Israel’s Chief Rabbi, on Tuesday, delayed the burial of the mother of a United States (U.S.) Jewish man, who for years refused to grant his wife a divorce, with the aim of freeing the wife from the marriage.
The mother’s burial was delayed by a few hours, until her son agreed to abide by any decision reached on the matter by the responsible court in the U.S., according to a member of the Council of the Israeli Chief Rabbinate, Rabbi Weiss.
In Orthodox Jewish communities, women are required to get the husband’s consent to be able to divorce.
Israeli Chief Rabbi David Lau said in a statement that after investigating the situation, he found that for over 10 years, the man had “vehemently refused to allow his wife to continue her life, while he illegally married a second woman”.
The body of the man’s mother, who lived in the U.S., was brought to Israel overnight, in order to be buried there, according to a statement by the Chief Rabbinate.
“We hope this move will bring about a divorce soon and that the woman will be freed from her chains after so many years”, Lau said.
