New Year and finally free: Get-refuser agrees to divorce wife to visit religious graves
The ex-husband finally granted S. a get so that he might visit the grave of Rabbi Nachman of Breslov in Uman - allowing S. to start the Jewish New Year off as a 'free woman.'
A woman successfully obtained a divorce after a two-year struggle, during which her ex-husband refused to grant her a 'get' (Jewish divorce), according to Yad La'isha: The Monica Dennis Goldberg Legal Aid Center for Agunot, on Wednesday.
After the woman, S., and the courts reportedly attempted to obtain a get numerous times, her former husband finally relented so that he might be able to visit the grave of Rabbi Nachman of Breslov in Uman.
A travel ban was issued against the ex-husband, preventing him from making the religious pilgrimage to Uman due to his refusal to grant his wife a divorce.
S. married her ex-husband around ten years ago, and they now have three children, according to Yad La'isha. The marriage reportedly deteriorated alongside the husband’s mental health, as he allegedly became prone to frequent fits of rage, raising his voice and acting out.
It was due to these fits of rage that S. decided two years ago to end her marriage and leave her family home with her children.
Despite S.’s unhappiness, the husband refused to grant her a divorce and demanded that she return with the children - claiming he still loved her, Yad La'isha noted. S., persistent in her desire for a fresh start, filed a case in the rabbinical court, which ruled that the husband should release her.
Despite the ruling, the husband continued to refuse to grant S. a get. It was after this that S. turned to Yad La'isha: The Monica Dennis Goldberg Legal Aid Center for Agunot, a division of the international Ohr Torah Stone network, which represents women chained to marriage by husbands who are unable or unwilling to release them.
Rabbinical Court Advocate and civil attorney Dina Reitchik, who represented S. through Yad La'isha, filed a request with the court, leading to a ruling obligating him to grant the get, along with sanctions - including the travel ban.
Despite the court granting the requests filed by Reitchik, the ex-husband continued to refuse to free S..
How a trip to Ukraine enabled S. to get her get
"It was clear to us that sanctions like license revocation or freezing his bank account would not advance the get, since this was a case of straight-out malicious refusal," explained Reitchik.
Wanting to visit the grave of tzaddikim (righteous men), the ex-husband reportedly attempted to appeal the court’s travel ban so that he could visit the grave of Rabbi Nachman of Breslov in Uman, Ukraine, over Rosh Hashana (the Jewish New Year).
"We understood that this was a rare opportunity to apply pressure, so we refused to lift the ban," recounted Reitchik.
The husband was reportedly furious as S. and her legal team fought to maintain the ban, but after this, the ex-husband finally relented and granted S. the get.
"In the end, his love for Rabbi Nachman of Breslev was apparently greater than his 'love' for his wife, which he repeatedly cited in justifying his refusal to grant her wish for a divorce," said Reitchik. "I'm glad that S. is able to inaugurate the New Year as a free woman. We will continue fighting for freedom for all our clients who are victims of get-abuse, trapped in marriages against their will."
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