This past week, a New Jersey Appellate Court issued a monumental ruling that will now become case precedent for Agunas throughout the State.
An “Aguna” is a term in Hebrew which translates to “Chained.” It refers to a Jewish woman whose husband refuses to issue her a Gett, a Jewish Divorce. If the husband refuses to issue the Gett, she remains married to him, and is “chained” until and if he decides to issue it. The New Jersey ruling, intertwines the freedom of speech with the Agunah crisis that sometimes plagues our communities.
A Frum woman identified as L.B.B. in Court filings, was married to S.B.B. for nearly twenty years. After the couple separated, L.B.B. requested the Gett, and S.B.B. refused, stating that he left the Gett with the “Head Rabbi of Elizbath (N.J.)” . L.B.B. sent a video to a Rabbinical Judge with her requests to help her procure the Gett from S.B.B. The video was somehow shared on social media, and friends and strangers began a social media campaign which was targeted to the woman’s estranged husband, demanding that he “unchain and free his wife.”
As a result of this, the husband, S.B.B., filed a restraining order in Court, telling the Judge that these social media posts were Defamatory, and that he feared for his life. As a result, the trial Judge issued a restraining order against L.B.B. stating that the social media posts violated New Jersey laws against harassment. The Judge prohibited her from using social media to speak about her desire to receive a Gett. In the ruling, the Judge also ordered her to pay over $10,000.00 in damages to S.B.B.
After the trial Judge refused to change his position, L.B.B. was forced to appeal to the New Jersey Higher Court, the Appellate Division. At this point, many prominent organizations such as the ACLU became involved. The ACLU is a known organization which focuses its efforts on the freedom of speech in America. The ACLU and other prominent organizations such as the Jewish Orthodox Feminist Alliance, Sanctuary for Families, and The Organization for the Resolution of Agunot, filed appellate briefs to the Court highlighting the dangers of muzzling a person’s right to speak freely.
The Appellate Court issued a unanimous reversal of the trial Court’s decision, stating categorically that a woman who is chained to a religious marriage, is allowed to openly speak about her experiences and is also allowed to seek help from her community and her friends. The three-panel Court stated that such expression is protected by the First Amendment and its State constitutional analog.
In its conclusion, the Court stated: “In sum, the Judge’s finding that the Jewish community was prone to violence against get refusers — and the implicit holding that the Defendant was aware of and intentionally availed herself of such violent tendencies — is not supported by the record,” the decision says. “The video was intended to get a Gett. The video did not threaten or menace Plaintiff, and nothing in the record suggests that Plaintiff’s safety or security was put at risk by the video.”
The case of L.B.B. highlights a surreal development in the modern age of technology. Before “Tik Tok,” “Facebook” and the like, many Agunas were left hopeless. Their message was hard to share. Many women were left “chained” sometimes forever. Now, in the digital age of social media and the like, Agunas are spreading their messages for the world to see. Communities are galvanized, and a support system is much easier. Now, for the State of New Jersey, women don’t have to feel ashamed or worried that they can’t use social media to help themselves receive a Gett. Yes, Free Speech is indeed Free, at least in New Jersey.
If the husband’s contention that her get is available for her is correct, the woman is not an agunah, she is a moredes.
Apparently, you have no clue what moredes means.
I’m sorry. I’m afraid you have no idea what a moredes is, nor of what a real agunah is.
You clearly don’t.
Awesome ! let the violence And vigilante Justice prevail. What a wonderful day for humanity isn’t this the way things worked all the wait back to mount sinai? Whoever has a better media presence wins. This is what moshe meant when he came down from the mountain with the two luchos….שופטים ושוטרים תתן לך. A day to rejoice!
It might be true that in certain extenuating circumstances hand twisting has its place but this is definitely not A system which should be put in place. SAD
Incorrect. A moredes is a woman that leaves her husband. He has to give her the Get. She doesn’t have to come and get it.
The get is at……………But there are metal strings attached.
In essence there is no get available.
That is true when it is a kangaroo beis din. I don’t know the facts here. According to him, it was left with a respectable Rav. But I don’t know if you consider anyone a respectable rav.
The Get needs to be sent to the woman. There is no Halacha that requires a woman to come and get her Get. If he doesn’t want to see her, he needs to hire a shaliach who would say in the presence of Beis din Befanei nechtav befanei nechtam. The Pasuk says Vchasav lah sefer krisus vnasan byadah. It doesn’t say Vatikach sefer krisus.
Saying the get is left for her to pick up is a popular tactic used by get refusers . When she goes to try and get it no one can actually give it.
When it’s left with a kangaroo beis Din, not with a respected rav, which is what he seems to assert. I don’t know the facts of the case, I only wrote that is what he said is true, and that is her halachic status.
By the way, refusing to reach an equitable settlement with your husband is a tactic frequently used by self proclaimed Agunos.
You remain wrong. He has no right to make any demands of her to come get her Get. No matter what he says, it remains wrong. All agreements need to be based on what Halacha demands. The Kesubah is still required to be paid, or whatever financial agreement is reached. As long as discussions are taking place she wouldn’t be considered an Aguna, and he wouldn’t be considered a Get denier.
The ACLU is a leftist racist organization that intrudes on everyone’s freedoms. Jews should be ashamed to ever be in the same sentence as them. All you need to do is check the past cases they’ve been on to see.
It’s not exactly all good news.
She almost had to pay money to the creep of a husband that tortured her for years. Appealing to a higher court cost a lot of money, luckily she got the support she needed to do it.
Until it comes back to bite.
It’s sad to me that our Jewish traditions are getting bad publicity by going to the secular court system. This doesn’t exactly make us shine.