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The issue of “chained women” is a complex one, particularly in Israel where all marriages and divorces are overseen by a national rabbinate and must conform to its views of Jewish law. There is no such thing as civil marriage or divorce. Under the rabbinate’s interpretation, there is no way to dissolve a legally valid marriage without the consent of the husband. Rabbinic courts can impose sanctions, including prison time, on husbands who are recognized as refusing to give a get, but they cannot force them to give one.

Pnina Omer, the CEO of Yad L’Isha, a female-run organization that helps women who have been denied a get — including Sompo — explained that there are two main types of men who refuse to give their wives a divorce: ideologues and extortionists.

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To address the issue, Yad L’Isha encourages anyone getting married to first sign a prenuptial agreement that forbids the husband from withholding a get (rabbinic court sanctioned divorce), and advocates for current rabbinic judges to issue more compassionate rulings toward “chained women,” as well as for picking future rabbinic judges who are inclined to do the same.