When The Shidduch Hits the Fan

This week, along with the rest of you, I read the words of Gital, a chained woman or Agunah as she publicly pleaded for a Jewish divorce from her husband.

But this isn’t about Get. I’ve written about the tragedy of “Get’ in My Rabbi The Hitman. This is about what has become of Jewish dating and marriage in certain, mainly ultra Orthodox circles. Reading her words, I was struck by the brokenness of a system and how it can lead directly to tragedies like Gital’s.

In these circles, every young man and woman has a resume where all pertinent information is written: family lineage (often including information on siblings and other family members), education, background, character traits, looks, earning potential etc. The unquantifiable is quantified and people are dehumanized, forced onto a scale and what best adjectives a well-meaning mother can find in a thesaurus.

 

Read the full article in The Times of Israel

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SKJ speaks internationally about Judaism, women, Israel, Zionism, anti semitism, and effective activism – or just how to not let people drive you crazy. She has been hosted in the US, the UK and Israel at synagogues, Jewish community centers, conferences and private events.