Yad VaShem photo
So now we have another liberated young girl telling us how awful life was in the frum community. And she's an "advocate" now too. And again it's the Forward that's so eager to publish her story. Correct me if you will, but in your opinion; is the Lakewood style of marriage considered "arranged?" Is going out 10-12 times for 4-6 hours at a time "forced?" If her marriage was abusive then she needs to get out, but why drag us all into this mess and make it the fault of her family and community that she fell in like that? How many countless times do we hear the exact same - and even much worse - stories with childhood sweethearts or couples that knew each other forever and married for "love?" And here she admits that there was never any physical abuse, only the threat thereof. How often do we see women of non-arranged marriages deteriorate into battered women? What happens to those who leave the fold that they cannot think rationally anymore and just make up stories like little children would? Again, I cannot speak about her situation with her husband as far as what happened behind closed doors, but I can and will speak about her ideas about marriage in our communities, and the idea that somehow we need to be "unchained!" How the Forward still maintains that it is non-biased and has "journalistic integrity" is beyond me. No matter how much they consult with Avi Shafran to get the "other side" of the story the damage is done. He just sounds like a defense lawyer who gets paid to defend the crook.