Ambash Ladies interviewed by Maor Tzur, TV news, Chanel 10, 20:00,15/4/18
Simon Holzman
Chanel 10: We’ll present you Daniel Ambash’s partners... D.A, "hed of a sect", was convicted 5 years ago for serious sexual offenses and abuse on his wives and children. Now his 4 partners request the right to visit him (which they were forbidden to for the past 7 years) and they also request for conjugal visits in jail. Each separately. And together? The reason they ask is that some want to have more children and they claim it’s their basic right. Maor Tzur, our police affairs reporter, interviewed the Ambash Ladies
The struggle for conjugality.
Maor Tzur: The small camera of Daniel Ambash's partners records everything, even their own interview with Chanel 10’s cameras. Why?
Aderet Ambash : I have been living with the wonderful Ambash family for 18 years. We always used to document our lives, even when we were at home. But lately our small camera has become our weapon against media disinformation.
M.T: And now the four partners of D.A are asking the Prison Service to allow each one of them to have conjugal visits with him, each one separately as the Torah recommends. And also together?
Shiran Ambash: We are friends and our partner is our commun friend. Our story is a special story. I will not only fight for my right to visit my partner, Aderet is also Daniel's partner, Azamra is also Daniel's partner and Ilana is Daniel’s first partner. So the four of us should certainly ask four conjugal visits.
M.T: And don't you mind if an other women is alone with your partner?
Shiran: On the contrary!
Aderet: Each one of us has a good reason for wanting to be alone with Daniel. I am 45 now. I don't know how long I still can have children. They made me barren.
M.T: The story of Daniel Ambash's polygamous cult exploded seven years ago. Police raided the family's homes in Jerusalem and Tiberias and arrested him on suspicion of sexual offenses and abuse.
The court convicted D.A of sadistic abuse on women and children, including beatings and sexual offenses. Today, after seven years, most of his partners still live together, still consider themselves "married", still love him. And still claim the police sewed a false case against him with false accusations.
Aderet: They tried to base the entire Ambash case on a comparison with guru Goel Ratzon’s case. It's a very absurd way of proceeding. In our case they succeeded to produce false witnesses by applying very harsh pressure in the interrogation rooms, using threats, blackmailing and violence.
M.T: Lawyer Rely Avisar represents the partners of Daniel Ambash.
Lawyer Rely Avisar: The State refuses the fact a man maintains constant relationships with several women. It reinforces the idea he must have created a kind of a cult with brainwashed followers. The State can not believe non brainwashed women would choose such a non normative and non established way of life. But no one bothered to ask the women their opinion or their point of vue about it, which is a duty.
M.T: According to the women, it’s a matter of freedom to choose how to live. As far as they are concerned, the court and the Israeli society has not yet realized that this was their free choice.
Shiran: It's our life, it's not some kind of fling. This world is a world of choice. God did so, that man has a choice. A person should be responsible for his actions. And I choose to share my life and my partner with my best friends. Every one, when he finds his beloved one says there is no one like her, no one like him. That's how it came out. It just happened our union is one with four. By chance it just turned out like this. And people have to take it in consideration.
M.T: Today, the women claim that the Prison Service should allow them to visit Daniel Ambash (simple visits & conjugal visits). Visits are a basic right. Some want to give birth to children. And because they used to live polygamously, the women demand the right to maintain the special character of their relationship. And to allow the four of them to visit him.
M.T: What does the Israel Prison Service answer? Yes, the Prison Service told us that a prisoner is entitled to receive conjugal visits from his permanent and common-law partner. But it's important to have in mind that conjugality is a benefit and not a vested right. Unofficially, senior officials of the Prison Service estimate that the request of the four women will be rejected, which will probably lead them to court, and this will certainly be an interesting debate..