Court Rules Catholic Woman Has To Raise Stepson as Orthodox Jew
Divorce is never easy, and mixing in the rules of Orthodox Judaism certainly doesn’t make it easier. But that’s precisely what happened when Laura Derbigney became entangled in a custody battle between her Catholic husband and his Jewish ex-wife over the ex-couple’s 7-year-old son.
Derbigney, a Chicago resident, is being forced by a court to raise her stepson as an Orthodox Jew, the religion of his mother, the state’s local NBC affiliate is reporting. But Derbigney, a Hispanic Catholic, says that not being allowed to drive on Saturdays and being forced to avoid pork just doesn’t feel kosher.
Watch a video with Derbigney after the jump
“I have to purchase certain products. I prefer minority-owned stores. I’m Hispanic and Catholic. I make enchiladas. Flautas. Now I’m being ridiculed for making food I grew up with,” she told NBC. “I thought there was a difference between church and state. Because [the boy’s birth mother is] a Hasidic Jew, I have to live live as Hasidic Jew, too?”
Derbigney is currently fighting the ruling, saying it goes against the First Amendment. “The next step is going to be a Muslim father with custody. During the next visitation, is the mother going to have to wear a burka? That’s where we’re heading. Divorce courts have to stop getting in the way of religion,” said Derbigney’s lawyer, Joel Brodsky.
The boy’s biological mother is prevented from commenting on the case due to a gag order.
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning journalism this Passover.
In this age of misinformation, our work is needed like never before. We report on the news that matters most to American Jews, driven by truth, not ideology.
At a time when newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall. That means for the first time in our 126-year history, Forward journalism is free to everyone, everywhere. With an ongoing war, rising antisemitism, and a flood of disinformation that may affect the upcoming election, we believe that free and open access to Jewish journalism is imperative.
Readers like you make it all possible. Right now, we’re in the middle of our Passover Pledge Drive and we still need 300 people to step up and make a gift to sustain our trustworthy, independent journalism.
Make a gift of any size and become a Forward member today. You’ll support our mission to tell the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
Join our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
Only 300 more gifts needed by April 30