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Getting Free

Getting Free

De: International Beit Din
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They left abusive marriages. But under Jewish law, they were still not free.

Getting Free is a six-episode limited series sharing the firsthand stories of five women whose abusive husbands denied them a Jewish divorce, known as a gett, to keep controlling them long after the relationship was over.

A Jewish marriage is not fully dissolved without a religious divorce. When a husband refuses to grant it, a woman becomes an agunah — a “chained woman.” No civil court can free her.

In their own voices, Amit, Julia, Helen, Melissa, and Alla each recount their courtship, marriage, separation, and long fight for freedom. They describe how financial pressure, custody threats, isolation, intimidation, and violence continued even after they left. Some are still not free.

Gett refusal is not a private dispute. It is the continuation of abuse. It affects Jewish women of all ages and denominations worldwide, raising urgent questions about power, faith, and communal responsibility.

Hosted by Rabbanit Leah Sarna and produced by the International Beit Din, Getting Free names the withholding of a gett for what it is: abuse and a violation of Jewish law. It also shows how, with proper support, women in these situations can get free.

To learn more about the series or seek help, visit internationalbeitdin.org/gettingfree.

The women in Getting Free are professionals, mothers, and leaders from diverse Jewish backgrounds and levels of observance.

We do not speak for them.
They speak for themselves.

Because change begins with listening.

Copyright 2025 All rights reserved. Ciencias Sociales Espiritualidad Judaísmo
Episodios
  • Yes, the women will be sacrificed

    Yes, the women will be sacrificed
    Mar 22 2026

    Many family members and rabbis insist that the women make things work, despite violence, verbal, and financial abuse. Not only that, but they support the husband in his gett refusal, expecting or even encouraging extortion. Why are we letting this happen?

    In This Episode

    • Alla’s situation gets worse, and she decides to leave.
    • Even when women face abuse and violence, people they trust tell them to stay in their marriages.
    • If gett refusal is against Jewish law, why do community members encourage it to happen?
    • When the Jewish community acts like this is normal, what does it do to the women?

    Key Moments

    • [00:00:29] The moment Alla decided to leave.
    • [00:03:31] How Alla’s family reacted to her decision.
    • [00:07:16] Rabbis encourage the women not to rock the boat.
    • [00:10:53] Why rabbis sometimes put the interests of the community over the needs of agunot.
    • [00:17:57] Why do the women think the Jewish community tolerates gett refusal?

    Learn more, access resources, and read the full transcript at https://www.internationalbeitdin.org/gettingfree/.

    If you or someone you know is being denied a gett, confidential support is available at https://www.internationalbeitdin.org/get-help/

    Más Menos
    24 m
  • What about the men?

    What about the men?
    Mar 15 2026

    They don’t want their wives back. It’s been years since they lived together. But the husbands won’t grant a religious divorce. Why stay married to someone you despise? What motivates gett refusers? We hear from the men.

    In This Episode
    • Arguments from men who say refusing a gett is ok.
    • Results from an International Beit Din study looking at how many of our clients experience abuse during their marriage.
    • Rabbinical rulings on when husbands should give the gett.
    • What we hear when we talk to gett-refusing husbands.
    Key Moments
    • [00:01:25] Meet the most famous advocate for gett refusal: Meir Kin
    • [00:05:07] Meet Nathan Gettisberg
    • [00:06:44] Is there a “right” to remain married in Jewish Law?
    • [00:12:33] What Jewish Law says about conditioning a gett
    • [00:12:54] The ruling of Rabbi Yosef Eliyahu Henkin
    • [00:14:55] Rabbi Barry Dolinger talks to gett refusers.
    See the full transcript of our interview with Nathan Gettisberg at https://www.internationalbeitdin.org/gettingfree/ Learn more, access resources, and read the full transcript at https://www.internationalbeitdin.org/gettingfree/. If you or someone you know is being denied a gett, confidential support is available at https://www.internationalbeitdin.org/get-help/
    Más Menos
    19 m
  • More than a messy divorce

    More than a messy divorce
    Mar 8 2026

    Why does this religious divorce matter to the women? Why don’t they just walk away? They explain, in their own voices. Advocates and legal experts also weigh in on the abuse and violation of Jewish law that fuels the agunah crisis.

    In This Episode
    • What the gett process should look like
    • Why don’t agunot just leave the marriage without a gett?
    • The practical consequences of not having a gett
    • How controlling husbands use this process to delay and extort women
    Key Moments
    • [00:06:00] Why not leave your marriage without a gett?
    • [00:10:40] How is the gett process supposed to work?
    • [00:16:58] Misconceptions about Jewish divorce.
    • [00:20:37] Helen faces litigation abuse.
    • [00:21:22] Melissa faces extortion.
    Learn more, access resources, and read the full transcript at https://www.internationalbeitdin.org/gettingfree/. If you or someone you know is being denied a gett, confidential support is available at https://www.internationalbeitdin.org/get-help/
    Más Menos
    27 m
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