Recently, Yad La'isha helped a Hassidic woman get a divorce after 10 years of court battles with her unhinged husband. In another case, the rabbinical court awoke from its Rip Van Winkle sleep only when Yad La'isha sued for damages in the secular court. Yes, sanctions are being used more frequently, although not quickly or strictly enough. The recalcitrant husband of one of Yad La'isha's clients budged after years of intransigence because his credit card would be revoked. For others, jail sentences do the trick, but not for all.
Judges can impose additional hardships.
Even when sanctions are effective, we can take no cheer in them. Violating the civil rights of men can't be the only way our rabbis can dissolve a marriage. As a schoolgirl in Connecticut, I used to feel sorry for my Catholic girlfriends who might need papal dispensation for a divorce. Naive, I could never have imagined that my own tradition nourished such callousness. In the prison are nine men who have opted to live behind bars rather than free their wives.