Matir Agunot

Matir Agunot
מתיר עגונות
Genre	Drama
Created by	Tamar Kay Yossi Madmoni David Ofek
Directed by	David Ofek Tamar Kay
Starring	Aviv Alush Avigail Kovari
Country of origin	Israel
Original language	Hebrew
No. of seasons	1
No. of episodes	12
Production
Executive producers	Alex Osmolovsky
Producers	Efrat Shmaya Dror Anat Koffler
Cinematography	Shai Goldman
Editors	Or Sinai Ari Lahav-Leibovich Michal Shealtiel Armon
Running time	45 minutes
Production company	Israeli Public Broadcasting Corporation
Original release
Network	Kan 11
Release	2019 (2019)

Matir Agunot (Unchained, Hebrew: מתיר עגונות) is a 2019 Israeli drama television series on the lives of Jewish women who face complex divorce proceedings, where men may refuse to divorce leading to women being "chained" to their marriage. The series was created by Yossi Madmoni, Tamar Kay and David Ofek. Aviv Alush and Avigail Kovari star as the main characters, Rabbi Yosef Morad and his wife, Hana. It was critically acclaimed, earning eight nominations from the Israeli Television Academy. The series ran for one season over twelve episodes and premiered on Kan 11 in Israel.

Cast and characters

• Aviv Alush as Rabbi Yosef Morad
• Avigail Kovari as Hana Morad
• Natan Dattner as Rabbi Aharon Shapira
• Alma Dishi as Liat Ben-David
• Tivka Dayan as Rachel
• Nadav Gedalia as Moshe Chaim
• Ruti Bornstein as Yafa Shapira
• Guy Arieli as Amit

Plot summary

The series protagonist is Rabbi Yosef Morad (Aviv Alush) who acts as a detective to investigate "chained marriages". Morad's task is to convince the husbands who have separated or even abandoned their wives not to leave them in their marital state but rather to divorce them. Elush's character is based on the real-life story of Rabbi Eliyahu Maimon. Morad is married to Hannah (Avigail Kovari) and soon discovers she is hiding secrets from him.

Release

The series premiered in Israel in 2019 on Kan 11. In Australia, the series was broadcast by the Special Broadcasting Service in 2021. In 2022, the series became available in many international markets through the Jewish streaming service, ChaiFlicks.

Reception

John Nathan of The Jewish Chronicle described it as an "absorbing", adding: "The thrill of Unchained is not the conflict between spouses or the fiery confrontations between Morad and men who abuse their power, but unexpectedly from the slow-burn depiction of Morad and Hana’s marriage; the mystery of their secret lives and their own bid for freedom." Lior Zaltzman of Kveller described it as an "incredible show", continuing: "The issue of agunot goes well beyond Israel, and this show is an illustration of how harsh the reality for some of these women is. It also delves into a lot of complex Israeli societal dynamics."

The series received eight nominations from the Israeli Television Academy: Best Drama Series, Best Actress in a Drama Series (Kovari), Best Actor in a Drama Series (Alush), Best Casting (Emmanuelle Mayer), Best Original Music (Asaf Talmudi), Best Script in a Drama Series (Tamar Kay & Yossi Madmoni), Best Directing in a Drama Series (David Ofek & Tamar Kay) and Best Editor (Or Sinai, Ari Lahav-Leibovich & Michal Shealtiel Armon).

See also

• Israeli television
• Culture of Israel