The Lexington intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1901-1949, 1903-02-07
DTvoRcEs.Tv
They Are Boldly Advertised For in
the East End of London.

AALN AA6 2AAsI
the East End Of London.
Matrimonial advertisements, says
the London Standard, are nothing
new either in this country or abroad.
But there will probably be something
novel to most people in the idea of
married folk advertising for a divorce
in the same public and businesslike
fashion. Rather an uncommon pro-
eeeding anywhere, many readers will,
Imagine, be inclined to remark Far
from it, thought 1t is quite an or
binary thing among the mixed and
motley foreign multitude quartered
in the ghettos Of east London. Here,
in the first ola batch of Yiddish jour
mails on which l CHANGED to lay hands
in the East end, l came across one OF
these singular ayertisements. 1t is
typical of its kind, and is inserted by
a woman residing in the Aldgate dis
trict, who requests her absent hus-
band to oblige and send hera divorce,
much in the same way as a dealer
would ask a customer to favor him
with a remittance in the ordinary
course of trade. The notice is head
ed, in Yiddish, Of course: "Ikh zikh
min mann" that is: 81 am looking
for my husband" 1t sets forth that
the said mann" has left his wife and
children for some time. The wife has,
however, managedto build up a"gute
biznes,n whic his too much for her to
carry on alone, so he may return and
help. If not, the advertisement
concludes, will he at once send her
divorce, and she will 60 back der
/, heinz to Russia to her parents. "
There is, | may add, nothing anony-
nous about the notice, no suppress
sion, no attempt to conceal the iden-
tity Of the parties concerned. The
{ names are given in full, as well as the
/ address to which the desired docu-
2 2 ment is to be transmitted. All, in
fact, is plain, direct and straightfor-
S ward, suggesting at once that the CIV
5 ING of such divorces must be quite an
n ordinary proceeding among the for
+ eign Jews over here. And SO, indeed
\ n it is. 1t is really reduced toa bust
d ness, a business which, in its detail
and circumstances, throws an instruc
/ tive light on some Of the singular ac
= Qualities of Yiddish life in east Lon
don.
The divorce here referred to, an'
customary among the Jewish Eas
Is enders, is not, Of course, a divorce ac
cording to the law of the land. 1t i
4 the so-styled rabbinical "ghet," tn
modern equivalent Of the Biblica
'bill Of enforcement" which a hus
band under the Mosaic d%ispensatio-
could hand to his wife, and so get ri
q of her. But, to all practical purposes
at so far as the Yiddish residents her
are concerned, this "ghet" is as ei
NJ Ne fective as though it were granted b
ne 1e the highest tribunal Of the empire. /
ds as in the case Of the advertisement
AZ above quoted, the woman chooses t
be return to Russia, the divorce is vail
ar II according to Muscovite law. Th
1 Of Jews throughout the cars domil
Il, IL ions have the privilege Of their ow
marriage code, and a divorce under
m, rabbinical prescription is a divorce
"a, la Russo. The woman can mari
,of again there and return here, when HI
X, second union, being valid in Russi
g will be deemed valid here. And
the woman should elect to remain
this country there are scores Of Ea
i, end rabbis who, for a considerable
,,ts will undertake to remarry either
the sundered parties according to Il
Yiddish custom.