Daniella Valency an Israeli woman who has striven to get a religious divorce for 12 years from her absent husband

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Jewish women, whose husbands deny them a religious divorce (called a 'get') after their marriages have irretrievably broken down are known as 'agunah' meaning a 'chained woman' (plural 'agunot'). Agunot are unable to re-marry in an orthodox synagogue. If an agunah contracts a civil marriage, then each child of that marriage is a 'mamzer' - that is, illegitimate according to Jewish law. This status passes down through the generations; thus the son or daughter of a mamzer is also a mamzer. The mamzer suffers severe penalties, such as being restricted to marrying only another mamzer or a convert.

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Size: 5208px × 3443px
Location: Jerusalem, Israel
Photo credit: © Ruby / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

Keywords: agunot, divorce, freedman, israel, israeli, jerusalem, jew, jewish, jews, judaism, law, orthodox, portrait, rabbi, rabbinical, religion, religious, shadow, stuart, traditional, wall, woman