Sarita Shuker says she was driven from her house at knife-point by a husband who broke her arm and knocked out her front teeth. Twenty-seven years later she is still trying to get a divorce.

Her husband Yisachar, who denies any mistreatment, will not agree to end the marriage until they agree on how to divide the property.He is supported by Jewish divorce law, which empowers only men to end a marriage. In the meantime, Mrs. Shuker 50, is legally bound to a husband she does not live with and is unable to start a new life with another partner.

Israeli feminists say Mrs. Shukers is one of 8,000 to 10,000 women denied d a divorce through the Jewish religious court system, which in Israel has sole jurisdiction over marriage, divorce and ether personal status issues