Under the title "Lebanese Muslim Impersonates Ultra-Orthodox Jew and Marries Woman from Brooklyn... Photos," Sputnik agency reported a story based on "Times of Israel," indicating that after two weeks of her Orthodox wedding, a Jewish woman from Brooklyn discovered that her husband was apparently a Lebanese Muslim, possibly Palestinian, disguising himself as a Jew, according to American and Israeli media reports.
According to "Times of Israel," the rabbi's wife questioned the bridegroom’s religious background before the wedding, but her concerns were dismissed. The matter later caught the attention of the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security after three passports were found.
Investigations revealed that the man had spent several years studying at a religious school, convincingly presenting himself as an ultra-Orthodox Jew while hiding details of his origins. He was identified as Eliya Halifah, according to a statement from a rabbi in Texas. Media-published photos showed him wearing the traditional attire of extreme Orthodox Judaism during various events leading up to the wedding. In other pictures, he was seen alongside his Lebanese family members, who did not appear to be Jewish.
Documents uncovered by her family revealed that he held a Lebanese passport under a different name. According to some reports, he possessed at least one other passport, also under a different name, and may be a Muslim Palestinian from Beirut.
The Israeli newspaper reported that the only person who had doubts about the groom prior to the wedding was the rabbi's wife, who had given the bride lessons on Jewish marriage laws before the wedding. Halifah, it was reported, presented a convincing story about why he had distanced himself from his family and his affiliation with the Chabad Lubavitch branch in Texas for several years.
