It’s good to be the king.
Under strict Jewish law, only a husband can initiate a divorce from his wife. If a woman wants to end the union, she must convince her spouse to go along — or be stuck in marital purgatory, experts said yesterday.
Under these conditions, a husband delivers to the wife what is called a “get” a divorce document — usually on parchment paper — that spells out the terms of the split.
Without a get, the woman is not free to marry again, and would still be subject to the laws of adultery.
“She’s dependent on him,” said Amy Neustein, a child-custody and divorce expert. “She cannot remarry. She cannot procreate. She has no financial means. Her ability to sustain herself is dependent on that divorce.”
In some cases, a Jewish rabbinical court can compel the husband to agree to a divorce. Those exceptions include spousal abuse and lack of financial support, several experts said.