Nearer My God To Thee

Yoav Botach Sued For Palimony

Troy Anderson writes 2/13/06 for the LA Daily News:

Makeup artist to the stars Judith Boteach thought she had found true love when it took four people to carry all of the flowers and jewelry lavished on her the day multimillionaire Yoav Botach proposed marriage.

Boteach said she learned a month after their Orthodox Jewish wedding ceremony that her groom hadn't obtained a California marriage license, but she believed in their future together.

"I loved him," said Boteach. "I trusted him and he kept telling me (the wedding license) wasn't necessary."

But their relationship ended unhappily, with Boteach kicked out of the couple's Beverlywood home in her nightgown. And she is now embroiled in a court battle for half of Botach's fortune - millions of dollars she claims he promised her should the couple ever split.

"This is the largest palimony case in American history," said Robert W. Hirsh, Boteach's attorney, who explained that his client cannot fight for alimony since she and Botach were never legally married.

According to court records, Botach co-owns 144 commercial and other properties in Los Angeles, as well as Botach Tactical, a nationwide distributor of police and military equipment. But Boteach is seeking access to financial documents to determine the defendant's assets. "We would not be surprised if his net worth is $700 million," Hirsh said.

Sherman also says that it was made clear to Boteach that the couple's 1997 ceremony did not constitute a legal marriage because they did not obtain blood tests or a marriage license. "Judy had been married twice before and was well aware of the requirements of California law in that regard," Sherman wrote. "Prior to the wedding ceremony, Yoav had a private conversation with the rabbi ... and Judy.

"In that conversation, Yoav announced that he wanted to make it clear that their 'marriage' was not legal in California and that they were going to get 'married' in a religious ceremony only. Judy consented and the religious ceremony then took place.

"After the religious ceremony, Yoav and Judy resided together until approximately August 2002 when they separated."

Hirsh - a Beverly Hills attorney whose wife's family was helped by Boteach's family upon coming to the U.S. from Israel more than 25 years ago - said he filed the suit to help Boteach and other women.

While their families had long known each other, Boteach said it wasn't until the mid-1990s that she met her future husband when he began attending her synagogue. They hit it off and Botach proposed, Hirsh said, but when he asked her to sign a prenuptial agreement, she refused and instead traveled to Australia to visit her sister. The two eventually reconciled and Hirsh said Botach relented on his request for a prenuptial agreement. The two set a wedding date, and Hirsh said Botach informed his bride that he had taken care of all the arrangements. An Orthodox Jewish ceremony was held Dec. 25, 1997, Hirsh said.

"She showed up to get married, thinking everything was proper," Hirsh said. "Then a month later, the subject of a license came up and he told her, 'We don't need a license. We have an agreement and there is no license' - that she would get half if they ever separated."

Jewish Bigamy?

About a month ago, I walked into shul and saw a flier screaming about the following story:

A source writes me:

Rabbi Chagai Batzri, son of the head Dayan Judge in Rabbinc Court of Jerusalem, married a second wife. The problem is he never divorced his first wife, Luna. How did he do that? Easy, his father arranged a special permit to marry a second wife [about a month ago] given by a number of Sephardi rabbis. It was written by Rabbi Ben-Zaken of Beverly Hills. Rabbi's Batzri's new wife just joined the fold by converting to Judaism. His first wife Luna Batzri protested to no avail. They are still fighting in LA civil court over the division of their assets. Luna refused to go to Bet Din over the assets. She feared the rabbi's family connections will work against her chances for a fair trial. So, she went to the civil court. So, rabbi Ben-Zaken found her disrespectful and granted Rabbi Batzri a special permit.

Rabbi Batzri's story was aired on Israeli TV at length since then including interviewing his father. It was also written about at the daily newspaper HaAretz.

- How come Rabbi Batzri was permitted by the Rabbi's to marry a new wife without a Get?

- What about all the poor women remaining Agunot because the husbands refusal to grant them a Get (a Jewish divorce)?

- Isn't the Batzri case a clear of discrimination against women? When a husband refuses to grant a Get, the woman will never be married by any Rabbi. Reason: She is considered not single. But in case of a man...

- True! NOT ANY MAN! It helps to be a son of a Dayan. not just a Dayan... But the Head Dayan of the Rabbinical court of Jerusalem... Who has lots of friends... Who happen to be... Rabbi's! Suddenly and in a split second a solution was found how to free the rabbi. Free to get married again.

- Happy Ending? Not to his wife. Certainly not to the numerous Jewish women called AGUNOT, who are shackled for the rest of their lives to sadistic men that refuses to grant them a Get and blackmails in return for a Get.

- If you don't believe it - read Kolech.org. How many women are not as lucky as Rabbi Batzri?

The Bazri's case proves that: WHERE THERE IS A WILL - THERE IS A WAY..For men only! Shame on you Rabbis.