Victoria considering compulsory pre-nuptials

March 29, 2009 by J-Wire Staff
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The Rabbinical Council of Victoria is considering a pre-nuptial agreement covering the issue of a gett in a marriage break-down compulsory.

Rabbi Meir Klugwant

Rabbi Meir Klugwant

The President of the Rabbinical Council of Victoria, Rabbi Meir Shlomo Klugwant, told J-Wire that the agreement would allow the problems facing a religious divorce to be resolved speedily and smoothly.

Rabbi Klugwant said that pre-nuptial agreements exist in the United States and involve punitive measure incurring the unwilling husband a daily fine of US$150. He said: “This could not happen under Australian law and in any event is not desirable. All we are trying to attain is a situation avoiding the creation of agunot, or chained wives, whos husbands refuse to give them a gett.”

The plan is to make the compulsory pre-nuptial agreement in the hope that it would be implemented by other rabbinical bodies nationally at a later date.

When asked if every synagogue would enforce the ruling, he replied: “I am sure there will be some recalcitrant shuls which will allow couples to get married without the pre-nuptial. I am reticent about introducing anything which could risk losing members from the Orthodox community…but in the end it would be a worthwhile risk.”

Some congregatioons already use packaged pre-nuptial agreements from the Unites States and South Africa. Rabbi Klugwant told J-Wire that he was unaware of anyone refusing to sign one…and he said that he was yet to learn of one being put to the test.

The rabbi told J-Wire that a future consideration could well be that couples holding non-Kosher weddings would be unable to be married in an Orthodox ceremony.

The decision whether or not to introduce the pre-nuptial document is expected to be made by the Rabbinical Council of Victoria in June.

Comments

One Response to “Victoria considering compulsory pre-nuptials”
  1. ben gershon says:

    the divorce of the young folk in Israel last month .should have alerted those that did not know it that you don’t need a rabbi to have a Jewish wedding

    two witnesses

    a ring and the vow

    after consummation

    it is done

    a ketubah you can write your own the net will give you clues if you want. some are on sale in jewish book shops

    a prenup see your solicitor

    as to a kosher party if the rabbis spent some time to make it easier to afford it maybe more of us would partake

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