FBI raid: Monsey (NY) rabbi tied to cattle-prod divorce gang

[Blue_Tires]

MONSEY — The head of a Monsey yeshiva and two other rabbis were among at least four men arrested in a sweeping investigation into a gang accused of using kidnapping, cattle prods and karate to coerce Orthodox Jewish men to grant their wives religious divorces.

The group plotted to kidnap and torture a man they thought was the recalcitrant husband of an Orthodox woman, according to a criminal complaint unsealed Thursday. The woman was actually an undercover FBI agent.

Among those arrested was Rabbi Martin Wolmark, the dean of Yeshiva Shaarei Torah in Monsey, which was one of the locations raided by the FBI late Wednesday.

Also charged was Rabbi Mendel Epstein, a prominent ultra-Orthodox divorce mediator in Brooklyn who this summer published a “Bill of Rights of a Jewish Wife.” The others were identified as Ariel Potash and a man known only as “Yaakov.”

All four are expected to appear in U.S. District Court in Trenton, N.J., on Thursday afternoon.

The gang allegedly charged families of women trying to obtain religious divorces, known as ‘gets’ tens of thousands of dollars to pressure their husbands using methods that included violence.

The get is essential for the woman. Those who are unable to obtain them are known as ‘agunot,’ or chained women, because they cannot remarry until they obtain a get.

http://www.lohud.com/article/20131010/NEWS03/310100038/FBI-raid-Monsey-rabbi-tied-to-cattle-prod-divorce-gang

[Blue_Tires]

1. kick

[Blue_Tires]

2. I'm surprised no DUers have jumped on this

the story is full of WTF?

[stevenleser]

4. Totally unsurprising for me and I think for folks who have familiarity with the Get issue

I'm only surprised that stuff like this doesn't happen more often.

You can imagine what that would be like to only have one spouse be able to approve a divorce and the other unable to be seen as unmarried without their permission.

[Buddha_of_Wisdom]

8. My son's principal and teacher (same person) had difficulty getting Get

but it was finally done. Her husband is a Rabbi and a complete jerk.

Her story became public news, and the divorce was messy. Took her about 5 years to get the Get done. One of her 12 children is a close friend of mine.

[Sheldon Cooper]

3. Here's a thread from yesterday:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10023821553

[PCIntern]

5. Years ago, I 'counseled' a guy who was threatened...

I told him that he best better just grant her the divorce. These guys were not kidding around and that their threats were not empty. Later, he thanked me for my advice...

[Blue_Tires]

7. So why wouldn't a husband grant one?

Is it just a thing to do to punish ex-wives? Do these men think they "own" their women? Is there too much stigma or failure associated with divorce? Or do they harbor delusional beliefs that there's still some way to "save" a marriage?

[stevenleser]

9. From what I haves seen, when a marriage goes south, a lot of spouses try to punish each other via

whatever means is available. If a religion or a state entity gives them some power, you will see that being used.

It's sick really, but I think that tendency transcends religion, race, gender, orientation, whatever else you can name.

[PCIntern]

10. The "first" in this case...

He hated her guts because he was an inadequate schmuck. I probably saved his legs...

[snooper2]

6. So fundies showing other fundies the right thing to do

I got this right?