Meir "Bugeye" Kin who agreed to give his estranged wife a get yesterday now says that he did not commit to give a divorce or to go to Bais Din.
An agreement had been made through the efforts of the Chief Rabbi of Israel yesterday following the petiraof the man’s mother. Chief Rabbi Dovid Lau, having been involved in this case of a husband who refused to give his wife a get for sixteen years despite having himself remarried five years ago, declared that the burial be delayed until the man agreed to give a get. The decision was made in cooperation with the Union of Orthodox Rabbis of the United States and Canada, also known as Agudas Harabonim.
The Beis Din had applied punitive measures against the husband several years ago to pressure him to divorce his wife, including losing the right to have his family members buried. The man also faces arrest should he step foot into Israel.
Submitting to the pressure, the man allegedly agreed to grant the woman her freedom by promising to go to Bais Din and give the get. In return, the Chief Rabbi agreed to release "Yenta the Rebbitzin" for burial.
However, once the burial was completed the man rescinded from the agreement, claiming that he never agreed to give the get.
R’ Lau office said in response:
“We are sorry that the same anchorage owner who, for over 15 years, refuses to release his wife from her marriage, and continues his refusal despite the agreements reached. The same man who did not spare his mother and his family even though he has since married a second wife.
“(We) will continue the unwavering war on the phenomenon of get refusal and do everything we can, including the most severe sanctions, to end agunah situation that arise.”
