Sotah brings us the story of Dina Reich, a haredi* woman from Meah Shearim. Dina is 17 when she must marry a man. She marries Judah Gutman, a carpenter. At first she doesn't love him, but, just like any other haredi girl, she hopes she'll just get used to him.
Time passes by and something is missing in her life. Judah is a good, loving husband, but she still needs something.
After her mother dies and she gives birth to her first child, Dina is in great depression. Judah has no idea how to improve her feeling, so he does nothing, hoping it's just a phase. This makes Dina even more frustrated, so when Noach Zaldman appears in her life she doesn't refuse his wooing.
Dina is secretly meeting Noach, and they even go on a vacation together. When Dina's back, an unpleasant surprise is waiting for her. Reb Kurzman and his group of followers know of her infidelity.
English: Photo by Gilabrand. This is own work. Str...
I Am Dina
Meah Shearim, JerusaelmThey make her leave to New York, leaving only a letter to Judah, saying the she had slept with Noach.
In New York, Dina starts working as a maid for a wealthy, Jewish family. The family is not religious, and Dina is appalled by their behavior. After all, she never knew there were such Jews in the world. The mother, Joan, is a really nice lady, a fact that confuses Dina even more - a secular woman who is good.
Dina starts missing her family, her husband and boy, and she repents everything she has done. All the thoughts about it drive her crazy, and she ends up in a hospital.
At the hospital she meets Dr. Charles Shulman and Rabbi Eliezer. Joan and they are helping Dina in recovering. They make her understand that she didn't commit the sin...