Tuesday 25 June 2013

Getting a Get with Mayim Bialik

«A get is the legal way of releasing the husband from his contract. Historically, men could marry several women, so the main point was freeing her from the union. A get is a written document that has to be composed by a sofer (scribe) in the presence of a Beit Din (court of Jewish law). Ironically, men are the ones who grant a get, even if a woman is the one who initiates it. This has led to the circumstance of countless women being "agunot" or "chained women," not allowed to be released from their marital contracts and, thus, unable in religious circles to remarry or have children without their children being deemed illegitimate if their husbands don't want to let them be free. It's a mess, and I actually narrated a documentary about the lengths some women go to get a get. It's called "Women Unchained" and it's a very good documentary.

Anyway. There are ways to protect yourself from becoming a "chained woman" and many Orthodox rabbis are creating halakhic prenuptials so that this situation does not happen. But let's say you are not a religious woman. Why should you care about a get?»
The Jewish Divorce: Getting a Get with Mayim Bialik | The Official Mayim Bialik Blog at Kveller
http://www.kveller.com/mayim-bialik/the-jewish-divorce-getting-a-ghet-with-mayim-bialik/


About Mayim
Mayim Bialik is the grandchild of immigrants from Eastern Europe and the mother of two young boys. She is best known for her lead role in the 1990s NBC sitcom Blossom, as well as her current role as Amy Farrah Fowler on CBS' The Big Bang Theory.


Best Regards,
RRW

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