The following is the story of a 27-year-old chareidi “special needs” woman from the center of the country, who was introduced to a “special needs” man. The two met once and decided to get engaged, and they were subsequently married.
The two met about two years ago via a shidduch, both described as “simple and innocent” people. In January 2007, following their wedding, the couple moved into a rental apartment, with the wife explaining “we had fun being with one another.”
For reasons that are not explained, the powers that be decided to bring an end to their happiness, leading to a family member of the groom informing the couple that they have managed to arrange for them to receive a government apartment, but it will entail making a trip an office of the Chief Rabbinate to sign some forms attesting to their marriage, thereby making them eligible for the free apartment.
The two, accompanied by the husband’s family member made the trip. The beis din asked “you love one another?” to which the two responded affirmatively. The dayanim then requested the woman sign a blank piece of paper, explaining “this is for the apartment”. The two were instructed not to mention the day’s events to anyone. The husband gave his wife NIS 50 for the bus trip ahead of them. She left and has not seen him since.
The worried bride turned to her grandparents, not knowing what to do. It did not take long for them to realize the young innocent couple had been duped into getting divorced. “You signed on a get, not a form for a new apartment,” she was told.
The distraught bride began trying to contact her husband but his family told her to “stop calling.” She eventually did track him down, in Switzerland. He told her that he moved and they would no longer see one another. He explained he did not want to, but his family made him give her the get, and the phone went dead.
Not willing to accept the bitter news, the bride turned to the legal department of the Na’amat organization, and attorneys Gali Etzion and Tami Lavi launched an investigation. They explain that the blank paper she signed became her divorce agreement, citing there was definitely cooperation between the husband’s family and the beis din. A complaint was filed with the nation’s chief dayan, Sephardic Chief Rabbi Shlomo Amar, as well as with Justice Tova Strasburg-Cohen, the civil service ombudsman.
Rav Amar reportedly took disciplinary action against the dayanim, but exactly what action is not reported. Justice Strasburg-Cohen has yet to complete her investigation. The bride is reportedly waiting the return of her husband.
The report does leave a number of questions unanswered. It is presented as it appears in the daily Yediot Achronot. No additional information is available at this time.
(Yechiel Spira – YWN Israel)
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21 Responses
Isn’t this against Cherem R’ Gershon who states one can not give a forced get?
Unless they are sfardi, in which case, why get her to sign.
And if this story is true, then the Dayan is not even kosher to be a witness, much less a Dayan.
This story is so stupid that I am surprised the Yeshiva world would even bring it down. The source is from a chiloni newspaper who looks for any story that makes the chareidim look bad. Obviously there is so much of the story that is not true and more than that there is a big part of the story missing. You have to be an imbecile to believe this story as it is brought down. Did she actually receive a get? So many unanswered questions.
If things occured as described above, I would sincerely question the validity of the purported “Get” (al pid din.)
sounds a bit fishy.. but a question remains. Are they considered divorced al pi halacha if he did it against his will, & she wasn’t even aware what she was doing?
Can anyone verify this story?
I don’t see how a get can be valid if the wife doesn’t know what she is signing. This story makes no sense.
#2 is so right
What is wrong with YWN?
I’m going to second that by #2. The story is ridiculous. You have a valid get you need to have something dropped into your hands- and hear the words “Harey At Muteres L’Kol Adam”. It’s not valid otherwise. To believe that a beis din issued a get without basically means she was still married- pretty unbelievable, even for the Rabbanut. The story is missing tons of facts. Sounds like another story written by an ignorant chiloni on a slow news day. Maybe Obama didn’t sign this press release.. (you know, as opposed to a a fast news day, when someone in a white shirt was spotted in Tel Aviv – from a Rabbinic Family, of course. Funny how they never write about the yichus of any chiloni criminals).
Interesting-that the current mesechta right now in Daf Yomi is Gittin. If I remember correctly it is only a Kosher Get if the signing comes AFTER the writing of the Get. If the Get is signed first IT IS NOT KOSHER. If I’m wrong about this please let me know, but I don’t think that it’s a Kosher Get, something sounds fishy here.
I wouldn’t put anything past them (Israeli Beis din)
im also suprised yw is reporting this as written in that … newspaper!!
#2 is 100% correct. Does the editor of YW have any understanding? Validate the story and print it. Yediot has absolutly no credibility. Even if this story is true, there are unanswered questions. A news service must be responsible and address these problems.
From the limited information available, it sounds more like a good story of some stubborn retarded (the politically incorrect term) people who decided to get married over their family’s objections. The “Beis Din” in question was probably related to them and was cooperating with the family memebers who felt the couple shouldn’t be married. This is a common problem everywhere, and while raising all sorts of interesting (to discuss, not to litigate) legal issues, is really about how societies (including our’s) deal with
retarded adults. As a political controversy, it’s a dud.
my mother’s cousin was married to someone who had physical problems having children (clean language). when her parents went to the rabbanut in bnei braq, not only did they know about, but he was married previously (and divorced for that reason)! and the rabbonim knew about it, but didnt tell the family at the time of the marriage!
how is it possible,
that when the story is “charedi get’s beaten up”
or “charedi cheated out of money” or some other type of story, where we have un-answered questions, everyone instantly shows sympathy for the charedi? Why? becuase were biased.
I’m not disagreeing with the majority of people, #2 is probably right, there is a major untold side to the story, BUT there is almost ALWAYS a major untold side to the story, we all cry foul when it’s against us, not for us….meaning,
we really need to think alittle more no?
especially considering who we claim to be….
Having been through the procedure, I can tell you that this story is nearly impossible, if not impossible. There has to be a meeting where the dayan approves the conditions of the divorce. The woman has to receive the get from the husband, and more. If this story was even half true, the beit din could be sued in the civil court and they would loose big time.
Valid get? That is not the point. If the article is correct, this was done in a deceptive and criminal manner. How heartbreaking.
If it only were so easy to force husbands of agunos to give gets.
daf yomi is learning gittin, one of the things is that he has to say hay gitach if he doesn’t its not a good get divorcing ba’al korcha means against her will not without her knowledge
Perhaps the husband’s family felt that he and/or she didn’t have the capacity to contract a halachic marriage & went through the get procedure only to physically separate the couple & convince them they were no longer married? If that were the case they wouldn’t be concerned about the validity of the get, since they’d maintain that the marriage was never valid anyway, & no get would be necessary to end it.
22,
Your reasoning displays a vast vacuum of knowledge.
#24, can we all show some ahavas yisroel and achdus especially as we approach Tisha B’Av.
Also, #22 does make sense in the context that a marriage between “special needs”, especially mentally challenged individuals often brings up great controversy among family members and the community. Obviously, if the story is correct, someone influenced someone to “just get them to sign the get under any pretenses,” and then be done with it.
I think this action, if true, is heartbreaking.
Perhaps someone can comment on marriage for “special needs” people, including the mentally challenged, from a Torah perspective.