Leah Sterling, of Chicago, made an unsuccessful attempt to commit suicide today in the office of the Chief Rabbinate after failing to secure permission to rewed her divorced husband, Isaac Karolewicz.
The rabbinate refused her request because Karolewicz is descended from the “kohanim” (priestly class among the ancient Hebrews) and is therefore forbidden under religious law to marry a divorced person.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
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.
