Social Media Adds New Dimension to Ancient Jewish Punishment of Excommunication

Social Media Adds New Dimension to Ancient Jewish Punishment of Excommunication
By Adam Eliyahu Berkowitz February 25, 2016 , 12:30 pm

“And they made proclamation throughout Judah and Jerusalem unto all the children of the captivity, that they should gather themselves together unto Jerusalem; and that whosoever came not within three days, according to the counsel of the princes and the elders, all his substance should be forfeited, and himself separated from the congregation of the captivity.” 
Ezra 10:7-8 (The Israel Bible™)

Last week, the Rabbinic High Court of Appeals issued a herem, or order of excommunication, against Dr. Oded Guez.  Excommunication is rarely invoked in the Jewish community and most people are more familiar with its use in the Church.  In this case, the rabbinic writ of excommunication has been termed ‘shaming’ by the media, and in truth, that is precisely what it is.

The herem was issued because Guez refuses to grant his wife a get, or writ of divorce. According to Jewish law, a get must be given by a husband to his wife to legally sever the bonds of marriage. If he refuses, the consequences for his wife are dire: she becomes essentially “chained” to him, unable to remarry or have children with another man. In cases of refusal, a beit din, or court of rabbis, attempt to exert pressure on the husband through different means at their disposal, one of the most extreme of which is herem. Under some cases, the court can also put the husband in prison, but some argue that herem is actually the worse punishment.
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 http://www.breakingisraelnews.com/62258/excommunication-universal-tool-repentance-modern-times-jewish-world/#5xPHz4418bqEccG5.99