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Dr Susan Weiss is a lawyer and activist in Jerusalem, where she has set up the Centre for Women's Justice.

She works to try and improve the lives and situations of women who struggle to divorce in Israel’s Orthodox rabbinical courts.

As civil divorce doesn't exist in Israel, Jews are only allowed to marry and divorce through the religious courts that are run by the country’s rabbinate. As women need to ask their husbands for a ‘get’ - a Jewish divorce document - they are only granted it if the husband chooses to accept.

The Orthodox rabbinate can make rulings that force the men to agree - but it is rarely done. Some women end up in 'chained' marriages if the husband and court refuse to effectuate a divorce; even those that do get a divorce may find that strict divorce agreements affect their lives long after their separation.

Dr Weiss argues that church and state should be separated – although some think that this system helps to preserve Jewish identity.

Producer: Sophia Smith Galer
(Photo credit: Getty Images)

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