Orthodox Jewish women in Rockland rally to protest religious divorce practice

The Orthodox women protested Wednesday to pressure rabbis to free them from unwanted marriages.

News 12 Staff

Apr 14, 2021, 9:43 PM

Updated 1,331 days ago

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Orthodox Jewish women in Rockland broke tradition and spoke out about a religious divorce practice they deem unfair.
The Orthodox women protested Wednesday to pressure rabbis to free them from unwanted marriages.
In Judaism, both parties must consent to separation. If one refuses, the other is trapped, cannot remarry and it could negatively affect their children in the religious community.
For decades, Orthodox men have used this process - known as a "get" -- as leverage for more favorable custody rights or money from their ex-spouses.
In recent weeks, Orthodox women have been speaking out on what they say is a form of domestic abuse and using social pressure to earn their religious freedoms.
The women who were at the rally Wednesday evening were also there to support Nechama Wasserman, whose husband Dovid refuses to give her a Jewish divorce seven years after they split, according to protesters.