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Showing Original Post only (View all)States are incrementally banning Sharia Law. What about Orthodox Jewish law? [View all]
Women face poverty, opt not to obtain restraining orders, give up their children for a "get" or the "settlement price" is very expensive.
"We consider the withholding of a get a form of domestic abuse, said Rabbi Jeremy Stern, the executive director of ORA, which is currently working on about 70 agunah cases, the majority of them in the New York area. Domestic abuse is about control. Abuse is not just about black and blue marks.
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A lot of victims of abuse give up many important rights in order to get a religious divorce, Nataneli said. Many women who need an order of protection wont do it. They are terrified.
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In Israel, men who dont give their wives a get can be thrown in jail. But in the U.S., where civil law has no jurisdiction over religious unions, women have far less leverage.
New York State has passed laws aimed at removing barriers to religious remarriage. But as a practical matter, they have had limited benefits.
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http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/lost-women-struggle-jewish-divorce-orthodox-husbands-article-1.1085440