Fraidy Reiss

"Unchained At Last" redirects here. For the 1980's album, see Slave (band).

Fraidy Reiss is a United States-based activist against arranged marriage, forced marriage and child marriage.

Life

Fraidy was raised Orthodox Jewish in Brooklyn, New York.[1][2] At 19, she was arranged to be married to someone she had known for three months.[3][4] She married the man, and had two children with him. In the first week of her marriage, her then-husband showed signs of abusive behavior. Allegedly, her husband repeatedly threatened to kill her and was violent.[3][1][5] Reiss only realized that she was experiencing domestic violence when she spoke with a therapist outside of her community.[6] Allegedly, her community members encouraged her to stay with her husband.[5] After a particular episode of violence, Fraidy went to get a temporary restraining order, and was the first woman in her Orthodox Jewish community to do so.[3] However, her rabbi sent an attorney (who was also from the Orthodox Jewish community) to take Fraidy to family court to tell the judge that she wished to drop the order. Reiss was able to go to college and get a job, and thus she felt that she was able to support her family and leave her husband and get a divorce.[7] She developed a five-year escape plan.[5] Reiss graduated at 32 from Rutgers University, and was valedictorian.[8] She began work as a journalist. Reiss left her husband after twelve years of marriage, and was shunned by her family and community after doing so. She finally was able to obtain a divorce three years later after leaving him.[9] Reiss has not spoken to her family since then, save for her sister on occasion.[3][2][4]

In 2016, it was announced that Reiss would become the subject of a documentary by production company Women Rising.[8] Sara Hirsh Bordo will direct the documentary, and production on it was scheduled to begin in Fall of 2016.[8]

Activism

In 2011, Reiss founded the nonprofit organization Unchained at Last to support women who wish to leave arranged and forced marriages.[3][1][5][2][7] The organization cannot help minors, although Reiss is working to change United States law so that she is able to.[9] The organization is incorporated in New Jersey.[1] Unchained at Last serves people from various communities, including those that are Orthodox Jewish, Hindu, Muslim, Mormon, and from the Unification Church. Nearly all women had been forced into marriage by their religious community.[1] The organization tailors services to each client's background.[2] Unchained at Last offers legal assistance and representation for the women. The organization also helps the women with social services so that they can continue with their lives, as well as mentoring.[3][1][5][6] Reiss has also participated in a planning session held by the White House Council on Women and Girls that would target development of a national policy on forced and arranged marriages.[1] Reiss also collaborated with New Jersey senator Loretta Weinberg on a draft of a law that would allow women to access crime victimization records free of charge. This would allow the women to use those records as proof to obtain restraining orders.[4] As of 2016, the organization has helped over 250 women.[5]

Further reading

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Freedman, Samuel. "Woman Breaks Through Chains of Forced Marriage, and Helps Others Do the Same". The New York Times. The New York Times. Retrieved 7 March 2017.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Baer, Reut. "Interview with the Founder of Unchained, Fraidy Reiss". Ma'Yan. Ma'Yan. Retrieved 8 March 2017.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "The Joy Of Leaving An Arranged Marriage — And The Cost". NPR. NPR. Retrieved 7 March 2017.
  4. 1 2 3 "An Orthodox Jewish Woman's Journey From Chained Wife to Advocate". Haaretz. Haaretz. Retrieved 8 March 2017.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 O'Keeffee, Michael. "Unchained at Last helps women, girls escape forced marriages". New York Daily News. New York Daily News. Retrieved 7 March 2017.
  6. 1 2 Bronis, Leeor. "Freedom from the bonds of unholy matrimony". The Times of Israel. The Times of Israel. Retrieved 8 March 2017.
  7. 1 2 Reiss, Fraidy. "Fraidy Reiss: Breaking The Chains Of Religious Tradition". The Huffington Post. The Huffington Post. Retrieved 8 March 2017.
  8. 1 2 3 "Women Rising Announces Fraidy Reiss As Next Documentary". PR Newswire. PR Newswire. Retrieved 8 March 2017.
  9. 1 2 Braunschweiger, Amy. "Witness: Child Marriage in the US". Human Rights Watch. Human Rights Watch. Retrieved 8 March 2017.
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