Israeli chief rabbi forces man to grant get by refusing to bury his mother
After ten years of refusing to grant a religious divorce, a man has been forced to give his wife the separation after Ashkenazi rabbi David Lau's ultimatum
Israel’s Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi David Lau has forced a man to grant his wife a religious divorce after ten years of saying no – by refusing permission for the man’s mother to be buried.
Lau’s extraordinarily effective intervention came after the Israel-based man spent a decade denying his wife a Jewish divorce, or get, meaning she was unable to remarry despite the man having remarried five years ago.
“This is the most severe case of Agunah,” said Lau. “For over ten years the husband totally refuses to allow his wife to continue her life while he is unlawfully married to a second wife.”
He added: “After all other options were exhausted, we were forced to inform the burial society not to bury his mother until a valid bill of divorce was given.”
Women’s rights groups say Jewish men can use the threat of get-refusal to force through a favourable financial settlement, meaning mediation can be needed. Two years ago, the Rabbinical Court of Jerusalem has tried to broker a settlement between the couple, but was ultimately unsuccessful.
The situation came to a head on Monday when the man’s mother’s body was flown to Israel for burial. The man has now pledged to attend a hearing of the US rabbinical court and obey its ruling, and has offered a financial deposit that he loses if he fails to comply with his commitment.
The issue of Jewish men refusing their wives a get is becoming increasingly prominent, and in June, an Israeli woman whose husband had refused to grant a divorce for 23 years broke new ground by securing a ruling from a private Orthodox rabbinic court, clearing the way for her to remarry.
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
