Together with a team of rabbis, attorneys, mediators, and mental health professionals, our dedicated caseworkers formulate an individualized action plan for each agunah case we take on. ORA works to open lines of communication and mediate disputes between all the parties involved, and provides guidance to men and women navigating the beit din system. Although ORA always works extensively to resolve each agunah case amicably, if necessary, we will apply social, communal, legal, and financial pressure against a recalcitrant spouse who refuses to issue or accept a get unconditionally.

ORA operates under the halachic guidance of Rabbi Hershel Schachter, Rosh Kollel of Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary (RIETS) of Yeshiva University. Additionally, we work closely with rabbonim throughout the world on individual agunah cases. To see a partial list of rabbis who support our work, click here.

We are mandated by the Torah not to embarrass a fellow Jew in public. However, in the case of an agunah, if a beit din or highly respected Rav has ruled that a husband must issue a get and he has failed to do so, we as a community have an obligation to pressure the husband into complying with their ruling and setting his wife free. Because publicly shaming an individual is a very serious task to undertake, ORA always first obtains rabbinic approval (either in the form of a seruv or psak from a chashuv Rav) before holding a public demonstration against a recalcitrant husband, to ensure that our actions are in accordance with the highest standard of Jewish law. Although publicly shaming someone is always uncomfortable, when an individual acts in a manner contrary to Jewish law and withholds a get from his wife, we are forced to take action as a community, even publicly shaming a recalcitrant husband if necessary, in order to help free an agunah.

On the contrary, it is a tremendous kiddush Hashem to show that Judaism does not tolerate get-refusal, and that we refuse to stand by idly while an agunah suffers at the hands of her husband. When an individual twists Jewish Law into an instrument with which he tortures his estranged wife, we are required as a community to publicly demonstrate that such abusive behavior is unacceptable and incompatible with Torah values. The Torah commands us to stand up for the “ger, yatom, v’almanah”—the most vulnerable members of our society – so to turn a blind eye to the suffering of an agunah, who depends on the support of her community to attain her freedom, could not be a greater desecration of G-d’s name.

We are here to help! Please call our helpline at 1-844-673-5463 or email us at intake@getora.org to speak with us.

We are committed to responding to inquiries within 2 business days. However, in an emergency, please call 911. You can also call the National Domestic Abuse Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 or by texting "START" to 88788.

Click here to learn more about how you can get involved with ORA's programs!

A get is a bill of a Jewish divorce which terminates the marriage between a husband and wife. The get is a 12-line Aramaic document written by a sofer (specially trained scribe) on behalf of the husband which the husband places in the wife’s hands in order to effectuate the divorce process. Unlike the civil divorce process, where a court official has the power vested in him or her to declare a married couple divorced, Jewish law require the active participation of both husband and wife in the divorce process. According to Jewish law, a marriage can only be terminated once a husband willingly delivers a get to his wife, and the wife accepts the get of her own free will.

Without a get, a couple is still considered to be married according to Jewish law, even if they are civilly divorced or have been separated for years. Consequently, pursuing a new intimate relationship before a get has been given is forbidden by Jewish law for both the husband and wife. Should a woman produce children from such a relationship, they would be considered mamzerim (illegitimate) according to Jewish law and forbidden from marrying within the Jewish community.