Get Thee to “Gett”
Sib filmmakers Ronit and Shlomo Elkabetz in New York before opening of “Gett: The Trial of Viviane Amsalem.” Photo by Amy Stone.
Whether you’ve dedicated your life to the plight of the chained women (Hebrew “agunot”) whose husbands refuse to give them a Jewish religious divorce (“gett”), or you had no idea that a Jewish religious divorce is the ONLY legal divorce for Jewish couples in Israel, get thee to the Israeli feature film “Gett: The Trial of Viviane Amsalem.” In Hebrew, French and Arabic with English subtitles, it opens Feb. 13 in New York City and Los Angeles.
Under Jewish religious law (not just in Israel), a husband can simply refuse to give his wife a divorce. In this remarkable film, we see in detail the final two years of excruciating legal procedures that have already dragged on for three years in an Israeli “beit din,” court of judgment.
Viviane Amsalem, the wife trapped in a dead marriage, is simply a non-person. She is beautiful. She is emotionally controlled. She is not religious, but dresses modestly (except for great sandals exposing her toes). How can she keep from cracking when she’s at the mercy of a husband who doesn’t even have to show up for court dates? When he does appear, all he has to do is say no. He doesn’t even bother to hire a lawyer.
One comment on “Get Thee to “Gett””
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Put me on the waiting list for a gett. I have not been able to financially afford it . I have a civil divorce since 1981. I’m spiritually and religiously Jewish. My soul needs the release of a gett. My ex converted from Judaism to Christianity when he remarried soon after our divorce. I have not remarried. There’s no question that he would contest the gett, I don’t believe he even knows what it is. When I first inquired about a get I was told I would have to pay transportation for three Rabbis from Los Angeles plus hundreds of dollars in fees for the divorce. It was beyond my ability. I was a struggling single parent .Now all these years later I’m a struggling senior citizen still in need of spiritual release. I am a Certified Reiki Master Teacher which entitles me to a ministry status. I’m very tempted to perform the gett myself. All I need is an English translation (I cannot read Hebrew). I am sincerely desperate to finally finalized the severance of my marriage.
Baruch Hashem