get

get

a Jewish religious divorce without which partners are not free to be properly married within the faith. It is organized through the BETH DIN. The Beth Din does not grant a decree; it merely supervises the writing of the get, the deed recording the dissolution. All that is required is to show that the parties consent to divorce. In the UK, however, divorce does not require consent, so a conflict can arise where a party has a civil divorce but not a religious divorce. In England and Wales, by virtue of the Divorce (Religious Marriages) Act 2002, the court has power to refuse decree absolute, where, inter alia, the parties were married according to the ‘usages of the Jews’, to refuse a decree of divorce until a declaration is obtained from both parties that the necessary religious steps have been taken.

Collins Dictionary of Law © W.J. Stewart, 2006