A top House Republican is facing a swell of pressure from Jewish communities across the country as they lobby, not for legislation, but for his intervention in the personal life of an adviser.
The adviser, Aharon Friedman, has been shunned by Jewish leaders for refusing to grant his ex-wife a religious divorce known as a "get."
His behavior has been described by critics as a form of domestic abuse -- without a get, ex-wife Tamar Epstein is forbidden under Jewish practice from remarrying or having another child. Though they were divorced in civil court in early 2010, Epstein still cannot so much as date.
As Friedman's refusal emerges as a women's rights issue in the Jewish community, his boss Rep. Dave Camp, R-Mich., chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, is becoming the focus of a tough social media campaign.
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But Rabbi Shmuel Herzfeld, at Ohev Sholom -- The National Synagogue in Washington -- said Camp is "almost condoning this behavior" by not speaking up.
"People don't only see this as a religious issue. People view this as domestic abuse," he said.
Herzfeld said he is drafting a letter to the House ethics committee to request the panel examine the issue, claiming Friedman's behavior is disreputable.
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One rabbi could agree to do it, but another rabbi might not necessarily recognize that divorce as legitimate. Herzfeld said he is trying to engage the U.S. legal system on the overall issue, to see if it could view these kinds of situations as a "civil rights" matter.
