considered unlawful and akin to one born of an incestuous or adulterous relationship(Mishnah , Kid. 111.12; Kid. 49a; Shulhan
Arukh. Even Ha-ezer 4.2). This was the attitude taken toward Karaites until recently. In fact however, nothing the Reform or Conservative Jews do can avoid this possible predicament It does not matter to the Orthodox authorities whether we simply recognize civil divorce or proc eed to initiate our own form of get. The latter would also not be recognized by them
The entire matter of divorce has come up a number of times again more recently. Several Canadian congregations have decided that they would provide a gef in a somewhat modified form. as have the Reform(not the Liberal) congregations of Great Britain . Petuchowski has suggested that an appropriate get be instituted by the Reform Movement in keeping with the spirit of Jewish tradition, i.e., both the consecration of marriage and its dissolution should have religious forms. Others have stressed the psychological value of a religious divorce
At the present time, the C entral Conference of American Rabbis makes no provision for a religious divorce and civil divorce is
recognized as dissolving a marriage by most Reform rabbis.