Retired Supreme Court Justice Dalia Dorner criticized Justice Minister Yaakov Ne'eman's suggestion to broaden the jurisdiction of the rabbinical courts, warning the religious courts "would persecute woman to death."
Speaking at a conference hosted by the Kolech religious women's forum on Monday, Dorner said that if the suggestion materializes, it would allow the rabbinical courts to intervene inmatters they know nothing about.
Dorner told the audience Ne'eman's intentions left her "less than optimistic," especially since the move is meant to satisfy political demands made by Shas .She further warned such a decision would prove "fatal."
The rabbinical courts act by virtue of law, she added, and the move is aimed "at changing the rules of the game." Dorner urged religious women to unite politically in order to thwart the move, warning that otherwise "all will be lost for you. There will be no hope."
Religious-Zionist women stand to be the most affected by the conduct of the rabbinical courts. The decision, she noted, was made after the High Court ruled that the rabbinical courts could no longer rule on matters of matrimonial property.
Dorner slammed the courts for seeking more authority, calling them "imperialistic."