Below is the OCR text representation for this newspapers page.

Rarely used separation rite frees widow from the past by Ben Gallob JTA The reader who knows what the Hebrew word chalitza means knows something about a procedure in Jewish religious law that is un known to most American rabbis, particularly Orthodox rabbis. It came into the life of Karen Winkleman of Berkeley, Calif., whose husband died suddenly three years ago, a disaster from which the widow emerged with a convic tion she would never marry again, according to the Northern Cali fornia Jewish Bulletin. But such wounds do heal and last April, the widow and a suitor, Bruce Furman, began to discuss plans for a wedding, setting a date for July. Karen Winkleman and Sandy Trachtenberg were married in 1974 in an Orthodox ceremony. Because the couple had no children, when the husband suddenly died, Karen was tied to her husband’s brother, according to Jewish religious law. Even though her brother-in-law, Aron Trachtenberg, had been mar ried for several years, Jewish law decreed that, until he married her, or released her to marry again, she could not remarry without under going an obscure and ancient cere mony—chalitza. At the unveiling of Sandy Trachtenberg’s headstone, the rabbi told Karen she would have to go through chalitza before she could marry again. Knowing that in the American pattern of voluntary Jewish com mitments, she could ignore that warning, she decided nevertheless to undergo chalitza for several rea sons: religious, emotional and psy chological. Karen then discovered that it is a rare event for a 33-year-old Ameri can Jewish woman to go through the rite. Most Orthodox women widowed at her age are not childless. She sought advice from the rabbi who married her, from rabbis in the Bay area and from rabbis in Los Angeles. A call for informa tion through a national computer bulletin board produced a three- page print-out from a Yeshiva Uni versity law student in New York City. That analysis confirmed what she had been told—without going through chalitza, she could not marry again. But the local rabbis told her the only competent rabbis were in Boston and New York. She arranged for the ceremony to take place in Boston. The rite took place before a Beth Din, with several rabbinic observers. Six rabbis were present; one was the official overseer, and two were witnesses who watched each step in the rite, which is detailed in Deu teronomy. Even the Boston Beth Din needed time; its rabbinical members had not witnessed a chalitza in many years. The rabbinic judges also had to obtain the traditional shoe re quired by the rite. That shoe was strapped on the brother-in-law’s right foot, using prescribed knots and crossovers. Then the widow and her broth er-in-law repeated words as instruc ted by the rabbis. The brother-in- law said he did not want to take Karen as his wife and she said her brother-in-law refused to marry her. She then untied the ceremonial sandal and threw it as hard as she could, past several open doors in the Beth Din headquarters. She then had to spit twice on the rug of the rabbinical court. The rabbis then declared: “Aron Trachtenberg will be known as a man whose shoe was loosened.” When the rite—fee: $450—was over, Karen was pres ented with a halachic document that freed her from her brother-in- law. She said that immediately after the rite was completed, the attend ant rabbis turned to her, express ing concern “about my physical and emotional well-being, because they realized this was a sad thing I had to go through.” Karen said she did not see the rite as completely a sad event, nor degrading because she was required to kneel in front of her brother-in- law. "1 saw it on several levels,” she _/the —"L Classic Collection SPRING & SUMMER CLEARANCE Better Knitwear for the Classic Woman Sizes 6 to 18 30% .o OFF 220 Sandy Springs Circle Springs Festival Atlanta, Ga. 30328 (404) 256-4847 Mon.-Sat. 10-6 60% said. “First was on the religious level. 1 may become Orthodox, or make alivah and the issue may come (up) and my (upcoming) mar riage would not be legal. 1 am con cerned about our future children and did not want them to have any repercussions from the past, nor did I want my (second) marriage questioned legally,” in Orthodox terms. No less important, Karen ex plained, was that the chalitza was “a physical break with the Trach tenbergs. They had been a part of my life every step of my life,” both as a wife and a widow. “This was the final chapter of my life as a Trachtenberg. It separated me and gave me distance from the past. Now 1 can start again because the ceremony put a closure on one part of my life and left open a whole new future,” she declared. NOW OPEN ON SUNDAY 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. Shampoo • Cut • Blow Dry $10 00 Men’s Wet Cut and Blow Dry $8 00 Permanent (includes cut) $35 00 Shampoo, Cut, and Set $16 00 Hours: Monday-Friday 8:30 a.m.-8:00 p.m. Saturday 8:30 a.m.-6:00 p.m. Hair Stylist Toco Hills Shopping Center*2205 LaVista Rd., Suite C*633-3832 WEEKLY QUOTE FROM LESTER’S BOOKS “Indecision is a lack of experience—avoid indecisive actions—get experience through practice. ” Lester Pazol 20 YEARS HENNESSY ^adif&ic CALL FOR A TEST DRIVE JAGUAR 261-5700 CATERED SILVER SERVICE FOR A THOUSAND OF YOUR CLOSEST FRIENDS. From dinner for fifty high above the Atlanta skyline in the elegant Crown Room to catered kosher for a thousand in the smashing new Grand Ballroom, Colony Square Catering can handle it. With creative consulting, delicious food and impeccable service at your place or ours. Call Wayne Adams or Larry Russell at 892-6000. They’ll make your party marvelously memorable, no matter how many friends you have. COLONY SOLACE HOTEL I PAGE 15 THE SOUTHERN ISRAELITE August 1, 1986