Women's rights

Knesset panel advances bill to expand rabbinical courts’ power over civil matters

Critics have warned of the bill's democratic implications, including those involving women's rights, which may deepen the rift between the haredi and secular communities.

|ByKESHET NEEV
THE RABBINICAL Court’s Division for Agunot in Jerusalem.
NARGES MOHAMMADI sits in her apartment in Tehran, Iran, on December 18, 2024.

Nobel Committee calls on Iran to free imprisoned Peace Prize winner Narges Mohammadi

Mohammadi, 53, who has been imprisoned repeatedly in her three-decade campaign for women's rights, was last week sentenced to a new prison term of 7-1/2 years, a group supporting her said on Sunday.

|ByREUTERS
Narges Mohammadi sits in her apartment in Tehran on January 23, 2025.

Reincarcerated Iranian Nobel Peace Prize winner Narges Mohammadi sentenced to seven years

Narges Mohammadi has been repeatedly imprisoned during her decades-long women's rights campaign and was re-arrested on December 12, 2025, before being sentenced.

|ByREUTERS
MURSAL SAYAS, an Afghan women’s rights activist, journalist, and the CEO of Women Beyond Borders.

Taliban penal code legalizes slavery, places women below animals, expert tells 'Post' - interview

Under the Taliban’s penal code, which includes 119 articles, published on January 7, 2026, the penalty for animal abuse outweighs that of a serious case of domestic violence.

|ByDANIELLE GREYMAN-KENNARD

Professional advancement in Halacha: Why women should be allowed to take official exams - opinion

Women have been studying Halacha for many years, and they simply long for the chance to take official exams.

OCTOBER 28, 2025ByCHAMUTAL SHOVAL
‘SINCE THE war began, the questions have become even harder and more traumatic. I do my best to answer and to provide the questioner, male or female, with halachic guidance through these painful moments,’ says the writer.

Modi under scrutiny after Taliban allowed to exclude female journalists from Delhi press event

India's External Affairs Ministry said it "had no involvement in the press interaction" at the Afghan embassy.

OCTOBER 18, 2025ByDANIELLE GREYMAN-KENNARD
Afghanistan's Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi speaks at the roundtable at the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI) in New Delhi, India, October 13, 2025.

The Taliban bans women’s books - and too many Afghans applaud - opinion

Thinking naively that Afghans living in Dubai would be either refugees or have wised up - I asked one what he thinks of the Taliban. His answer? "Wonderful."

OCTOBER 5, 2025ByBARBARA SOFER
THE BLUE Mosque in Kabul.

The rabbinical courts: Sick system at the heart of society - opinion

The courts are staffed by judges who rule on momentous matters within a system that lacks proper training, transparency, and oversight.

SEPTEMBER 25, 2025BySIGAL RAZIN
PRESIDENT ISAAC HERZOG and Sephardi Chief Rabbi David Yosef attend a ceremony inaugurating new judges in the rabbinical courts at the President’s Residence in Jerusalem in June.

‘I’m still trapped in August 2021’: Afghan women in exile share haunting memories

Afghan women who fled Taliban rule describe trauma, loss, and fear as they struggle for recognition abroad.

AUGUST 19, 2025ByARSHAD MEHMOOD / THE MEDIA LINE
Women with tape on their mouths protest in silence against the loss of fundamental rights for women and girls in Afghanistan. August 15 marks four years since the Taliban returned to power in Afghanistan, August 15, 2025.

From exclusion to examination: Women gain access to rabbinic path

Historic win: Rabbi Seth Farber and female pioneers reflect on the fight to open rabbinic exams to women

JULY 26, 2025ByALAN ROSENBAUM
WOMEN LEARN in Migdal Oz. Having an official accreditation process, universal for halachic scholars of both sexes, is a good way to get more people to study Jewish law, notes Farber.

Afghan women battle the Taliban's Sharia laws with hair salons, underground businesses - report

From underground hair salons to selling makeup and jewelry online, a report by The Washington Post details the daily struggles that women in Afghanistan face.

JULY 24, 2025ByJERUSALEM POST STAFF
Two Afghan women in interview with Reuters.

Sisterhood died on October 7: Betrayed by the women’s movement - opinion

The Dinah Project counters the silence from international women's movements following the atrocities of October 7.

JULY 14, 2025ByRENEE GARFINKEL
MEMBERS OF the Dinah Project formally present ‘A Quest for Justice: October 7 and Beyond’ to first lady Michal Herzog at the President’s Residence in Jerusalem last week.

Israelis oppose gender segregation - opinion

The value of gender equality has eroded in Israel over the past two decades, but the majority of the public does not support separation measures.

JULY 10, 2025ByASIF EFRAT
WOMEN AND children at a separate beach in Haifa. Supporters of separation see it as pluralism allowing religious people to operate in the public sphere while maintaining their lifestyles, the writer notes.

'Iran can't be free unless all women are free': Oppression of women central to Iran - interview

British-Iranian journalist Jonathan Harounoff discusses his new book 'Unveiled: Inside Iran's #WomanLifeFreedom Revolt.'

JULY 9, 2025ByMATHILDA HELLER
People protest in Trafalgar Square on the first anniversary of the death in custody of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Kurdish woman arrested by the morality police in 2022 for allegedly flouting mandatory dress codes, in London, Britain, September 16, 2023.