Rare Halitza Ceremony Held in Antwerp After Nearly 40 Years

A rare and historic halitza ceremony took place on Monday evening in Antwerp, Belgium, organized by the Beit Din of the Machzikei Hadat community. The event drew numerous rabbis, Torah scholars, and community members who came to witness the significant occasion, which had not been held in Antwerp for almost four decades. The previous ceremony was conducted at the Moriah study hall by Rabbi David Moshe Lieberman, the late head of Shomrei Hadat.

This recent halitza was held in a spacious hall accommodating hundreds, including the city's chief rabbi, Rabbi Aharon Schiff, along with dayanim Rabbi Amram Hanig, Rabbi Shimon Eckstein, and witnesses Rabbi Asher Sternbuch and Rabbi Shalom Greenfeld. At the request of Rabbi Schiff, Rabbi Aharon David Donner, the head of the London rabbinical court, was specially invited to lead the ceremony, as Jewish law requires an experienced leader for such proceedings.

The day before the event, the Beit Din members, accompanied by Rabbi Donner, his attendant Rabbi Strea from England, and community activist Rabbi Elimelech Schwartz, son of the late Rabbi from Tashaba, inspected and designated the exact location for the ceremony. Rabbi Donner brought with him the special leather halitza shoe, which was properly fitted onto the groom’s brother, who had traveled from France for the event.

During the ceremony, the widow performed the halitza ritual by removing the shoe, reciting "Yehi Ratzon," and spitting on the ground as prescribed in the Torah, while the assembled crowd chanted loudly three times, "Remove the shoe! Remove the shoe! Remove the shoe!" The ceremony concluded with a silent prayer expressing the hope that no Jewish woman would ever again require halitza or yibbum (levirate marriage).

The event was marked by deep emotion and reverence, with the Beit Din distributing a special halitza order of prayers authored by Maharam, a student of the Rema, to all participants. The extensive preparations and the presence of prominent rabbis underscored the ceremony’s significance for the Antwerp Jewish community.