Legal Definitions - agunah

Definition: Agunah (ah-goo-nah) is a term used in Jewish law to describe a woman who is unable to remarry because her husband has deserted her, disappeared, or will not agree to a divorce.

Example 1: A woman's husband went missing during a war, and she has no way of knowing if he is alive or dead. She cannot remarry until she can prove that he is dead or obtain a divorce.

Example 2: A woman's husband refuses to grant her a divorce, even though they have been separated for years. She is stuck in a marriage that she no longer wants to be in.

These examples illustrate how an agunah is a woman who is trapped in a marriage and unable to move on with her life. In Jewish law, a woman cannot remarry without a get (a religious divorce document) from her husband. If her husband is missing or refuses to grant her a divorce, she is considered an agunah and cannot remarry. This can be a very difficult and painful situation for a woman to be in.