Israel votes to deny entry to men who refuse a get
MEN WHO are known to have refused their estranged wives a religious divorce will be barred from entering Israel under new legislation.
Husbands who do not grant their wives a get will now be detained upon attempting to enter the country, following a recommendation from the Conference of European Rabbis (CER).
The bill, which has passed through various stages of the political process over several months, was approved by the Knesset on Monday night by 42 votes to 24, with two abstentions.
The CER advised the amendment to Israeli divorce law, with the hope of alleviating the plight of agunot, or “chained” women, who are not allowed to remarry and cannot progress with their lives.
The new law states that a man who has been identified by a Diaspora Rabbinical Court to be a recalcitrant husband may be detained upon entrance to Israel.
Jewish divorce law allows a husband to delay divorce proceedings by withholding their wife’s get. While Israeli Rabbinical courts have the strength to apply various sanctions, including lengthy jail sentences, Diaspora Rabbinical courts are limited in their power.
Outside of Israel, Jewish women who request a divorce are left in a vulnerable position as they are lawfully married until their husbands grant them a get.
The amendment strengthens the power of Israeli law to force such individuals to comply with the decisions of Diaspora Rabbinical courts and attend divorce proceedings.
Chief Rabbi Pinchas Goldschmidt, President of the Conference of European Rabbis, said: “This is a huge step and we are incredibly proud that this idea has now been enshrined in law. It is my fervent prayer that the new law will pave the way to hope for women who seek to live their life free of the shackles of an unwanted and dysfunctional marriage.
“Get refusal is a form of domestic violence and the global Jewish community must act to protect its women. Israel is the only country whose rabbinical courts have the power to pressure recalcitrant husbands and the new law will ensure that all men, regardless of their citizenship, feel the force of disgust from the global Jewish community.”