Agunah Inc. response to the Beth Din of America

Guide to the Agunah Inc. Response to the Beth Din of America 1998

Guide to the Agunah Inc. Response to the Beth Din of America
1998


Collection Overview
Creator:	Agunah, Inc.
Title:	Agunah Inc. response to the Beth Din of America
Dates:	1998
Size:	1 folder
Abstract:	Agunah Inc., also known as Agunah International, is an organization that provides assistance to women whose husbands refuse to grant them Jewish divorces, causing the women to become agunot (chained women) and unable to remarry according to Jewish law. The collection consists of a pamphlet entitled "Agunah Inc. Replies to the Beth Din of America," written by Susan Aranoff in response to criticism and condemnation of it by the Beth Din of America, an Orthodox rabbinic court serving the Jewish community of North America.
Languages:	Materials are in English.
Call No:	2000.018

About This Guide

Finding aid encoded August, 2009

Finding aid encoded in English.

Agunah Inc., also known as Agunah International, is an organization founded to help women whose husbands refuse to grant them Jewish divorces, causing the women to become agunot (chained women) and unable to remarry according to Jewish law. The organization educates the broader community about the agunah issue, publicizes statistics regarding the large number of agunot in the United States, and attempts to intervene with Rabbinical courts on behalf of agunot in order to assist them in obtaining divorces. The organization is directed by Dr. Susan Aronoff, Estelle Freilich, and Rachell Maidenbaum Gober. It also maintains its own Rabbinical court, which was presided over by Rabbi Emanuel Rackman for many years until his passing in 2008.

Scope and Contents

The collection consists of a pamphlet entitled "Agunah Inc. Replies to the Beth Din of America," written by Susan Aranoff. On August 28, 1998, an article by Agunah Inc. was printed in the Jewish Week outlining its principles for freeing agunot, women trapped in marriages because they cannot get a religious Jewish divorce. The Beth Din of America (BDA), an Orthodox rabbinic court serving the Jewish community of North America, responded to the article on October 27, 1998, with harsh criticism. This pamphlet contains a response to that criticism, outlining the points which the BDA made in their statement and attempting to demonstrate the faults of each one. The pamphlet makes use of quotes from rabbis such as Rabbi Moses Feinstein, Rabbi Yitzchak Elchanan Spektor, and Rabbi Emanuel Rackman to support its claims.

Index Terms

This collection has been indexed under the following terms:

Persons:

Aranoff, Susan B.

Rackman, Emanuel

Organizations:

Beth Din of America

Subjects:

Agunahs

Divorce (Jewish law)

Jewish women -- New York (State) -- New York

Jewish women -- Religious life

Women -- Legal status, laws, etc. (Jewish law)

Document Types:

Pamphlets

Conditions Governing Access and Use

Conditions Governing Access

Collection is available to researchers deemed to be qualified by the Archivist.

Conditions Governing Use

Restrictions may apply concerning the use, photoduplication, or publication of materials in this collection. Please contact the Curator of Special Collections for information regarding Yeshiva University's reproduction policies and fees.