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London Beth Din Acts to Facilitate ‘agunah’ Divorces

January 21, 1940
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A decision to facilitate Jewish religious divorce for the “agunah”, wife who has not heard from her husband in many years, was announced today by the Beth Din, Jewish religious court.

The move, taken to avoid the same “agunah” problem which arose from the last war, provides for the signing of a declaration by departing Jewish soldiers before the Beth Din or a competent rabbi and two witnesses. By this declaration the husband, before his departure for war service, can give instructions for divorce to go into effect four or five years after the date of the declaration, if at that time there is no definite news as to his being alive or dead.

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