ORA: Organization for the Resolution of Agunot

ORA: Organization for the Resolution of Agunot The Organization for the Resolution of Agunot (ORA) is a not-for-profit organization that assists in the timely resolution of contentious Jewish divorces.

All of ORA's services are provided free of charge. An agunah (pl: agunot) is a woman who is chained to a dead marriage. The agunah crisis is prevalent in Jewish communities throughout the world and across the denominational spectrum. ORA advocates for the timely and unconditional issuance of a Get as a separate matter from the resolution of all other contentious issues in a divorce. We work on cas

es regardless of which spouse is refusing to participate in the get process. ORA's signature educational program, the Agunah Prevention Initiative, raises awareness in Jewish communities and schools about the plight of agunot and the preventative solution of the halakhic prenuptial agreement (The Prenup). The program empowers its participants to protect themselves through the marriage process and serve as advocates within their own communities. ORA seeks to establish The Prenup as a community-wide standard and foster a culture that does not tolerate manipulation of the Jewish divorce process.

Nothing says chic like case advocacy, Agunah prevention, early intervention, and support.
08/10/2026

Nothing says chic like case advocacy, Agunah prevention, early intervention, and support.

08/02/2026

Romanticizing fall 2021 with an ORA Campus Fellowship throwback 🍂

Look out for application information coming soon đź‘€

When we share stories of get refusal, it is easy for a woman to become defined by a single word: agunah.But no one is on...
07/30/2026

When we share stories of get refusal, it is easy for a woman to become defined by a single word: agunah.

But no one is only the worst thing that has happened to her.

Chana is a teacher. A mother. A baker. A traveler. A reader. She has passions, responsibilities, talents, and dreams that have nothing to do with the abuse she endured.

She is also a survivor of get abuse.

Sharing that part of her story matters. But so does remembering that it is only one part.

Because every agunah is a whole person whose life cannot be reduced to someone else’s refusal.

And when we fight for her freedom, we are fighting for more than the end of a marriage. We are fighting for her ability to keep writing the rest of her story.

07/29/2026

Healthy Jewish communities don’t just celebrate weddings: they help protect marriages.

This Tu B’Av, we’re asking one question:

Does your community have this?

Help make halachic prenup education the norm so every couple can begin their marriage with respect, responsibility, and peace of mind.

Public pressure is one of the most visible aspects of ORA’s work, and often one of the most misunderstood.Why does ORA u...
07/22/2026

Public pressure is one of the most visible aspects of ORA’s work, and often one of the most misunderstood.

Why does ORA use it? When is it appropriate? What does it actually involve? And how does halacha view it?

The truth is that public advocacy is never the first step. It is used only in specific circumstances, after a valid seruv has been issued by a beit din and with the agunah’s informed permission. Every case is approached thoughtfully, with the goal of helping women receive their gittin and move forward with their lives.

Swipe through to learn more about why public pressure works, how it is used, and the halachic principles that guide ORA’s advocacy.

07/20/2026

People sometimes joke that life should come with a handbook.

One of the hardest parts of navigating life is confronting transitions, and feeling unprepared.

When someone is thrown into a divorce process, there are more questions than answers. And when everything feels uncertain, it’s hard not to feel panic.

We created the Get Guide with the incredible support of Andrea and Bryan Bier, so that no one should have to navigate the Jewish divorce process alone.

We've seen firsthand how clear, compassionate information can help people replace fear with understanding, uncertainty with direction, and isolation with support.

Because while knowledge can't erase pain, it can make the journey a little less overwhelming.

We hope you never need it. But if you do, or if someone you care about does, both the full Get Guide and a shorter companion version are available free at: https://www.getora.org/getguide

📢 FLYERING IN CROWN HEIGHTS! 📢Yesterday, a team of dedicated ORA Case Advocates walked around Crown Heights hanging up ...
07/09/2026

📢 FLYERING IN CROWN HEIGHTS! 📢

Yesterday, a team of dedicated ORA Case Advocates walked around Crown Heights hanging up flyers against Shachar Luz, a Get-refuser of over 5 years.

Despite being separated from Ilana since 2016 and civilly divorced since 2024, Shachar is still refusing to give her a Get.

Please help us convince Shachar to free his wife! 🙏

Swipe to read the Seruv issued against Shachar from the Beth Din of America in New York as well as letters about this case from the Chicago Rabbinical Council (cRc) and the Association of Chabad Rabonim of Illinois (signed by Rav Osdoba and Rav Braun of Crown Heights).

Seruv from the Beth Din of America

Letter from the Chicago Rabbinical Council

Letter from the Association of Chabad Rabonim of Illinois

ORA case flyer on Shachar Luz

The cost of get-refusal is not only measured in time. And the financial cost of get-refusal is not always visible from t...
07/07/2026

The cost of get-refusal is not only measured in time.

And the financial cost of get-refusal is not always visible from the outside.

Divorce is expensive on its own.

There are legal fees.
Mediation costs.
Childcare expenses.
Missed work.
The cost of maintaining a second home while still paying for the first.

The list goes on and on.

But when get-refusal enters the picture, an already fragile financial situation can become devastating.

Because the process does not simply end; it stretches on. And when the process stretches on, the costs stretch with it.

More court dates.
More beit din appearances.
More attorney fees.
More time away from work.
More uncertainty.

For many people, the financial strain does not begin with divorce. Most callers to ORA report financial abuse, which means that money was already being used as a source of control during the marriage.

That can look like having to ask permission before spending money.
Being given an “allowance” for basic needs like groceries or diapers.
Being denied access to bank accounts or passwords.
Having loans taken out in your name without your knowledge or consent.

Then, during divorce, the get can become another point of leverage.

Some women feel pressured to give up child support, spousal support, or money already owed in order to secure the get.

Get-refusal does not only delay religious freedom. It can also create financial instability. It can deepen dependence. It can punish someone for trying to leave.

And when money is used as leverage, get-refusal is not only a religious issue. It can also become economic abuse.

A get should never come with a price tag.

No one should have to buy their freedom from a marriage that is already over.

07/01/2026

What’s in the bag of an ORA staff member?

For more information on the prenup, the Get Guide, or Agunah Awareness Shabbat, head to getora.org

Can men be victims of get-refusal? Yes.In Jewish divorce, both spouses have a role in the get process: a husband gives t...
06/30/2026

Can men be victims of get-refusal? Yes.

In Jewish divorce, both spouses have a role in the get process: a husband gives the get, and a wife receives it.

According to Torah law, the husband gives the get. Around the year 1000 CE, Rabbeinu Gershom enacted a takkanah (edict) prohibiting a man from divorcing his wife against her will, making her consent an essential part of the process too.

This was a major protection for women.

At the same time, it means that today, both spouses need to participate in the get process. And when either person refuses to participate, the other can be left trapped.

In either direction, using the get as leverage is wrong.

At ORA, we support both men and women who are experiencing get-refusal, because no one should be manipulated, pressured, or controlled through the get process.

At the same time, get-refusal is not evenly distributed. About 80% of callers to ORA’s Jewish Divorce Helpline are women, and 98% of ORA’s prolonged get-refusal cases involve agunot.

Like other forms of domestic abuse, men can be victims too, while women are disproportionately affected. 

Every case matters.
Every person deserves to be free from manipulation and control.

A healthy Jewish community takes every case of get-refusal seriously, recognizes when the get is being used as a tool of pressure or leverage, and responds.

No one should be trapped by get-refusal.

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