11 3 / 2012
Many Hasidic weddings do not have the informed consent of the couples: my response to @YossiGestetner
A reply left on Yossi Gestetner’s latest post on the HuffPo http://t.co/FZVHFkiz
It is necessary to note that there are many Hasidic sects and no uniform set of courtship customs among them. Gestetner neglects to mention this.
It really depends on how you define “forced,” doesn’t it? Do they drag them, kicking and screaming, to the chuppah? No. Do the couples know each other as individuals? Often, not in the slightest. I state this as a former Hasid: Many (but not all) Hasidic/Haredi weddings occur without the INFORMED consent of either party. When you segregate the genders from a young age, teach them next to nothing about biology and place pressure on them “this is the right choice for you”, you cause that boy or girl to go to their wedding canopy not knowing fully what they are getting into. That is NOT informed consent.
