Jewish Approaches to Israeli Minorities Part 2: Women’s Rights — Releasing an Agunah

Posted by Meesh Hammer-Kossoy on February 8, 2016
Topics: Jewish Approaches to Israeli Minorities, Pardes Live and Mini-Series

Rabbi Meesh Hammer-Kossoy presents a five-part series on Am I my Brother’s Keeper? Jewish Approaches to Israeli Minorities. In this lecture, Meesh will discuss Women’s Rights: Releasing an Agunah – The case of the Justice Lavi and the Vegetative Husband. 7 years after a tragic accident left her husband a “vegetable” and her an agunah (anchored to her absentee husband), Rabbi Uriel Lavi, Av Bet Din of Tzfat made a bold decision in May 2014 to release her using a rarely used concept “zikkui gett.” The controversial move cost him his promotion, and in fact held up the entire judicial appointment system until the end of 2015. What is going on here? How is this a symptom of a larger problem? and what can be done?

Please note that an extract from the movie Gett: The Trial of Viviane Amsalem was shown for the first 10 minutes of the lecture.


Click here for more episodes in the series.

About Meesh Hammer-Kossoy

Meesh is the Director of the Pardes Year Program, where she has been making her professional home since 1999. Originally from Washington, D.C., Meesh has a B.A. in Near Eastern and Judaic Studies from Brandeis University, and a M.A. and Ph.D. from New York University. Her dissertation explored the courageous manner in which the rabbis of the Talmud created a new criminal punishment system. In 2015, Meesh completed her studies at Beit Midrash Har'el and received ordination from Rabbi Herzl Hefter and Rabbi Daniel Sperber. Click here to read more.

Keep Learning

authentic jewish living
authentic jewish living
authentic jewish living