The sole authority for all marriages and divorces of Jewish Israeli citizens are the rabbinical courts. These courts are obliged to abide by the laws of Halacha. Since the rabbis cannot force husbands to divorce their wives and cannot force wives to return to their estranged husbands, they ask that the couples reach an agreement on their own. The situation lends itself to the extortion of wives by their husbands, and many women – having no alternative – give up their property, savings, and sometimes custody of their children in order to obtain a get.
The goals of ICAR’s legal committee are:
