Scare the mother, save the child
Based on a transcript of the broadcast on Radio 4 on 6th December 2016.
Emily and Ruth are two women who found themselves locked in lopsided battles - facing harassment, intimidation, and crowd-funded lawyers.
Neither of them realised what it would cost them.
The Unorthodox Life of Miriam
When Miriam left the Hasidic Jewish community she had to say goodbye to her parents, siblings and children. The night she fled she knew she would be ostracised. But didn’t realise that six years on she would still be untangling herself from a series of complex financial arrangements which risk her going to prison. File on Four tells the story of this extraordinary woman which puts the financial affairs of one of the most guarded and insular religious communities under the spotlight. A judge has ruled Miriam acted under undue influence from religious and community leaders. How widespread are these practices? And why have they gone unchecked for so long?
Broadcast 6th December 2016
Listen on iPlayer - 38 minutes
What happens when individuals try to leave Britain's Hasidic Jewish community? Strictly-orthodox Jews live by 19th-century traditions in a modern world. But there are some who struggle with this way of life. In this documentary, two people reveal what happened to them once they made the decision to leave - a decision that meant letting go of everything they knew. This is a story about sacrifice and tradition, and a clash between two worlds
Podcast from "Sunday" 11/9/2016
The "Sunday" religious program transmitted on 11 Sept 2016 on BBC Radio 4, contained an item about the £1m fund-raising effort in Stamford Hill, to be used in family court cases where on parent chooses to leave the community and wishes to maintain contact with his or her children.
