. And hope is what keeps me going.

With gratitude,
Elina