Jerusalem Dayanim Under Investigation For Prohibiting Wife From Reporting Husband Attacked Her

By Staff Reporter
Posted on 11/10/17 | News Source: YWN

A Jerusalem Beis Din forbade a chareidi woman from complaining to the police about allegations of particularly serious and violent acts against her by her ex-husband – as a condition for receiving a get.

The divorce agreement drafted by the parties’ attorneys a year and a half ago and signed as a “psak din” by Rabbi Yosef Goldberg, states: “At the husband’s request, the woman will not file any complaint with the police about past events.”

According to Yaki Adamker’s report on the Walla News website, the lawsuit submitted by the chareidi woman from the center of the country shows that “past events” are allegations of a particularly serious case, severe violence against her and their two children, as well as cases of unusual behavior towards her.

According to the woman, she signed the agreement after being pressured by the dayanim for fear of remaining an agunah if she did not sign.

According to the report, the director of Mavoi Satum, which assists agunos, attorney Batya Kahana-Dror, who began to represent the woman in recent days. On Wednesday an appeal was filed with Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit to open a criminal investigation against the dayanim involved in the case: Yosef Goldberg, David Bardugo and Mordechai Ralbag.

According to attorney Kahana-Dror, the dayanim are likely guilty of obstruction of justice and extortion by threats.

“Since the signing of the agreement, the woman has not filed a complaint with the police, closed the custody files, the visual arrangements and the children’s food that have already been opened and discussed in the Family Court and by agreement,” she said.

The husband’s attorney said in response to Walla: “In court and in the rabbinic court, the husband categorically denied the allegations … Moreover, no judicial or other ruling has ever been found to prove the husband acted this way.”

The rabbinical courts said in response to Walla: “This is a divorce agreement that the couple made 18 months ago, when the woman was represented by attorney Tzuriel Bublil, one of the best lawyers in family matters. There were negotiations between the lawyers and the couple, and the two sides agreed on the contents of the agreement and dictated it to the court. The process of approving the agreement was made before the Av Beis Din, Rabbi Yosef Goldberg, with the consent of the parties as a single judge. ”

They also added: “No factual basis was put forward before the dayan to support the claims, but he feared that the file contained a serious potential for making the woman an agunah, and after ensuring that the woman she represented agreed willingly to the content of the agreement, to approve the agreement without the issue of the complaint to the police than to endanger the woman with becoming an agunah.”

The courts added: “The decision of the dayanim not to intervene in the agreement regarding the non-filing of complaints in respect of past events was based on the fact that other clauses in the agreement that were important to the woman had long and bitter arguments between the spouses but regarding this particular matter, the woman did not express any objections.”