In response to CWJ’s petition to the Supreme Court, the High Rabbinic Court overturned the District Rabbinic Court’s decision and ruled that a minor is not a Mamzer. The question of principle in the petition is still pending in the Supreme Court. CWJ want to court to decide whether the Rabbinic Court has jurisdiction to make ruling with respect to minors who have not, by definition asked to marry or divorce.
Following a woman’s request for a marriage license, the District Rabbinic Court voided her mother’s conversion, which had been overseen 30 years earlier by Rabbi Goren. CWJ appealed the decision and will petition the Supreme Court if necessary to challenge the Rabbinic Court’s authority to repeal such conversions.
Susan Weiss gave a lecture at the Jerusalem Bar Association about overreaching secondary legislation issued by the rabbinate and the Rabbinic Court that expands their jurisdiction beyond the existing legal parameters.
CWJ petitioned the Supreme Court on behalf of 4 women from O-WOW (Original Women of the Wall) asking the Court to examine the lawfulness of the regulation that effectively bans women from bringing in Torah scrolls to the Kotel. This regulation is an example of how the Rabbinate expands its jurisdiction using secondary legislation. In addition, CWJ also submitted a claim for damages using the law against discrimination from 2000 on behalf of 2 of the women, who had been refused access to the Torah scrolls at the Kotel and refused the right to pray according to their conscience.
Susan Weiss gave a lecture at the bi-annual Kolech conference on “the blacklist” – how you are put on it and who cannot marry in Israel.
CWJ represented Ruth Colian in law suit requesting the court to rule that the Hareidi papers ‘Yom L’yom’ and ‘Yated Neeman’ must publish Colian’s ad advertising her bid for the Knesset as a Hareidi woman. The District Court ruled that the papers must publish Colian’s ad. The Supreme Court overturned this decision for technical reasons. CWJ continues to represent Colian in her discrimination suit against the papers that refused to publish her ad.
CWJ represented a woman whose husband refused to give her a get for 4 years. When he finally agreed, the District Rabbinic Court refused to arrange the get claiming that you cannot arrange a get on Rosh Hodesh. Due to extreme media pressure, the woman received her get that day.
As a result of CWJ’s petition to the Supreme Court, the Rabbinic Court was forced to request a social workers report regarding visitation rights of a former Hareidi mother with her minor sons, who live with their Hareidi father. The report recommended that the mother see her sons twice a week and the children can sleep at her home. The Supreme Court accepted the report and gave it official status overturning Rabbinic Court rulings on the matter.
In preparation for Hanukah, CWJ sent a number of letters to Rabbi Rabinowitz, the commissioner of the Kotel, asking that he involve women in the candle lighting ceremonies at the Kotel. Such inclusion is in accordance with professional opinion 1526 of the Government and the Attorney General’s office regarding the eradication of discrimination against women in the public sphere. Following CWJ’s letters, the Deputy AG, Dina Zilber, admonished Rabinowitz that all public authorities must take special precautions against discriminating against women and must protect their basic rights of Human Dignity and equality in its various activities. Zilber also wrote that she wishes to ensure that Rabinowitz includes women in the national Hanukah lighting ceremonies at the Kotel.
CWJ sent a letter to the Ministry of Religion protesting the building of a special walkway to be used only by men to use during the celebration held on Lag ba’omer at the burial site of Rashbi. CWJ requested that any new walkways built must also be accessible to women and demanded that no ushers be placed to prevent women from using them. The legal advisor of the Ministry of Religion responded that the main road leading up to the burial site will be open to all, men and women. Moreover, the legal advisor wrote that the new walk way planned will be accessible to all and women will not be prevented from using it.
