In an unprecedented move, an Israeli man living in Morocco granted his wife, who is in Israel, a divorce via Zoom, thus ending their marriage. This divorce was finalized after significant efforts by the Agunot Division of the Rabbinical Courts Administration in Israel, in collaboration with Jews in Morocco who were involved in the matter.
The couple married over a decade ago, but over the years, a conflict arose due to the husband living in Morocco while the wife remained in Israel. The husband stopped providing financial support, leaving the wife to live alone in their shared apartment in Israel. The wife initiated legal proceedings both in the Family Court and the Rabbinical Court, seeking a divorce. The husband refused to grant the divorce because she resided in Israel.
At this stage, the case was transferred to the Agunot Division of the Rabbinical Courts Administration, which undertook various actions to address the husband's refusal, including involving the Rabbinical Court in Morocco. After several weeks, the husband’s father came to Israel, and the Rabbinical Court issued a restraining order preventing him from leaving the country, summoning him for hearings to determine if he was complicit in the refusal to grant the divorce.
Eventually, after four hearings, the court found no evidence that the father supported the refusal, and he was released and returned to Morocco. Further complex negotiations between the parties, mediated by the Agunot Division, were initially unsuccessful.
Last week, after mediation between the couple, they reached an agreement. However, it then became clear that the Rabbinical Court in Morocco could not execute the divorce, raising fears that the delay might reset the entire process. With the intervention of the Agunot Division, the case was referred to Rabbi Eyal Yosef, a member of the Tel Aviv Rabbinical Court, who undertook to manage the divorce proceedings electronically. A few days ago, the wife came to the Rabbinical Court in Tel Aviv, and through Zoom, with the husband in Morocco, the divorce was granted.
Rabbi Eli Ben Dahan, Director of the Rabbinical Courts, told Ynet, "The Rabbinical Courts Administration makes cross-continental efforts and utilizes advanced halachic solutions to help Agunot (women chained to their marriage) gain their freedom. I want to thank Rabbi Eyal Yosef, the Agunot Division, and Rabbi Yitzhak Nissan of the Tel Aviv Rabbinical Court for their dedication and responsiveness to every challenge requiring their assistance."