A Jewish religious court in Great Britain has issued a ruling forbidding Orthodox Jews from eating, drinking or sitting within six feet of a 43-year old Jewish man because he refuses to give his wife a “get,” or Jewish divorce.
It Moses David still refuses to appear before the Beit Din, further restrictions might be imposed, ranging from a prohibition against counting him in a minyan to forbidding other Jews from conducting business with him.
The action by the Beit Din represents the first time that a “nidui,” or halachic ostracism, was issued for failure to provide a get in the United Kingdom.
Last year, a group of “agunot,” Jewish women who have been denied “gets,” chained themselves to protest their plight, leading Chief Rabbi Jonathan Sacks to make a commitment to help the agunot.
Since the protest, Sacks has written a prenuptial agreement that provides for a mutual divorce if both husband and wife decide they want to separate.
In addition, legislation has been introduced in the British Parliament that would forbid Jewish men from remarrying under British law if they refuse to grant their wives a get.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
