A rare and historic chalitzah ceremony was held Monday evening by the Beis Din of the Machzikei Hadas kehilla in Antwerp, Belgium, with the participation of the city’s Rabbanim, lomdei Torah, talmdidei chachamim, and hundreds of attendees who gathered to witness the rare event.

It was the first chalitzah ceremony held in Antwerp in nearly 40 years.

The ceremony was held in a large hall to accommodate the large crowd led by the city’s Rav, HaGaon HaRav Aharon Schiff, and Dayanim, HaGaon HaRav  Amram Henig, HaGaon HaRav Zekiel Polak, and HaGaon HaRav Eliezer Shimon Eckstein. The eidim were HaGaon HaRav Asher Sternbuch and HaGaon HaRav Shalom Greenfeld.

At the request of HaRav Schiff, HaGaon HaRav Aharon Dovid Dunner, Av Beis Din of London, traveled especially to Antwerp to preside over and conduct the chalitzah ceremony, since he has presided over several chalitzah ceremonies in the past.

The day before the ceremony, members of the Beis Din visited the site to determine the precise location where the ceremony would take place, in accordance with halacha.

In honor of the rare event, the Beis Din especially printed the Seder HaChalitzah of the Maharam, a talmid of the Rema, and distributed copies to all those in attendance.

Preparations for the ceremony required extensive planning. HaRav Dunner brought the specially crafted leather chalitzah shoe.

The dayanim placed the special shoe on the foot of the avreich who had traveled from France. The almanah then removed the shoe, recited the Yehi Ratzon, and spat onto the ground before him. The crowd then proclaimed three times in a loud voice: “Chalutz HaNa’al! Chalutz HaNa’al! Chalutz HaNa’al!”

At the conclusion of the ceremony, those present recited the tefillah: “May it be Hashem’s will that Jewish women never again come to require either chalitzah or yibum. Amen.”

(YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)