In an unusual case, the Jerusalem District Court on Tuesday ordered the Interior Ministry to grant temporary Israeli status to a Syrian-born woman, the wife of a disabled IDF veteran, who converted to Judaism.

The judge, Nimrod Flax, accepted the couple’s petition, ruling that the ministry’s rejection of their request to live in the Jewish state was “unreasonable in the extreme.”

Flax cited the medical and mental state of the husband, Yair (a pseudonym requested for the couple’s safety), the conversion of wife Nur (also a pseudonym) to Judaism, the fact that she had severed ties with Syria and could not safely return there, and the lack of any other country where they could live together.

He granted her temporary residence in Israel for a year, with the possibility of extension.

The petition was submitted by their lawyer, Adi Lustigman, after the Interior Ministry repeatedly denied a request to give Nur Israeli status on humanitarian grounds. The ministry argued that marriage alone did not constitute a “special humanitarian reason” under the Citizenship and Entry into Israel Law, which restricts status for citizens of enemy states like Syria.

After the judgment, the couple told Lustigman that they were too overwhelmed to speak to the media.

Several details of their story came to light during an interview they gave this month to the Kan broadcasting station. Nur, a member of the Alawite minority, left Syria during the civil war to study overseas, while Yair visited Europe during his post-military service trip. The two met in the same country through the Tinder dating app.

“When we met, there was a crazy connection between us, a very great love,” Yair told Kan. “We made a commitment to each other, and after four months, we decided to get married.”

Nur said, “When I met Yair, and afterward, when I fell in love with him, I wanted to know more about him, I wanted to learn about the language, the culture, his background, and also the religion.”

On her decision to convert, she said, “I wanted my official religion to reflect what I believe in, and I wanted our children to have less complexity in life, and to grow up in the religion that I chose.”

Nur converted to Judaism through a Reform synagogue in 2021. That conversion is recognized in Israel for the purposes of the Law of Return.

Yair, an Israeli citizen, was severely injured during his military service and was recognized as 38% disabled for life, according to court documents.

Despite this, he subsequently volunteered to serve and became an officer. The court heard that his physical and psychological condition is complex and fragile, and that he requires ongoing medical and mental support.

The couple has been moving between various countries, unable to live together permanently in one place and to enjoy full rights, including the right to work, receive social benefits, and health insurance. With only short-term tourist visas, it was also hard for them to rent apartments. They could never plan further than a few months ahead.

According to the court, the couple’s battle to make a home in Israel began in late 2022 with a request for Nur to be granted status under a humanitarian exception. In December 2023, the Interior Ministry rejected the request, claiming that while the couple maintained a long-standing relationship, they lived apart more than they lived together. It also claimed Nur was hiding the relationship from her family and was completely dependent on her husband.

A first administrative petition was submitted in February 2024. In July 2025, the Shin Bet internal security service determined there was no security impediment.

Despite this, the Interior Ministry again rejected the request in August 2025. It argued that while Yair had the right to medical treatment in his home country, the couple had no “vested right to conduct a family life specifically in Israel.” It added that the law’s determination that family ties do not establish humanitarian grounds did not depend on whether an alternative residential option existed.

In his judgment, Flax wrote that the Interior Ministry’s decision to “ignore the cumulative weight of the circumstances and to examine each circumstance in isolation, while giving it minimal weight” constituted an “extreme lack of reasonableness.”

Granting Nur temporary residence (an A/5 visa) for a year, Flax said she would be entitled to request an extension, which the Interior Ministry would have to examine while considering the principles established in the judgment. Flax also ordered the Interior Ministry to pay the couple NIS 15,000 ($5,000) in costs and attorney fees.

After the court’s judgment, Lustigman told The Times of Israel that the Interior ministry’s reasoning was inconsistent.

“In the first decision, it was claimed the couple had spent too little time together because Yair was stuck in Israel for medical treatment during COVID-19 travel restrictions. In the second decision, the ministry argued that Yair spent too much time abroad, as the two refused to be apart. The ministry then used his time abroad to claim he did not actually require medical treatment in Israel — ignoring the fact that he was only abroad because the state prevented him from living with his wife at home.”

She said, “We feel a great sense of relief and happiness with this humane and just judgment. After much unnecessary suffering and injustice, the couple will finally be able to build a family life in Israel alongside Yair’s family, which has been waiting for them. Their painful years of wandering have come to an end.”

She continued, “The judgment reflects what the Interior Ministry’s humanitarian committee repeatedly failed to see — the human circumstances of those who turn to it, the uniqueness of each case, and the profound impact of its decisions on their lives.

“The court has sent an important message regarding the limits of administrative discretion, particularly where fundamental rights are at stake and where individuals face serious harm in their dealings with the authorities that fail to see them.”

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conversion to Judaism

Jerusalem District Court

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