Journals / Süleyman Demirel Üniversitesi İktisadi ve İdari Bilimler Fakültesi Dergisi / 2026 / Cilt: 31 Sayı: 2

The Agunat Question in Israel: Feminist Responses to Gender Inequality Caused by the Rabbinical Court System and Their Intersectionality

İsrail’de Aguna Sorunu: Haham Mahkemelerinin Yarattığı Toplumsal Cinsiyet Eşitsizliğine Feminist Tepkiler ve Bu Tepkilerin Kesişimselliği

Pages
114–125
Publication Date
2026-08-31
DOI
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AI Summary & Key Takeaways

AI Insight
⚡ TL;DR(Too Long; Didn't Read)

While these perspectives may seem oppositional, both groups inhabit an intersectional space shaped by the social, cultural, and political structures underpinning the problem they seek to resolve.

📌 3 Key Takeaways

🎯
Objective & Hypothesis:Israel’s legal system operates as a hybrid, blending secular laws with religious traditions, particularly evident in the domain of family law.
📊
Key Findings & Data:This legal hybridity poses significant challenges, as the principle of equality before the law often remains theoretical, overshadowed by the rulings of Rabbinical Courts.
💡
Conclusion & Impact:While these perspectives may seem oppositional, both groups inhabit an intersectional space shaped by the social, cultural, and political structures underpinning the problem they seek to resolve.
🔬Design:Araştırma Makalesi
📍Scope:Comprehensive Sample
⚙️Variables:Agunah · Get · Halakha

Abstract

Israel’s legal system operates as a hybrid, blending secular laws with religious traditions, particularly evident in the domain of family law. This legal hybridity poses significant challenges, as the principle of equality before the law often remains theoretical, overshadowed by the rulings of Rabbinical Courts. Patriarchal interpretations embedded within Jewish religious tradition and Halakha place women at a disadvantage compared to men in matters such as divorce, property division, and child custody. Notably, in cases where a man withholds consent for divorce (the get), women are left in a state of agunah, trapped in marital limbo and socially ostracized. Feminist movements addressing this issue diverge into two main camps: secularists, who call for the removal of Halakha as a legal authority, and religious feminists, who argue that gender inequality arises not from Halakha itself but from its patriarchal interpretations. While these perspectives may seem oppositional, both groups inhabit an intersectional space shaped by the social, cultural, and political structures underpinning the problem they seek to resolve.

Özet

İsrail’in hukuk sistemi, özellikle aile hukuku alanında belirginleşen melez bir yapıya sahiptir; seküler yasalarla dinî geleneklerin iç içe geçtiği bu yapı, hukuk önünde eşitlik ilkesini çoğu zaman teorik bir iddia olarak bırakmaktadır. Haham Mahkemeleri’nin kararları, bu melez yapının en tartışmalı unsurlarından biridir. Yahudi dini geleneğinde ve Halakha’da yer alan ataerkil yorumlar, özellikle boşanma, mal paylaşımı ve velayet gibi konularda kadınları ciddi biçimde dezavantajlı duruma sokmaktadır. Özellikle erkeklerin boşanma iznini (get) vermeyi reddettiği durumlarda kadınlar "agunah" olarak tanımlanan bir statüde, ne evli ne de özgür sayıldıkları, toplumsal olarak dışlandıkları bir hukukî ve sembolik boşlukta sıkışıp kalmaktadır. Bu yapısal eşitsizliğe karşı gelişen feminist tepkiler iki ana hatta ayrılmaktadır: Seküler feministler, Halakha’nın hukuk sistemi içindeki belirleyiciliğinin tümüyle kaldırılmasını talep ederken; dindar feministler, sorunun Halakha’nın kendisinden değil, onun patriyarkal yorumlanış biçiminden kaynaklandığını savunmaktadır. Bu iki yaklaşım karşıt görünse de, kökeni aynı yapısal sorunda olan kesişimsel bir mücadelenin iki ayrı uğrağıdır. Sosyal, kültürel ve siyasal bağlamların iç içe geçtiği bu alanda, eşitlik talebi, hem hukukla hem gelenekle hem de toplumsal normlarla yeniden hesaplaşmayı zorunlu kılmaktadır.

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Cite This Article

Polat, Y. C. (2026). The Agunat Question in Israel: Feminist Responses to Gender Inequality Caused by the Rabbinical Court System and Their Intersectionality. Süleyman Demirel Üniversitesi İktisadi ve İdari Bilimler Fakültesi Dergisi, Cilt: 31 Sayı: 2, 114–125. https://ajindex.com/articles/1545555

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