32 Friday, May 1, 1982
THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
Weizmann Chair
Goes to Expert
on Reproduction
Israeli Women Get Better Deal
in Divorce Cases With rItlitzva'
By DVORA WAYSMAN
World Zionist Press Service
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JERUSALEM — They
don't look like Women's
Libbers. In fact, with their
covered hair and modest
dress, they look more like a
group of women on their
way to synagogue. Yet these
women, who call them-
selves Mitzva People, are
dedicated to fighting for
women's rights in Israel's
rabbinical courts in matters
of Jewish divorce.
Their area of concern is
the "aguna" = a woman
tied to a husband who re-
fuses to give her a "get" (a
Jewish bill of divorcement).
In a recent case, a woman
had been litigating in the
Haifa Rabbinical Court for
seven years, with both she
and her husband paying
enormous sums to their re-
spective lawyers. ,when the
wife appealed to Mitzva for
help, they sent mediators to
The Cultural Commission of Cong. B'Nai Moshe
14390 West Ten Mile Road, Oak Park, Michigan 48237
- GRAND
Cir NieOni
e s IAL CONCERT
In Honor of Its 70th Anniversary
NMI
Thurs., May 20th, 8:00 P.M.
in the MAIN SANCTUARY
Guest Artist. Will Be
CANTOR TIBOR KELEN
of Temple Beth El
in Cedarhurst,
PLUS
CANTOR CHAIM NAJMAN
SHAAREY ZEDEK
CANTOR
SAMUEL GREENBAUM
BETH SHALOM
attend the court session
where her husband flatly
refused to accept her
lawyer's divorce agreement.
The Mitzva mediators
approached him and
convinced him to talk
things over with them.
Within an hour, they re-
wrote the agreement to
the satisfaction of both
parties. They returned to
court with the new
agreement which the
husband signed. The fol-
lowing week, the wife
was set free and the di-
vorce was granted.
In another case, a woman
who had been an "aguna"
for three years, through
Mitzva's mediation efforts
was granted a divorce an
hour after entering the rab-
binical court.
Her husband had been
demanding an exorbitant
sum of money in return for
the "get" and was not will-
ing even to discuss alterna-
tives. Mitzva organized a
public demonstration at his
place of business after ob-
taining a police permit.
Thirty-five women came to
protest publicly in a quiet
way, asking for help to free
the "aguna" who was like a
prisoner in a dead marriage.
The husband's fellow
workers did not take kindly
either to this spectacle or to
the blackmailing husband.
There followed a demon-
stration at his home, appe-
aling to his neighbors. The
husband quickly backed
down and granted the "get"
within a week.
Mitzva was originally
called the League for
Women's Rights in the
Courts, and was founded
five years ago by Sylvia
Mandelbaum. There are
many prominent -names
associated with the
organization, which is
made up of mostly reli-
gious women and a few
men, including some
eminent legal per-
sonalities, rabbis and
educators.
The organization's serv-
ices are available to the
religious and non-religious
alike. Mitzva trains many of
its members to become
mediators between hus-
bands and wives who are
negotiating a divorce. The
couple, with no lawyer's fees
whatsoever, can thus finish
REHOVOT — A leading
up either with an amicable Israeli expert on the role of
divorce or a well considered sex hormones in reproduc-
reconciliation.
tion, Prof. Alvin M. Kaye,
Jewish law states that has been named as the first
only the husband has the incumbent of the Joseph
right to give a "get". If he Moss Chair in Molecular
withholds it, the woman can Endocrinology at the
never remarry. If an Weizmann Institute _of Sci-
"aguna" decides neverthe- ence.
less to live with another
Prof. Kaye and his col-
man and bears his children, leagues have revealed new
those children are forever information about the ef-
designated "mamzerim" — fects of estrogen on the re-
children of a forbidden ' production of the genetic
union.
material contained within
Mitzva is also willing to the cells of the uterus and
help husbands and recently have also shown that estro-
did so in the case of a sea- gen governs the rate o
man. His wife's lawyer le- systhesis of two ke
gally prevented him from enzymes which provide the
leaving the country during uterus with the energy it
divorce proceedings which requires for growth and cell
had dragged on for years. multiplication.
This ended his means of
By measuring the ac-
livelihood and made his life tivity
of estrogen-
miserable.
stimulated
enzymes it may
He approached Mitzva
and a mediator was sent to be possible to determine
talk to his wife. The next whether endometrial and
day they went with the breast cancer cells are re-
mediators to the court with sponsive to estrogen, ac-
a signed agreement, ex- cording to Prof. Kaye.
Originally a New Yorker,
plaining that-he was a sea-
man and wished to join a Prof. Kaye, who earned his
ship sailing a few days later. PhD at the University of
The rabbinate ordered the Pennsylvania, has been at
scribe to - write the "get" the Weizmann Institute of
immediately, and they were Science since 1956. Last
both freed to resume their year he won the Michael
Landau Research Prize.
normal lives.
Young Israel of Oak-Woods
invites the
JEWISH COMMUNITY
to join in the celebration
of an auspicious event in the
life of its congregation:
THE RETIREMENT OF
ITS MORTGAGE
Champagne hour, 7:30 p.m. (promptly)
Monday, May 10
Featuring an appropriate program
and ceremony
-
CANTOR MAX SHIMANSKY
BETH ACHIM
AND
.
CANTOR LOUIS KLEIN
B'NAI MOSHE
WITH THE
SISTERHOOD CHORAL GROUP
IN A CONCERT OF LITURGICAL, ISRAELI, OPERATIC AND YIDDISH
SELECTIONS. -
ADMISSION: NO CHARGE. PUBLIC IS INVITED.
Israel's Industrial
Production Rises
JERUSALEM (JNI) —
Israel's industrial produc-
tion rose by six percent in
real terms last_ year, com-
pared to a three percent
drop in 1980.
According to preliminary
figures released by the Cen-
tral Bureau of Statistics,
the sectors with the largest
increases were wood prod-
- lothing and mechani-
ucts, C
cal and electrical equip-
ment. Industrial employ-
ment also rose by about 2.5
percent of the sector's total
labor force.
Entertainment by
MARK GOLDENBERG
(returning to Oak Park for this special event)
Afterglow in the Stollman Hall
Couvert: $12.50 per person
Reservations: Please call 398-1177
or stop at the Synagogue office,
24061 Coolidge, Oak Park