The Union of Orthodox Hebrew Congregations has taken the
unusual step of denouncing a local councillor for allegedly refusing to
co-operate with its Beth Din over his wife’s application for a divorce.
The head of the Union’s Beth Din, Dayan Aharon Dovid Dunner,
said that Benzion Papier, who represents the Conservatives in Stamford Hill
West in the borough of Hackney — a ward with a large Charedi population, should
be considered an “offender” in the view of the Shulchan Aruch, the Code of
Jewish Law.
In a letter in Hebrew to the officers of the Bobov 45
community, Dayan Dunner said Papier had refused to come to the religious court
despite invitations to attend.
It urged them to do everything they could to influence him
to comply with the Beth Din’s orders and not to continue to “chain” his
“unfortunate” wife.
Under Jewish law, a woman requires a get, a religious
divorce, from her husband in order to be able to remarry, otherwise she
will be left stranded as an agunah, a “chained woman”. A get has to be given by
the husband and received by the wife voluntarily.
A spokesman for the Union said it was “very rare” for such
letters to be issued.
A husband who is considered to have defied the Beth Din can
be liable to sanctions such as being denied the honour of being called to
the Torah in synagogue or even being barred from entry.
Councillor Papier, who is deputy chairman for membership of
Hackney Conservative Association, has been approached for a comment.
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