Florida Divorce Legislation — Will Sunshine State Follow Maryland Divorce Bill for Orthodox Jewish Women?
Last week, The Divorce Blog detailed how a Maryland divorce bill would put Orthodox Jewish women on an equal plane with their husbands during divorces by making sure that men remove all religious barriers to marriage for their soon-to-be-ex wives. Under Jewish law, a husband must grant his wife a divorce decree, or “get”, and if a woman does not receive this “get,” she is considered an “agunah” or chained woman who can not remarry again. This power of Orthodox Jewish men over their wives during divorce has prompted much concern in Jewish communities throughout the United States, and Florida is another state considering similar legislation, according to a story in the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.
Specifically, the South Florida chapter of the Women’s International Zionist Organization, or WIZO, is proposing divorce legislation which would prevent Jewish men from withholding this divorce decree out of spite or for more property or money. State Senator Dave Aronberg has sponsored a Florida divorce bill for Orthodox Jews which would affect the distribution of assets in a divorce if one spouse imposes religious or secular “barriers to remarriage.” According to the story, WIZO needs to find a sponsor in the House for this potential Florida divorce legislation to possibly be debated in Tallahassee this March.
New York has had a similar “get” law since the mid-1980s. This New York divorce law mandates that a civil divorce will not be granted by the state until all impediments to remarriage are removed. Other countries with “get” laws include Scotland, Canada, England, South Africa and Israel, which the South Florida Sun-Sentinel story says has some of the toughest penalties. According to the story, religious courts in Israel have the power to put men in prison and take their licenses, credit cards, bank accounts and civil service jobs if they do not remove religious barriers to remarriage. The story also detailed a severe case in Israel in which a Yemenite Jew spent 35 years in jail and refused to grant a “get” to his wife, who married at the age of 65 a month after his death!
