JERUSALEM — In a rare and extraordinary intervention by the Rishon LeZion and President of the Great Rabbinical Court, Rabbi David Yosef, he personally succeeded in securing a get for an Agunah trapped in a difficult and abusive marriage with a violent and stubborn husband.
The story began years ago, when a young secular couple, who later embraced a religious lifestyle inspired by Breslov, lived together before marriage. At some point, the man became entangled in legal issues in Israel and fled with his partner to Uman, Ukraine. Under pressure from the local Breslov community, they married according to Jewish law.
However, the marriage quickly deteriorated. The young woman became pregnant and was subjected to severe physical abuse. As she neared childbirth, the couple returned to Israel, where she gave birth to their son.
Following the birth, violent altercations resumed, and the woman was repeatedly beaten—once even found unconscious. With no other choice, she fled with her baby and filed a case with the regional rabbinical court. The court summoned the husband with the help of police and arrest warrants, but he went into hiding.
The case was transferred to the Division for Preventing Agunot, headed by Rabbi Eliyahu Maimon. With the help of a private investigator, the husband was eventually located in Meron, northern Israel. All attempts to persuade him to grant a get failed. He swore he would never divorce his wife. The investigator called in the police, and the man was arrested under a court order—resisting violently and even attacking officers during the arrest.
From a Jerusalem detention facility, he was brought before the court presided over by Rabbi Yitzchak Ushinsky. He remained defiant through three hearings, insisting he loved his wife and would never give her a get. In collaboration between the rabbinical court administration, the Israel Prison Service (IPS) led by Commissioner Kobi Yaakobi, and the office of Rabbi Yosef, the IPS rabbinate contacted Rabbi Yosef and informed him of the husband’s ongoing refusal and request to speak with him.
Moved by the case, Rabbi Yosef personally entered the courtroom in Jerusalem—an unusual occurrence for the chief rabbi. He stepped down from the judges’ bench, sat beside the prisoner, who was surrounded by six IPS officers, embraced him, and spoke to him at length from the heart.
At a certain moment, the man broke down in tears and agreed to give the get on the spot. A scribe and witnesses were immediately summoned, the get was written and delivered, and the young, abused woman was finally freed.
Rabbi Eli Ben-Dahan, Director of the Rabbinical Courts, praised Rabbi David Yosef for “bringing a new spirit and a direct, personal approach to resolving the difficult situations faced by litigants.” He also commended Rabbi Eliyahu Maimon and his team for their tireless efforts, day and night to free women trapped in marriages against their will.
Reprinted from the May 22, 2025 website of VINnews
