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Last update - 12:08 29/05/2008
German student to be deported for alleged 'missionary work'
By Ofri Ilani
Tags: Israel, Germany, missionary

A student from Germany is set to be deported Friday, after the Interior Ministry determined that she was doing missionary work.

Barbara Ludwig, 32, who has been living mainly in Israel for the past decade, completed her undergraduate degree in philosophy here, and is now working on her master's degree in religious studies at the Hebrew University.

"I was born in Germany, but I found my identity in Israel," Ludwig said.
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However, at 6:30 A.M. on April 28, the Immigration Police knocked on her door and took her to Ma'asiyahu Prison in Ramle.

Despite attempts by the Hebrew University's legal department to demand her release so she could finish her studies, the Custody Tribunal at Ma'asiyahu ordered her to leave the country within 30 days.

Interior Ministry spokeswoman Sabine Haddad said Ludwig was being deported because she had not arranged her residency status. However, the head of the Population Administration's central region, Elinor Golan, sent two letters to Ludwig's lawyer stating that Ludwig's repeated requests for residency status had been denied because she was "doing missionary work."

Michael Decker, Ludwig's lawyer, said a hearing held on her case in 2004 in the Interior Ministry was a "humiliating religious interrogation," including asking whether she believed Jesus was the messiah.

Ludwig denied being a missionary, although she admits being in contact with Messianic Jews. "They may have seen me at some meeting of the Messianic Jews," she says. I go around with Jews, with Christians and with Messianics, and I read books about Christianity. So what? That's no a reason to deport me," Ludwig said.

The Interior Ministry insists that Ludwig is not being persecuted for her religious faith.

"The above has been in Israel for five years illegally, and that is the basis for the demand that she leave the country," Interior Ministry spokeswoman Haddad said. "Ms. Ludwig has been asked a number of times to leave the country and arrange her status, but she prefered to ignore the Interior Ministry's requests and continued to break the law.

"In light of the above, we see no fault with the way the issue was handled so far. On the contrary, we are surprised that the lady was a student at an official institution in the state of Israel while defined as an illegal resident," Haddad added.

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      1.   messianic 12:28  |  andy 29/05/08
      2.   Lefties at HU taking law in their own hands,typical for Leftie co 12:56  |  Absolute Sweden 29/05/08
      3.   If illegal so long then the Iministry is only doing it`s job. 13:17  |  Jo 29/05/08
      4.   Persecution or not ? 13:18  |  Fussion 29/05/08
      5.   one less nutjob 13:22  |  don 29/05/08
      6.   No way was she deported for illegal status... 13:30  |  X 29/05/08
      7.   Christian minority is disadvantaged in the Middle East 13:41  |  John 29/05/08
      8.   Illegal resident bullies universitiy slots of ethiopean jews!!! 13:55  |  Alex 29/05/08
      9.   In Gaza Hamas would have shot her...Israel gave her fair trial. 14:20  |  r 29/05/08
      10.   Double standard 14:22  |  W 29/05/08
      11.   Missionaries in Israel 15:04  |  Dror 29/05/08
      12.   Sorry John #7...Europe and USA are so nice with illegals!!! 15:16  |  Alain 29/05/08
      13.   Deporting Missionaries 15:17  |  Said 29/05/08
      14.   #10 15:55  |  Jan 29/05/08
      15.   To #10, Double Standard 16:31  |  Derek 29/05/08
      16.   Dror#11 16:34  |  ron 29/05/08
      17.   I was deported too for being a missionary in Jerusalem 16:51  |  Yaakov Sullivan 29/05/08
      18.   Dror, you will make a good Christian, just try to see the truth 16:55  |  Yaakov Sullivan 29/05/08
      19.   very funny ron 17:05  |  Dror 29/05/08
      20.   outsider 17:08  |  Di, the doubter 29/05/08
      21.   outsider 17:09  |  Di, the doubter 29/05/08
      22.   Yaakov Sullivan 17:10  |  Dror 29/05/08
      23.   Yaakov`s deportation 17:28  |  Shirah 29/05/08
      24.   weird 18:07  |  Marsian 29/05/08
      25.   Yet Lubavitch is allowed to roam the world spreading its poison 18:22  |  Chanalau, Tova 29/05/08
      26.   Disgraceful 18:28  |  JordanisPalestine 29/05/08
      27.   MINISTRY OF INTERIOR 18:30  |  MICHAEL FURMAN 29/05/08
      28.   This is why Middle Eastern Countries, even more moderate 18:30  |  Francis 29/05/08
      29.   Tova Chanalau, 18:36  |  luther 29/05/08
      30.   #25 Chanalau, Tova 18:52  |  JordanisPalestine 29/05/08
      31.   #17 another LIE from the FAILURE 18:52  |  Ari ben Yisrael 29/05/08
      32.   Thanks for deporting 18:57  |  Advocate4Liberty 29/05/08
      33.   Let`s put it this way 19:01  |  * BEN JABO 29/05/08
      34.   #15 Derek 19:03  |  Advocate4Liberty 29/05/08
      35.   #25 Chanalu, Tovah (Rawsha) 19:04  |  * BEN JABO 29/05/08
      36.   Relax 19:06  |  Maks 29/05/08
      37.   #26 JordanisPalestine 19:11  |  * BEN JABO 29/05/08
      38.   Yakoub Suleiman anything to say Turkish Gay Association banned 19:36  |  Genuine Tosefta 29/05/08
      39.   #17 Jakoub Suleiman converting Gays is not so hard to do 19:40  |  Genuine Tosefta 29/05/08
      40.   Yakoub Suleiman #17,how many Muslims you converted in Jerusalem? 19:43  |  Genuine Tosefta 29/05/08
      41.   Comments 19:54  |  Sar Chasm 29/05/08
      42.   #15: What exactly is the status of proselytizing? 20:00  |  Jan 29/05/08
      43.   Shirah 20:12  |  Genuine Tosefta 29/05/08
      44.   Shirah 20:43  |  Shekinah 29/05/08
      45.   # 37 ben jabber 20:45  |  Axel 29/05/08
      46.   Ben Jabo 21:21  |  Shekinah 29/05/08
      47.   Messianic 22:12  |  Nelda 29/05/08
      48.   What a shame? 22:39  |  Shoshana Thomasson 29/05/08
      49.   Still waiting Yakoub Suleiman report on adopting that Arab child 23:04  |  Genuine Tosefta 29/05/08
      50.   Can you proselytize Muslims in Mecca/other Arab/Muslim country? 23:10  |  Genuine Tosefta 29/05/08
      51.   Send her to Iran or Syria 23:28  |  dm 29/05/08
      52.   I understand 23:31  |  eric 29/05/08
      53.   More Israeli inhumanity 00:09  |  Genuine Tosefta 30/05/08
      54.   Shekinah 02:49  |  Shirah 30/05/08
      55.   GT 03:52  |  Axel 30/05/08
      56.   You Know I Wouldn`t Kick Out Germans... 05:55  |  Yosemite 30/05/08
      57.   #46 Shekinah - What in the devil are you talking about? 06:40  |  * BEN JABO 30/05/08
      58.   #45 OXel - You make as much sense as usual-NONE 06:42  |  * BEN JABO 30/05/08
      59.   Baptist Village 07:56  |  Susan 30/05/08
      60.   Germans should observe carefully 09:44  |  Raymond Deane 30/05/08
      61.   Genuine Tosefta 09:46  |  Santa Claus 30/05/08
      62.   missionary work 10:11  |  ruben siedner 30/05/08
      63.   #GENUINE TOSEFTA 10:57  |  MICHAEL FURMAN 30/05/08
      64.   Shirah 12:25  |  Shekinah 30/05/08
      65.   Ben Jabo 12:50  |  Shekinah 30/05/08
      66.   "missionary work" - God`s will? Nonsense! 13:42  |  ruben siedner 30/05/08
      67.   tolerance? you should be the first 13:53  |  ruben siedner 30/05/08
      68.   #65 Shikur 18:09  |  * BEN JABO 30/05/08
      69.   Why Christian Missionaries Should be Deported 18:34  |  Reasonable Dialouge 30/05/08
      70.   #65-2 Shikur - You sound like one 19:04  |  * BEN JABO 30/05/08
      71.   Shekina - Let`s make a deal 19:46  |  * BEN JABO 30/05/08
      72.   #18 Yaacov on Dror 20:11  |  Obse