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The Agunot Campaign |
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- a brief history The campaign began in 1995 when Gloria Proops and Sandra Blackman, two agunot, met. They both felt a pressing need to raise awareness in the Jewish community on the subject of the laws of divorce and how women are disadvantaged in the practical application of those laws. They also sought to campaign for the implementation of the PNA (pre-nuptial agreement). This had been promised two years earlier but not yet put into effect. The long-term purpose of the campaign was two -fold: to educate the Jewish community and to encourage the rabbanim and dayanim to find halachic solutions. The campaign started off in 1995 with three public vigils held at monthly intervals. Banners were painted showing a picture of women chained together, and above and below were the words of Judge Aron Owen: "Agunot of the world unite, you have nothing to lose but your chains". Indeed, the demonstrators held chains as a symbolic reference to the status of the wife of a recalcitrant husband. There were also placards which made reference to the abhorrent use of blackmail, to which some women are obliged to surrender in order to obtain their freedoom. Some supporters went around with petitions which were signed by hundreds of members of the public. Press releases to many media organisations resulted in extensive coverage. Several TV stations sent cameramen along, and the BBC World Service had a transmission van parked just by Woburn Square at the first vigil. During the following week every major daily broadsheet had some comment on the vigil. The point of special interest for the media was that this was the first time in the UK that orthodox Jewish women had taken to the street in a public demonstration. The issue had successfully been placed on the media's radar screen. Over the next few years the campaigners were engaged in behind the scenes talks with various rabbis and organisations, whilst waiting to see the effectiveness of the PNA and the newly introduced communal sanctions. Progress was slow but steady during the following years and there was evidence that the message was beginning to reach deep into the Jewish community. At a further vigil in October 1999 outside the offices of the London Beth Din, not only did many of the original supporters turn up, but their ranks were swelled by several men and families with young children. Representatives of families who had made the effort to attend were asked why they had done so. They replied that they were worried for their daughters' future unless action was taken to change the status quo. During the vigil a representative of the Beth Din invited participants inside to meet the dayanim. The invitation was accepted and a contingent of about 15 duly entered to start a dialogue. The campaigners said that the PNA and the communal sanctions had proved to be of very little effect and that, therefore, other solutions were needed. They requested an international meeting of the foremost rabbanim of Europe, the USA and Israel with the express purpose of identifying and agreeing upon halachic solutions acceptable to all. The response was upsetting: the campaigners were told that had there been any halachic solutions, they would have been found by now. The dayanim suggested that the campaigners devote their efforts to putting pressure on recalcitrant husbands rather than on the dayanim. Soon after, the campaigners had the opportunity to do just that. Regular silent vigils were mounted outside the work place of a recalcitrant husband with the result that a get was given a short while later. The campaign continues because its organisers and supporters know that there are halachic solutions. Several workable ideas have been printed in articles in the Jewish Chronicle over the past few years. ------------------------- "Agunot and Jewish women
of the world unite, |
