Living in Israel for the past couple of months I have grown to really love Israeli society; particularly the way they have perfected the art of falafel and, unlike the ‘Brits’, their knock- you –off- your- feet friendliness. Just as I’ve been exposed to the great sides of Israeli society, the flaws are also becoming more apparent. One of the issues that most alarms me is the divorce system, which

in certain aspects is as forward thinking as Borat. They may not bag their women in Israel, but there are deep and serious problems with the system. Divorce in Israel is very problematic as there is a fusion of state and religion.

Due to the fact Israel has no civil marriage or divorce; all Jewish couples must eventually go to the rabbinical courts run by the Chief Rabbinate. Although the court should operate under the principle of equality, in practice there is often a very strong bias towards men.

Jewish law says that in divorce it can only happen if the man gives his wife a ‘Get’ [divorce document] out of his own free will, the woman must receive her husband’s Get in order to carry through with the divorce. Many men abuse their halachic [Jewish legal] power, through Get withholding, often for exploitation of some economic gain or for control in the relationship. A woman who wants a divorce and whose husband will not give it, may be forced to make concessions: giving up her share of the house or getting a worse alimony settlement. If a woman does not get a religious divorce she is considered a metsurvot Get, and can not re-marry or move on with her life as her children will be mamzerim which means they cannot marry. For a man however it is easier to move on with his life while refusing to give with Get, his children will not be mamzerim.

Mavoi Satum is an organisation which aims to help these women, bringing about social change. It works to solve the problem of Get refusal by working within halacha . There are a number of different solutions to prevent the problem of get refusal; however, the religious establishment in Israel is often unwilling to apply these measures. While Israeli law stipulates that the rabbinic courts have the power to put a man in jail if he refuses to grant his wife a get; although in practice, this power is often not utilized. The way this issue represents Judaism as a religion is extremely damaging, further alienating many secular Israelis from Judaism and strengthening the religious-secular divide. Israelis are also opting to get married abroad, such as in Cyprus and upon return their marriage is considered legal by the state, 10% of Israelis in 2005 married abroad.

“I decided that my husband’s violent behaviour was the end of our marriage,” says Elisheva. “By that time he had locked me inside our apartment, pushed and dragged me by the hair. My husband told me I would be an agunah for the rest of my life.”

The police arrested Elisheva’s husband and sentenced him to a year in prison. As a new immigrant from the States, Elisheva barely understood Hebrew and didn’t know how to handle her situation. Mavoi Satum not only gave her the legal help she needed, but also the emotional support. Due to Mavoi Satum’s help and guidance Elisheva got her Get and can now determine her own life and future.

The importance of the state of Israel was and is, for many Jews like Elisheva, about freedom and liberation; to enable Jews to live their lives with dignity. Metsurvot Get do not have these basic freedoms to determine their own lives.