Are 9/11 Widows and Widowers Allowed to Remarry?

Posts : 678 Join date : 2011-09-05 Age : 41

Dear Rabbi,

I’ve always wondered what the widows and widowers of those killed in the 9/11 attacks have done about remarrying. I know that Jewish law requires one to obtain either confirmation of death or a Jewish certificate of divorce before remarrying.

What happened to the women and men who, in many cases, did not know whether or not their husband or wife was in the building at the time of the crash? As recently as August, 2011, 41% of the victims remain unidentified.

What is done in such cases?

Answer: Dovid Zaklikowski

Posts : 25 Join date : 2011-09-05

The rabbis. There have been a number of cases where a woman did not know of her husband's whereabouts and went before the Beit Din. They either found her husband and got him to divorce her or didn't find her husband and declared her a widower.