In-laws force aide to Arab MK to quit or lose fiancé
Parliamentary aide to MK Nadia Hilou forced to leave post after his ultra-Orthodox future in-laws threatened to cancel the wedding if he continued to work for an Arab. Hilou: 'I never believed that racism would arrive at my doorstep'
MK Nadia Hilou (Labor) couldn't believe her ears when a new employee she'd hired just a few weeks earlier notified her several days ago that he could no longer work in her office because his fiancé's family had threatened to cancel the union with his bride-to-be because he was employed by an Arab.
The aide explained that once his fiancé's family had discovered who his employer was, they stipulated that they would only agree to his union with their daughter if he immediately resigned his post. He claims he was left little choice but to fulfill their demands.
"I chose him for the position because I saw him to be genuinely motivated," MK Hilou told Ynet. "And then a few days ago he told me that he was resigning, because his girlfriend's family had pressured him to quite because I am an Arab.
"He told me that they (the family) were ultra-Orthodox and said: 'It's not me. I'm trying to convince them but they firmly believe that I am forbidden from working with you because you're an Arab.'
"He also explained that they were threatening to cancel the marriage. He said that they believed that Arabs are considered impure."
Hilou said she was utterly shocked by the reason behind his resignation. "I never believed that racism would arrive at my doorstep."
Aide: 'I told them - even Joseph worked for Pharaoh'
The aide in question asked to explain his side of the story to Ynet: "I'm secular, my girlfriend is a religious Breslav and her family is even more religious than she is. I grew up in Haifa with Arabs my whole life and I have no problem with them. I have good friends who are Arabs. I didn't think that working for an Arab MK would be a problem for my girlfriend's family."
The assistant spoke about his attempts to dissuade the family from issuing their ultimatum. "I argued with them and tried to convince them. I told them that even Joseph worked for Pharaoh.
"Unfortunately, it didn't work and it wasn't worth losing her over. It was extremely difficult for me to tell this to Nadia - she is truly doing blessed work in her capacity as a parliamentarian."
