ORGANIZATIONS TO HELP THE
JEWISH DIVORCE PROCESS:
(listed alphabetically by country)
UNITED STATES:
AGUNAH INTERNATIONAL, INC.
Agunah/Mesarev Get education, research, advocacy, active referral of cases to and research for the Rabbi Emanuel Rackman- Beit Din L'Inyenei Agunot. Agunah International's mission is to help free agunot trapped in dead marriages. It alerts the community about the severity of the problem, educates the community concerning halackic precedents for freeing agunot; counsels women whose husbands refuse to grant the get during the divorce process and provides financial aid for agunot in need. They are a tax exempt, non profit 501(c)(3), all-volunteer organization. Services are free of charge. ACCEPTS REFERRALS
498 East 18th Street
Brooklyn, NY 11226
212-249-4523agunah@agunahinternational.com
G.E.T (Getting Equitable Treatment)
Helps women with information and counsels on a one to one basis when going through Jewish divorce. Uses volunteer "caseworkers." Has a great deal of experience in the New York metropolitan area. Cases confidential.
ACCEPTS REFERRALS
Stanley Goodman
Box 131
Brooklyn, NY 11230
718-677-1033
getorganization@gmail.com
GET Assistance Project (New York Legal Assistance Group (NYLAG))
A not-for-profit law firm founded in 1990, NYLAG provides free civil legal assistance to victims of domestic violence and persons seeking divorce.
ACCEPTS REFERRALS
450 West Thirty Third Street
11 th Floor
New York, NY 10001
212-613-5000 x3 (to speak with a case handler)
info@nylag.org
KAYAMA
Non-profit organization that provides advice and assistance to all Jews about giving a get. Committed to Jewish continuity and uses gittin to protect it.
ACCEPTS REFERRALS
Dr. Isaac Skolnik
1363 Coney Island Avenue
Brooklyn, NY 11230
800-932-8589
718-692-1876
Fax: 718-692-2774
info@kayama.org
L'MAAN B'NOS YISRAEL INTERNATIONAL
Helps agunot, organizes meetings for agunot
ACCEPTS REFERRALS
Marilyn Mattie Klein
718-338-0833
ORA (The Organization For the Resolution of Agunot, Inc.)
Goal is to help agunot (and in the event the wife refuses to accept a Get, the husband) in obtaining a halakhicly valid get. Will use educational demonstrations as a last resort. Work under strict rabbinic supervision and always attempt to speak with both sides before moving forward in any case.
ACCEPTS REFERRALS
P.O. Box 327
New York, NY 10040
USA
646-796-4551
Fax: 646-365-3474
info@getora.com
CANADA:
CANADIAN COALITION OF JEWISH WOMEN FOR THE GETT
Has a fund to pay for the obtaining of a gett for women. Gave evidence to parliament concerning the need for a gett law; lobbied the government for the law that was passed August 1990. Promoted use of Taanit Esther as National Agunah Day. Produced a documentary "UNTYING THE BONDS-JEWISH DIVORCE" that was funded by the Canadian government and is available through the National Film Institute at Brandeis University. Has gett help-lines across Canada.
ACCEPTS REFERRALS
Norma Joseph,
Montreal, Canada
norma.joseph@gmail.com
Evelyn Brook,
Toronto, Canada
evelyn@evelynbrook.com
ISRAEL:
CENTER FOR WOMEN'S JUSTICE
The goal of the Center for Women's Justice (CWJ) is to safeguard the basic human rights and dignity of Jewish women who appear before the rabbinic and family courts in the State of Israel. Working creatively within Jewish law and the civil legal system, CWJ is dedicated to finding a full and comprehensive answer to the challenges of Jewish women and divorce: the agunah, get refusal, and the mamzer.
Susan Weiss, Executive Director
64 Emek Rephaim, Jerusalem
972-2-566-4390
27 Lochamei Hagetaot, Haifa
972-4-855-2871
Fax: 972-2-566-3317
cwj@cwj.org.il
ICAR (INTERNATIONAL COALITION FOR AGUNAH RIGHTS)
ICAR is a pluralistic international coalition of 24 organizations ( Crisis Center for Religious Women; Emunah; GRANIT-Association for Aid to Women Before, During and After Divorce Proceedings; Hadassah Israel; Hemdat-Public Committee for Freedom of Science, Religion & Culture in Israel; ICJW-International Council of Jewish Women; Isha L'Isha-Haifa Feminist Center; Israel Religious Action Center; IWN-Israel Women Network; Kol Ha'Isha, Kolech-Religious Women's Forum; Lev La'Am-Organization for Agunot and Women who are refused a Get; L.O-Combat Violence Against Women; Mavoi Satum; Naamat; NCJW-National Council of Jewish Women; Shatil, Sister for Women in Israel; The Conservative Movement; The Center for Women in Jewish Law at the Schechter Institute of Jewish Studies; The Ruth and Emanuel Rackman Center for the Advancement of Women, Bar Ilan University; Wizo; Women's League for Conservative Judaism; Yad L'Isha-the Max Morrison Legal Aid Center & Hotline; T which work to promote solutions to the problem of agunot and mesuravot get.)
ICAR organizes events, seminars, news conferences and public protests to raise public awareness, drafts and promotes legislation, and promotes solutions in accordance with religious and civil law through research, publications and education. ICAR also encourages the use of prenuptial agreements. One of the aims of ICAR is to unite and try to coordinate efforts internationally in order to avoid duplication and create a stronger force for change.
DOES NOT ACCEPT REFERRALS (although some member organizations do)
Robyn Shames
PO. Box 68131
Jerusalem 91680 Israel
02-6721401
Fax: 02-6728901
icar@barak.net.il
INTERNATIONAL JEWISH WOMEN'S HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH
Documents the human rights violations of women in Jewish communities all over the world. With International Council of Jewish Women, establishing a central data base which will include cases of women who have been denied the right to marry and to found a family from every Jewish community with the belief that each case is a violation of a Jewish woman's human rights; gathers information, researches and publicizes the infringement of Jewish women's rights with the goal of their elimination.
Sharon Shenhav
13 Tel Hai Street
Jerusalem 92107 Israel
Fax: 972-2-5619112
MAVOI SATUM
Emotional, legal and financial assistance; education on the issue of iggun; some lobbying.
ACCEPTS REFERRALS
19 Yad Harutzim
Jerusalem 9180 Israel
02-671-2286
Fax: 02-671139
Office@mavoisatum.org
Rachel Azariya, Director
rachel@mavoisatum.org
Shula Wittenster, Social Work Director
Shula@mavoisatum.org
Tanya Zion, Director Education Projects
THE ORGANIZATION FOR AGUNOT AND MESURREV GET ( Israel)
Daniella Valenci
RACKMAN CENTER FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF THE STATUS OF WOMEN, BAR ILAN UNIVERISTY LAW SCHOOL
Research, training of law students about problems of agunot.
Ramat Gan Legal Clinic
03-531-8895
rackmanc@mail.biu.il
YAD L'ISHA (THE MAX MORRISON LEGAL AID SERVICE AND HOTLINE)
Offers assistance to Israeli women in legal matters pertaining to the process of obtaining a get. Clients are offered legal advice as well as representation in the Rabbinical Courts. In addition, callers to the Hotline receive free advice in matters pertaining to personal status and divorce.
ACCEPTS REFERRALS
31 Leib Yaffe Street
Jerusalem 93390
Hotline: 1-800-200-380
Jerusalem: 02-678-0876
Tel Aviv: 03-695-1899
yad.lisha@ohrtorahstone.org.il
legalaid@ohrtorahstone.org.il
UNITED KINGDOM:
AGUNAH RESEARCH UNIT
Halakhic research into possible global solutions to the problem of get refusal.
DOES NOT ACCEPT REFERRALS
Bernard S. Jackson, Alliance Professor of Modern Jewish Studies
Humanities Lime Grove
University of Manchester
Oxford Road
Manchester M13 9PL
UK
Bernard.Jackson@man.ac.uk
AGUNOT CAMPAIGN
ACTIVITIES AND INFORMATION: Offers help and support and makes contact with relevant batei din; organizes demonstrations/vigils. Supports Agunah Research Unit of Professor Jackson at Manchester University.
ACCEPTS REFERRAL
Sandra Blackman
Gloria Proops
121 Devonport
23 Southwick Street
London W2 2QH
agunot@msn.com
sandra@duvt.com
AGUNOT ANONYMOUS EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATION
A confidential support group for agunot in the UK.
2 Egerton Gardens
Hendon, London NW4
020-8202-5551
020-8202-5552
GETTING YOUR GET
Information for Jewish men and women in England, Wales and Scotland about divorce according to Jewish law with articles, forms and explanations for lawyers.
London,
02082036311 (Sue)
info@jmc-uk.org
Netherlands:
GET HELP:
Agoena (agunah) support in the Netherlands.
Shifa Sjenitzer-(in New York as Jacobs)
If you know of an organization which assists agunot that is not listed above please send us their information at agunah@jofa.org
