World Trouble Spots

They live in a marital limbo, separated from husbands -- sometimes for decades -- but unable to divorce. According to Jewish religious law, which binds Israeli Jews, a wife may not be granted a divorce without her husband's consent. At least 10,000 Israeli women, known as the Agunot (the anchored) have husbands who are unwilling to give that permission. Says Ora Sasson, who has been trying to get a divorce for eight years: "I don't know where I stand. I'm not married. I'm not a widow."

Earlier this year relief seemed near after Agunot protesters made their voices heard at demonstrations. In response, Zevulun Hammer, the Minister of Religious Affairs, proposed that recalcitrant husbands be threatened with suspension of such rights as cashing checks and holding a driver's license. But Hammer left office in June, and since then the small ultra-Orthodox parties whose leaders oppose change have faced little challenge from politicians on this issue.

The nation's feminists still hope to end the suffering of the Agunot. Alice Shalvi, chairwoman of the Israel Women's Network, wants to strengthen the civil courts by giving them the power to threaten husbands with financial penalties and even arrest them if they refuse to release their wives from broken marriages. In Israel's volatile political climate, that seemingly sane proposal stands little chance of success.