>>>Being an old school Jew, divorce was just not an option for him. So the only escape in his mind was suicide.
>>
>>I mean no disrespect to your father, but Judaism permits divorce, always has. From http://www.jewfaq.org/divorce.htm:
>>
>>"Judaism recognized the concept of "no-fault" divorce thousands of years ago. Judaism has always accepted divorce as a fact of life, albeit an unfortunate one. Judaism generally maintains that it is better for a couple to divorce than to remain together in a state of constant bitterness and strife."
>>
>>I am sorry that your parents were so unhappy together and that it led your father to take his life.
>>
>>Tamar
>
>My understanding was that a man could divorce a woman (issue a get)) but a woman could not divorce a man.
>
>From the wikipedia.
>
>"Sometimes a man will completely refuse to grant a divorce. This leaves his wife with no possibility of remarriage within Orthodox Judaism. Such a woman is called a mesorevet get (literally "refused a divorce"), if a court determined she is entitled to a divorce. Such a man who refuses to give his wife a get is frequently spurned by Modern Orthodox communities, and excluded from communal religious activities, in an effort to force a get."

True. These days, it's very common for the ketubah to include a clause that says that if there's a civil divorce, the husband will also grant a get.

Tamar