Natan Peretz, 32, was known and beloved in his kollel in Israel. He seemed to have a charmed life: He had a happy, loving wife at home and a beautiful 3-year-old daughter. He was devoted to his greatest love, learning the Torah. One thing, however, was holding them back: They were struggling financially.
A man of tremendous faith, he flew to Europe to pray for his family’s well-being at the graves of several esteemed rabbis. There he beseeched his Creator to bless his family with stability.
For a moment, it seemed as if things were turning around: In Amsterdam, he ran into an old acquaintance who offered him work transporting a bag of what he says the friend claimed was dog food across the border to Moldova. A naive young religious man who had spent his life in sheltered environments, Natan claims he was shocked when airport security swarmed him and escorted him to prison.
In the Moldovan court system, the Peretz family’s innocent optimism was once again shattered. What they assumed would be an open and shut case has been dragged on for five, excruciating months. Having already been tight financially, they have now run out of money to continue employing Natan’s lawyer. With no one to defend him, he could spend the rest of his life in prison.
The family insists that a European prison is no place for a wide-eyed young yeshiva student. Natan is reportedly suffering from malnutrition, living off of donations of kosher food from the local Jewish community. He is constantly threatened by the rough criminals who surround him, and fears for his life.
At home, Natan’s wife is struggling to function on her own. Each day she is filled with fear for her husband’s survival. Their three-year-old cries and asks, “Where is Daddy?” If she knew the truth, it would destroy her. Unless Chava Peretz can succeed in crowdfunding money for a lawyer, her daughter will never see her father again.