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Getting Free

International Beit Din 7 episodes Latest Mar 29, 2026

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.

Episodes

They didn’t sign up for this Feb 28, 2026 265 Meet the five women of Getting Free. They come from different parts of the United States and different cultures, but they have one thing in common- after escaping miserable marriages, they faced one last impossible hurdle: getting their abusers to agree to a Jewish divorce. It’s time they tell their stories.

From courtship to court Mar 1, 2026 1727 The women fall in love, or they decide to give a nice guy a chance. But red flags start to pop up. There’s abuse. And the women escape. A normal divorce story would end there, but they’re still trapped. They’re agunot- “chained women.” That’s because their husbands refuse to give them a religious divorce, known as a gett. The women in Getting Free are professionals, mothers, neighbors, and leade

More than a messy divorce Mar 8, 2026 1643 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 c

What about the men? Mar 15, 2026 1127 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

Yes, the women will be sacrificed Mar 22, 2026 1468 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 t

Are they free? Mar 29, 2026 1871 Julia, Melissa, Amit, Alla, and Helen continue their stories. How do they get out? We walk through all of the strategies and reveal what works – or doesn’t – for each of them. In This Episode An anonymous agunah shares her experience when her husband was shamed publicly. Amit turns to advocate Adina Sash, aka Flatbush Girl, for help getting her gett. A beit din in Israel gets creative to convin

How you can help Mar 29, 2026 1747 You’ve heard the women’s stories. Now what? You don’t have to be an expert or a superhero. Rabbi Barry Dolinger, executive director of the International Beit Din, and Anna Cable, a social worker and trauma expert, offer some concrete advice. Change is possible. In This Episode How to offer support to someone in a coercive relationship What to do when a friend is trying to escape an abusive ma

Getting Free

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