By Nathan Guttman January 5, 2011

Republicans are all ready to assume their leadership roles as Congress convenes on Wednesday, but one Republican House staffer is probably less then thrilled with the amount of attention he is getting.

Aharon Friedman, a 34-year-old tax expert on the Republican side of the House Ways and Means Committee, is in the midst of an ugly divorce that has led to protests outside his suburban Washington home and to requests that his bosses in Congress call him to order.

The New York Times has the story and even a link to a YouTube video showing activists protesting outside the staffer’s residence.

Forwarding the News

Thoughtful, balanced reporting from the Forward and around the web, bringing you updated news and analysis each day.

Terms(Required)

I agree to the Forward's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Email(Required)

The reason: Friedman is refusing to give his wife a get, the Jewish decree of divorce, thus making his wife an agunah, a woman who cannot remarry. The couple divorced by civil law last April, but unless the husband follows the ancient Jewish practice of giving his wife a get, they are not considered divorced according to Jewish law.

Rabbis and activists have urged Friedman to give his wife the get and one local religious leader even tried taking the issue to the Hill. Rabbi Shmuel Herzfeld, of Washington’s Ohev Shalom Orthodox synagogue wrote to the Republican chief of staff on the Ways and Means committee warning him that protests could move from outside Friedman’s house to the vicinity of his workplace, meaning Capitol Hill. The chief of staff, according to the Times, was not moved by the threat and replied that it was not an issue for the committee.

A message from our CEO & publisher Rachel Fishman Feddersen

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.

The coming year promises to be filled with more complex and historic developments. We are entering an era where independent, fact-based Jewish journalism will be more important than ever. We need to be ready for whatever 2025 will bring, and with your help, we can be.

We’ve set a goal to raise $260,000 by December 31. That’s an ambitious goal, but one that will give us the resources we need to invest in the high quality news, opinion, analysis and cultural coverage that isn’t available anywhere else.

If you feel inspired to make an impact, now is the time to give something back. Join us as a member at your most generous level.

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

With your support, we’ll be ready for whatever 2025 brings.

$36 $500

$120 $180 Other amount