The Jerusalem Magistrates Court sentenced divorce refuser Meir Gorodetzky on Tuesday to 15 months in prison and a seven-month suspended sentence under a decision by the attorney general in 2016 that non-compliance with a divorce bill has a criminal aspect.
About 20 years ago, Gorodetsky was forced by the Jerusalem Rabbinical Court to grant a divorce to his wife, but he refused again and again. Because of his refusal, he was subjected to coercive measures that included imprisonment for 18 years, the longest period of time served by a divorce refuser in Israel. His wife agreed to his release a few months ago, after a private rabbinical court released her from her marital status but the ruling was not recognized by the official rabbinical court, and the criminal indictment was filed in September.