This agunah has been waiting for her bill of divorce for 17 years while her husband remains in prison, all the time refusing to release her despite sanctions that have been levied against him. It is reported that now, the Jerusalem Municipality has turned to the wife seeking to collect a 90,000 shekels back arnona payment since they have been unsuccessful in getting the money from the imprisoned husband to date.
The wife explains the bill arrived a number of days ago from the Jerusalem Municipality for arnona property tax for two properties registered in the name of her husband Meir, explains Tzviya Gorodtzky.
According to the Yediot Achronot report, it is absurd that the properties are written in the husband’s name and now that the city realizes he cannot pay, they come after the agunah wife. Yediot adds that the path chosen by the city may be legal, but it is certainly not showing any sensitivity to the woman and her plight.
It may now be up to a beis din to determine if an agunah can be held responsible for the debts of her husband.
The city issued the following statement in response to Yediot:
The municipality made every effort to reach an agreement with Mrs. Gorodtzky out of understanding and consideration of her condition. The municipality even proposed a far-reaching compromise to settle debts accumulated over a long period of time via a large number of assets valued at 196,000 shekels.
In view of the circumstances in which the debt was created and beyond the law, the Taxation and Collection Department decided to reduce the debt to 69,744 shekels and to arrange for the debt to be spread out to 36 installments, without additional interest and linkage differentials for the duration of the arrangement.
In addition, the Taxation and Collection Department will forward his recommendation, but the municipality is examining whether it is possible to assist the lady in other ways.
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
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2 Responses
If only he owns it, how can it be true from a legal point of view that she owes the money for property tax?! That’s pure madness. By the government’s logic (not necessarily according to halacha), if she pays the property tax, the government should sign the property over to her name. And if they’d give her 50% rights on the property, then she’d pay 50% of the debts.
> two properties registered in the name of her husband
The system in Israel, as it has been told to me, is beyond comprehension . In general (not specifically in this case) they have the barbaric feature (contrary to all norms in modern democracy) in law of throwing someone in jail for being able to pay a debt (so I have been told), yet (again contrary to all norms in modern democracy) they cannot normally repossess real-property for failure to pay tax. Seems the solution, in this case, should have been rather simple. Seeing as there are two properties. the agunah should only need one to live on, right? So sell the other property to pay for present *and* future taxes.