Friedman has been “held in contempt” by no less than the greatly
respected Beth Din of the Union of Orthodox Rabbis of the United States
and Canada, a rabbinic court that does not have the power to issue a get—only
the husband can do that—but can try to compel the husband to do so. The
organization has issued a Declaration of Contempt (seruv) against Friedman.
In addition, the Vaad Harabanim of Greater Washington, the body of
Orthodox rabbis in the Greater Washington area, also known as the
Rabbinical Council, issued a letter calling on the Jewish community to
exclude Friedman from participating in prayer services, joining their
institutions, and other elements of “membership” in the community. He
has also been condemned by an array of Orthodox rabbis, among them
Shmuel Herzfeld of Ohev Sholom synagogue in Washington, which bills
itself as the National Jewish Synagogue, and Avraham Shmidman of the
Lower Merion Synagogue in Pennsylvania.
At a rally in support of Tamar Epstein held in December 2010, Rabbi
Shmidman said: “Aharon Friedman walks around Capitol Hill as a religious
Jew … But this is not what a religious Jew does.” According to the New York Times,
over a year ago Rabbi Herzfeld wrote to Jon Traub, the Republican staff
director of the Ways and Means Committee, accusing Friedman of
“psychological terrorism.”
