Maryland Attorney

What’s a “Get” and Why is it Important?

A Get is a divorce document, which according to Jewish law, must be presented by a husband to his wife in order for the couple to be divorced. The parties still need to get a civil divorce, but many Jewish couples also get a get in order to be divorced under Jewish law.

A get is important because Jews cannot be considered divorced under Jewish law without it, even though they may have received a divorce in the civil court. Without a get the couple is still considered to be married and neither the husband nor the wife can remarry under Jewish law. Many observant Jews will not consider remarrying unless they have a get.

Both spouses must agree to the Jewish divorce, but only the husband can request it from the Jewish court. If one spouse refuses to get a Jewish divorce the rabbis of this court will step in and try to persuade the recalcitrant spouse to agree to the divorce. There is no guarantee that the court will be able to persuade the spouse to agree to the divorce and this can lead to problems for the spouse who wants the Jewish divorce.

A Gaithersburg, Maryland Divorce Attorney Can Help You File Divorce Documents

Your divorce attorney can help you secure a get. A provision can be included when a Separation and Property Settlement Agreement is being negotiated that the husband will request a get from the Jewish court and the wife will agree to accept it. This provision will have the force of a court order when the agreement is incorporated into your Judgment of Absolute Divorce. If your spouse does not comply with the provision, you can ask the civil court to hold your spouse in contempt until the get is obtained. Remember to tell our divorce attorney that you want a get when you meet with them.