The Agunah: A Modern-Day Nightmare
These two cases vividly illustrate the current problems of the modern day agunah (a woman chained to an unwanted marriage), because halacha (Jewish law) gives the husband the sole, unfettered power of divorce. While under Ashkenazic tradition a woman can withhold her \”consent\” to such a divorce, the remedies available to the victim of a recalcitrant husband or wife differ substantially.