Growing crisis of vulnerable brides brought from Israel to marry strictly-Orthodox Jewish men

[IwantToRetire]

Community leaders and frontline services are being urged to take urgent action after harrowing testimonies emerged from young Israeli women brought to Britain under the promise of marriage, only to be trapped in abusive relationships.

Jewish Women’s Aid (JWA) and Rabbanit Ramie Smith, co-founder of GETToutUK, confirmed they are now supporting a rising number of such cases.

The call follows a Jewish Chronicle investigation last week, revealing testimonies from Israeli women under 25 subjected to domestic abuse, sexual violence, and get refusal after being brought to the UK.

Continues at https://www.jewishnews.co.uk/urgent-call-to-protect-young-israeli-women-at-risk-of-abuse-in-the-uk/

This is disturbing. I would like more detail about who is organising these marriages. It's just trafficking, in effect, even if the stated aim might be to maintain numbers of the Orthodox population in the UK or expand its gene pool or some such motivation. Similar to sending girls to Pakistan "on holiday" and then forcing them into marriage with a local man.

Good for the Jewish Chronicle for raising the alarm and JWA for supporting these women and I hope any investigation doesn't fall into the trap of "their culture, innit?" which we have seen happen.

Regarding Get refusal - Beit Din rulings have no legal force in civil law as I understand it, but that is probably a moot point to a deeply religious woman who doesn't speak English and has no friends (outside her religious community) or family here.

Edited to correct error.

Is the role of the Beit Din a purely oberving one (i.e. just seeing that all rules are followed and the Get is properly set up), or could they also order the husband to sign and hand over the Get, if the have the impression he is using it to cause harm to his wife?

Thank goodness they aren't run solely by men though.

Thank you for posting this, it's truly awful and shocking. Sadly not surprising though.

A teacher friend of mine went for a job interview at an all girls’ private secondary Jewish school in Manchester and got told at the interview that their education should ultimately prepare them to be good wives and mothers as that was their future 😭 She didn’t take the job.

Somehow, I doubt if the traditional Orthodox communities allow women to be lawgivers, and even if they did, it would be naive to assume that such women would be a friend to women in general. All power to JWA. (Assuming you were not being sarcastic...)

There have been threads on here are about women who have been waiting years for their husband to agree to a Get.

More information here https://www.jwa.org.uk/our-services/how-can-jwa-help/get-refusal-and-forced-marriage/

Although a few years old, this article shows it isn't just in the UK https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/jun/04/jewish-orthodox-women-divorce-get-refusal

This article gives more information about how these young women are forced into these situations.
https://www.thejc.com/news/uk/israeli-brides-are-being-lured-to-britain-and-matched-with-violent-sex-abusers-w952xqyp

What is so telling, and upsetting, that this is happening in many communities where faith or cultural practices rob women of any autonomy.

What is doesn't cover in the article is whether enough information is being publicised in Israel so that families and the women themselves are more aware of the dangers. And what the matchmakers are maybe covering up about the man and his family.

Knesset passes law expanding rabbinical courts’ powers to rule on child support

Two-year interim measure aimed at advancing stalled divorce cases by allowing rabbis to rule on expenses for children’s ‘upbringing, education and medical care’

https://www.timesofisrael.com/knesset-passes-law-expanding-rabbinical-courts-powers-to-arbitrate-civil-disputes/

Saw this online yesterday and thought it linked to this thread, as part of it was about young women in Israel being sent as brides to the UK

And the impact on women of divorce proceedings not being finalised.

Forced Marriage: Analysis of Arranged Marriage as Practised in Jewish Communities - Nahamu Project https://share.google/BEW2jYR0chtVOUCzO

Forced marriage is illegal in the UK and applies to everyone. I'm not sure how the authorities are dealing with this. The age for marriage has been raised to 18. The outlawing religious weddings where there is no civil marriage is still work in progress despite much campaigning.

Call to stop forced marriages - The Jewish Chronicle - The Jewish Chronicle share.google/8ejoit8fHgP1wYodNA group which campaigns against religious extremism in UK Jewry says that some arranged marriages amount to forced marriage in contravention of British law. Nahamu argues that some aspects of the shidduch system, where young men and women are introduced to prospective partners approved by their parents, can “create social pressure and coercion to marry”. A position paper sent to the Home Office by the organisation today calls for change, including banning marriages for youth under 18 and outlawing religious weddings where there is no civil marriage. Nahamu argues that some aspects of the shidduch system, where young men and women are introduced to prospective partners approved by their parents, can “create social pressure and coercion to marry”. A position paper sent to the Home Office by the organisation today calls for change, including banning marriages for youth under 18 and outlawing religious weddings where there is no civil marriage.

The Forced Marriage doesn't record religion.

The age for marriage has only been raised to 18 in England and Wales. It remains 16 in Scotland. Scotland, as part of the UK, is a signatory to the UN commitment to have a minimum age of 18, but then so was England. Still nothing was done for years.