Fighting for chained women
As well as being the Fast of Esther, Thursday was also International Agunah Day, raising awareness of the plight of agunot – “chained women”, who have been refused a gett, a Jewish divorce, by their spouses.
PURIM may be a joyous festival commemorating the heroism of Queen Esther, but it’s the suffering of other Jewish women that is the focus of a new initiative being launched in the run-up to this weekend’s celebrations.
As well as being the Fast of Esther, Thursday was also International Agunah Day, raising awareness of the plight of agunot – “chained women”, who have been refused a gett, a Jewish divorce, by their spouses.
Without a gett, a woman is still married according to Jewish law, and can therefore not remarry in a synagogue.
To mark International Agunah Day, Unchain My Heart (UMH) – a coalition of Jewish women’s organisations supporting and campaigning on behalf of agunot – is launching its new Ambassadorship program.
The initiative is offered to members of the community who are concerned about the number of cases of gett abuse and who want to join in the efforts to combat it.
“The Ambassadorship program means we can get the message across to more people that gett refusal is unacceptable,” said Susie Ivany, chair of the Unchain My Heart committee. “This initiative will see a coordinated community response that will, in the short and long term, benefit the lives of women in our community.”
The program has already generated considerable interest and is actively supported by its foundation members, which include representatives from the Melbourne and Sydney Beth Dins, Rabbinical Council of Victoria, community synagogues, the Jewish Community Council of Victoria and Jewish Care.
When joining the program, members will be asked to abide by the UMH Code of Ethics, a four point affirmation which acknowledges the controlling and abusive nature of gett refusal and expresses a commitment to act towards its resolution.
Ambassadors will be recognised at UMH events, mentioned on the UMH Facebook page and can be nominated for achievement awards.
To apply to join the Ambassadorship program, visit the Unchain My Heart Facebook page and follow the links.
AJN STAFF
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