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Agunah Day - observed on the Jewish calendar date of the Fast of Esther. Most years the fast of Esther, and thus Agunah Day as well, falls on the 13th day of Adar. On leap years it is marked on the 13th day of Adar Bet. This day was established by ICAR - The International Coalition for Agunah Rights - over a decade ago, to raise public awareness to the plight of the Agunah and galvanize action to solve the problem. Awareness of the woman known as the Agunah has existed for thousands of years. She is the woman whose husband’s whereabouts is unknown, and there is no proof of his demise. According to Jewish law a woman cannot change her status from a "married woman" to a "widow", without absolute proof of his demise, or to being a "divorcee" without the consent of her husband. In modern times the Agunah took on another dimension – that of the woman denied a divorce - a "Mesurevet Get". Today, most Agunot are women who have severed all relations with their partners – emotional, economical and physical. Nevertheless they have not succeeded in ending their marriages in divorce, according to Jewish Law. The husband, whether he is physically present or has abandoned the family, refuses to divorce his wife according to Jewish law. This woman- the Agunah – remains with the status of a "married woman" and cannot legally marry again and rebuild her life. Thus the Agunah is imprisoned in the marriage against her will.

The Fast of Esther was chosen by ICAR as Agunah Day in orcer to symbolize our identification with the Agunah for two contrasting reasons –due to affliction and due to salvation.

According to Jewish tradition, Megillat Esther is included in the religious canon of books. It is counted as one of the holy books of the Bible. The Megilla relates how around the 4th Century BCE the ruler of Persia and Media – Ahasuerus – sought a new queen from among “all the beautiful young maidens”. The Fast of Esther commemorates Esther, the cousin of a Jew of distinguished lineage called Mordechai. This same Esther married King Ahasueras even though she didn’t want to enter into the marriage. “Esther was taken to King Ahasueras into his palace”. She was brought there against her will. And so, Esther found favor in the eyes of the king and he crowned her his queen. “He set the royal crown upon her head”. Although she was the queen, Esther lived in fear, hiding her personal background, as explained in Yalkut Shimoni : "And why was she called Esther? Because she hid her personal self " (the root of her name connotes hiding).

Like Esther, the Agunah of the present era does not want to be in the marriage in which she finds herself. Like Esther, many women who are refused a get live in fear of their spouses and live a double life. Like Esther, the Agunah, a victim of get-refusal, finds herself lacking control of her own freedom.

However when Esther is called upon by Mordechai to find a way to save her people, she instructs him “Go, assemble all the Jews found in Shushan and fast for me. Do not eat or drink for three days, night or day…..then I will go in to the King although it is unlawful, and if I perish, I perish" . Esther rises to the occasion and takes upon herself the burden of leadership, even though it may come at a high personal cost. In proclaiming the “Fast of Esther” she put emphasis on assembling the entire nation in her efforts to save them. Esther realized that in the unity of the people lies their strength.

In this manner all who concern themselves with having a just, stable Jewish society rise to the challenge. Agunah Day symbolizes awareness of the general public. It serves as a rallying cry among the people calling for the eradication of this destructive phenomenon in a healthy, balanced society. By marking Agunah Day, the people come together to declare that the abandonment of a wife or the refusal of a get will not be tolerated by the Jewish People.

At the end of Megillat Esther, the act of remembrance is emphasized: "Then Queen Esther, daughter of Avihail, and Mordechai the Jew, wrote with full authority … and the ordinance of Esther confirmed these matters of Purim, and it was recorded in the book". Moreover, in the Talmud the request of Esther to be remembered through the inclusion of her story in the Book of Books is emphasized: "Esther sent to the sages: Record me for all the generations … Inscribe me for all the generations". The proclamation and the inscription in the Book of Laws are the acts which bring about remembrance and the learning of the lesson. With Queen Esther’s insight every 'Agunah' in the Jewish World calls out: “Go, assemble all the Jewish People and mark 'Agunah' Day, thus I can attain freedom in keeping with the laws of Moses and Israel".