ORA, (Organization for the Resolution of Agunot), was founded three and a half years ago by two Yeshiva University undergraduate students to marshal social and communal pressure on recalcitrant husbands that would counteract their leverage in extracting unreasonable demands from their wives in exchange for a get. In this short period, the group has helped obtain 22 gittin, a huge number considering that ORA works with very difficult cases and is often an agunah’s last chance. As the former head of JOFA’s Agunah Task Force, I have met with the young men a number of times and seen them in action. They are articulate, serious and passionate about making sure that women receive gittin in an ethical and timely manner. It is remarkable that these young men have chosen to take on this cause, and their impressive commitment and perseverance has enabled them to be successful in this difficult area.
ORA is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization. Contributions can be mailed to: ORA, PO Box 928 New York, New York 10040. For further information, visit www.getora.com.
The following interview with one of the founders of ORA, describes the organization’s goals and specific activities in greater detail:
Describe how the organization started.
ORA began when two college students were told of the plight of one woman, whose difficulties they would soon learn were representative of numerous others. The woman wanted a get from her husband, but he demanded money and preferential custody rights in exchange for the get. The students were outraged that nothing was being done to combat this gross injustice and decided to form ORA. “ORA International Headquarters,” as the sign on our door read, was located in a YU dorm room for our first three years. We now have a small office.
What is ORA’s primary purpose?
The goal of ORA is simple and straightforward: get the GET. We do not believe that the ‘agunah crisis’ is caused either by a lack of rabbinic attention, or by the rigors of Jewish law, but rather by the lack of communal involvement. When the Jewish community remains silent as recalcitrant husbands cause unspeakable suffering to countless women, it tacitly condones their behavior. ORA’s simple message is: we, as members of the Jewish community, do not condone their behavior and will bring to bear any and all pressure we can muster in order to stop it.
What are ORA’s main activities?
Our activities include, but are not limited to, helping women navigate the complicated and sometimes frustrating beit din process, organizing and staging peaceful rallies outside the recalcitrant spouse’s place of residence or business, and working with women on a one-onone basis to devise a strategy to help them obtain the freedom they seek and deserve. We have also held numerous seminars on the topic of agunot and plan to broaden our educational initiatives when more funding becomes available. We also arrange social services for the various needs an agunah may have.
How have you been able to get 22 gittin?
To the best of our knowledge, we are currently the only group proactive on the ground, capable of organizing demonstrations on a consistent basis. We plan and stage rallies, call for boycotts and rabbinic pressure. We are effective because our friends and colleagues are willing to participate in our actions, and because we have the backing of Rav Herschel Schachter, Rosh Yeshiva at YU, who is recognized as an authority in most Jewish circles. With the help of experts in both Jewish and American law, we take whatever steps are acceptable to place pressure on the recalcitrant party. Most important, we believe our dogged persistence is a key ingredient in our success.
Describe some of the successes that you have been involved with.
We had a case where the couple was divorced in secular court 20 years before our efforts led to the giving of the get. The husband, head of information systems for a major law firm, had since married a non-Jew and had a daughter with this new wife. We received the case from a highly respected Rav in New York, and he encouraged us to apply whatever social pressure we could. We gave the husband fair warning that unless he gave his estranged wife of 21 years a get with no conditions attached, we were going to rally outside his home and office. As the night of the deadline approached, we received a call from one of his Jewish co-workers who advised us to call off the rally because a get would be given the next week. The following Tuesday a get was given. The man was petrified by the impact a rally could have had on his job and family. Twenty one years of suffering came to an end in a matter of weeks.
In another case, a man, who worked at a perfume store, had refused to give his wife a get for three years. Once ORA took the case, we warned him and his Jewish employer that we would begin to stage rallies, but they ignored our courtesy warnings. Two days before Yom Kippur we organized a demonstration in front of the perfume store. As we began our rally, the owner came outside and asked us to leave. We said we would be happy to do so “as soon as your employee gives a get.” The owner went inside and called the man (who was not at the store at the time), and within minutes we received a phone call from the man yelling and screaming. We calmly responded that we were prepared to demonstrate all day. He reluctantly agreed, and a few of us drove to his house, while the others remained in case he reneged. We picked him up and brought him to the scribe that we have on call for instances in which a husband agrees to give a get on the spot. The get was given that day, two days before Yom Kippur. As he was about to leave, the man apologized for the way he had treated us and we accepted his apologies with a handshake.
“…communities do not care enough and are not active in trying to resolve the problem…”
What do you believe are the main issues that contribute to the problem of agunot today?
First, communities do not care enough and are not active in trying to resolve the problem by means of social pressure. ORA’s biggest failure is that we have been unable to gain widespread support from the Jewish community. We have held rallies in very Orthodox areas of New York, but generally it is only ORA members who participate, while the members of the local community remain inactive. Second, men realize that if they “play their cards right,” they can extract unreasonable demands from their estranged wives. This cannot and should not be acceptable to the community. Third, the Jewish community needs to give more support to rabbinical courts that are helping agunot. Even the most established and widely recognized courts have little funding and therefore cannot work at maximum effectiveness. Finally, when the rabbinical courts arrive at a ruling, few people care or abide by the rulings.
Do you only service the NY area? Do you have a blueprint for other communities?
Although we are based in New York, we are currently working with women in Baltimore, Los Angeles, Boca Raton, Israel, Montreal, London and Paris. We focus on New York cases, but when logistically possible we will organize rallies outside of New York.
We are always looking for other organizations or lay leaders to follow our lead and organize rallies in their home cities or countries. Even in the New York area, we encourage people to work with us with the goal of being able to organize and arrange rallies on their own.
What should the Orthodox community be doing to alleviate the problem of agunot?
The Jewish community must break its silence and not tolerate intolerable conduct. If a recalcitrant husband resides in a specific community, the community must act swiftly to ensure that he does not receive any honors on Sabbath, that he is not invited into homes for meals and that he is “excommunicated” and socially shunned. Rallies should be organized within the bounds of Jewish and secular law to apply as much social pressure as possible to the recalcitrant husbands. Additionally, every couple should sign a pre-nuptial agreement before they get married. Educational seminars are needed for communities and rabbanim alike so that people are aware of the issues and know where to turn when problems arise.
Who has most influenced your work with agunot? Who do you most admire?
There is no doubt that it is the agunot themselves that serve as our primary motivators. They raise their children to be committed Orthodox Jews, even if they themselves feel betrayed by their own religion. Their steadfastness is a sanctification of God’s name, and demonstrates enormous faith in God. We also have great respect for the rabbis who do speak out and are active in helping agunot to obtain their gittin. Lastly, we respect and appreciate all those who make time to participate in rallies.