The following text is adapted from Arutz 7 News Service, Arutz Sheva News Service Tuesday, March 3, 1998 / Adar 5, 5758.

The story of the Bnei Brak husband and wife, parents of nine children, who were required by rabbis to divorce after she was raped - is untrue.

An article last week by Yediot Acharonot reporter Moshe Suissa about the "anonymous" couple - which quoted no sources - caused a great uproar, and brought the religious community under attack for its "antiquated and cruel" practices.

However, an in-depth investigation by the hareidi newspaper BaKehillah among all the recognized and non-recognized Rabbinical courts in the Bnei Brak region has found that no such case occurred. In addition, Rabbi Yisrael Busso - who was finally "revealed" by Suissa yesterday to be "a rabbi familiar with the case" - told Arutz-7 today that his involvement in the so-called case began only when he called a radio station to respond to a report of the story. Rabbi Busso, who called to protest the anti-religious attitude being created, said on air that he had once heard rumors of such a case; Suissa then told other reporters that "Rabbi Busso is the source" for the story.

Rabbi Busso told an Arutz-7 reporter today [ March 3, 1998 ]: "Suissa finally called me this week and asked me who the couple is. I told him that he's a wise guy - first he writes two articles on the subject, and then he calls me to ask who the couple is?!" Rabbi Busso said that he was told that several radio commentators are "displeased" with Suissa's behavior in this case.

In today's Yediot, Suissa reported that the couple had decided not to divorce after all. He wrote that "Kiryat Herzog Rabbi Moshe Deri" is familiar with the case. Bakehillah's publisher, Dudi Zilbershlag, told Arutz-7 today that he knows of no such person.

Arutz Sheva News Service Monday, March 9, 1998 / Adar 11, 5758

The newspaper Yediot Acharonot has accepted the resignation of the reporter who wrote the false story about a Bnei Brak woman who was supposedly raped and forced to divorce her husband.

Earlier, the newspaper had apologized for publishing the untrue story. In a small announcement on page 19 of today's edition, the paper wrote that a re-investigation had shown that there was no factual basis for the story. "We apologize for the publication of the story, and we have taken steps to ensure that such a case will not recur," wrote Yediot.

Hareidi organizations told Arutz-7 as early as last week that the story was fabricated. Dudi Zilbershlag, owner of the hareidi paper BaKehillah, praised Arutz-7 for the lead it took in publicizing the fabrication, and said - before learning of the resignation - that the apology is not sufficient.

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