The Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America, the nation’s largest Orthodox Jewish umbrella organization, is profoundly disappointed in failure of the Maryland Senate to pass the get bill. After a 12-1 committee vote in favor of the bill and an earlier 35-10 vote in the full Senate, it failed in a 22-22 vote earlier today.
Rabbi Dr. Tzvi Hersh Weinreb, UOJCA Executive Vice President stated:
“We are profoundly disappointed by the Get bill’s failure. Fully consistent with constitutional requirements, this bill’s passage would have delivered a powerful message to unscrupulous spouses. Sadly, the message sent today is precisely the wrong one.”
The OU joined a diverse coalition in pushing for the bill, including women’s groups, domestic violence prevention advocates, the organized Jewish community, including the Baltimore Jewish Council and the JCRC of Greater Washington, as well as the broad spectrum of Orthodox leaders, including Agudath Israel of America, a unanimous Baltimore Vaad HaRabbonim, the Rabbinical Council of Greater Washington and others.
(OU Press Release)
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5 Responses
How did it pass the first two signings and not the last? What was the glitch that held it back,, a law of that sort is quite important for all individuals.
it passed in committe, but failed to get a majority in the full house.
what I don’t understand is if someone used this secular law in a get, it would seem to make it a get mesuah.
I don’t know the particulars of this law, but Agudath Israel appears to be involved. They know all about get me’useh, as evidenced by their opposition to the NY get law in the 1980s. There are ways that it can be written to avoid that issue.
If a reputable Beis Din rules that a get must be given, and/or that the rights of both spouses are respectfuly covered for, and the only thing the law is doing is enforcing the psak, then it may be worthwhile.
But for the law to force a man to give a get without the ruling of a competant Beis Din is contrary to din Torah. Especially in this day and age when the court system is stacked against the man, the only recourse he has sometimes to be able to just get to see his kids once in a while is not to give a get. Corrupt lawyers, and unfortunately today, some of them are “frum” have their woman clients run away with the kids, file orders of protection, and have the men arrested just to make their lives miserable. besides these so-called frum laywers being Mosrim, not giving a get is the only way out sometimes for a tormented husband. These lawyers and judges are much more corrupt than the most corrupt Rabbanin.
While unscrupulous lawyers play a large role in the current get crisis, there are toanim who garner huge fees as well as batei dinim who charge an arm and a leg. Money rears its ugly head when it comes to so many things and gitin are no exception. If there were to be equality there should be batei denim with dayonim paid by the community and no toan allowed.