Life-Cycle Events - Divorce

Just as a Jewish wedding is made holy by the laws, prayers and customs of the Jewish people, in the unfortunate case when a marriage must end, there is a distinctly Jewish way of divorce. A Jewish divorce document is called a "get," and can be issued when the civil divorce proceedings are final. The husband and wife can be together for the issuing of the get, or it can be done separately through an appointment with the rabbi. A get is a hand-written Hebrew document, prepared by a specially trained rabbi, which means it can take several weeks or more to arrange. This is important because Conservative rabbis cannot officiate at weddings where either bride or groom has only a civil divorce but not a get. In cases where the ex-spouses live in different areas, Conservative rabbis will work as a team, sending documents by mail and ensuring that all parties are treated with dignity and compassion.