WIDOW BOUND TO MARRY

Evening Star, Issue 20139, 2 April 1929, Page 13

WIDOW BOUND TO MARRY

The Jewish rite of Halisah, under which a widow is bound to marry the brother of her late husband unless he releases her from the obligation, was referred to at Shoreditch County Court recently.

According to a report published m the London ‘ Daily Mail ’ on December 5, Mrs Annie Goldman, of Manor road, Stoke Newington, sued Monas Kiniche, her brother-in-law, and his wife to recover £GB in respect of loans. The defence was that before Mrs Goldman married her second husband she agreed, in connection with the rite of Halisah, to pay Mr and Airs Kiniche £•300, less a deduction in respect of loans, and to pay £350 to her eldest brother in Chicago. Judge Cluer: The brother is, of course, obliged to marry her unless they loose his shoe or spit at him.

Monas Kiniche sg id he was to receive £3OO for arranging the Halisah. Rabbi Sukmnnski: The Jewish law is a very fine, delicate thing. . It the widow has no money the brother helps her and pays the expenses ot Halisah. If she has money the poorer brother may then expect that she should give him something. .judge Cluer; The law of Moses says tbo widow must marry her deceased husband’s brother, and not a stranger. It is a, modern interpretation of Deuteronomy that tbo widow shall not marry uahws she receives permission. Rabbi Sukmanski added that the woman unfortunately married without obtaining Halisah. He had received a letter from a rabbi in Paris stating that Air Goldman now wanted to obtain a divorce. Mrs Goldman said she left her second husband a fortnight after they were married. The rabbi told her that it she was married without obtaining Halisah the dead relatives of her late husband would come at night and tear pieces off her. She married at a registe? - office.

Judge Cluer., in giving judgment for Airs Goldman, said: Everybody respects people who respect the customs ot their forefathers, but a marriage at a register office is quite ns valid in this world as any other./