SARAH HAS BEEN WAITING FOR A GETT FOR 12 YEARS. SARAH AND MORRIS LEGALLY DIVORCED NINE YEARS AGO. SHE HAS PLEADED AND BEGGED FOR A GETT. MORRIS, AT FIRST HAD MANY UNREASONABLE DEMANDS, HOWEVER, NO NUMBER OF CONCESSIONS BROUGHT SARAH CLOSER TO A GETT. 12 YEARS LATER, SHE IS STRADDLED WITH DEBTS, STRUGGLING TO PUT FOOD ON THE TABLE.
Sarah is your neighbor. She goes to your shul, her children are your children’s classmates, and she is a faithful Jewish woman with nobody to fend for her interests. Tragically, Sarah’s story is not unique.
Our community is built upon the concepts of mitzvot, chesed and achdut (unity). Baruch Hashem there are many organizations that provide support for all kinds of issues, from couples coping with infertility to families struggling financially. However, when it comes to the misfortune of our agunot who are dealing with gett refusal, we fall short.
An agunah is a person trapped in a dead marriage. Often times, an agunah is a woman whose husband refuses to give her a gett, although there are instances where it is the reverse. An agunah is essentially trapped in time, unable to continue building a family or perhaps unable to even start one. As a community, we must come together to put an end to this stifling problem.
This is where the LEV Organization comes in. Our volunteer based, 501c3 nonprofit organization provides a safe haven for our community’s men and women who are trapped in dead marriages and seeking a gett.
The LEV Organization tries to bridge the gap between all parties involved. We facilitate communication and broker peace with the ultimate goal of a kosher gett given. We work very closely with many of our esteemed community rabbis as well as legal and mental health professionals.
That’s not all. The LEV Organization also provides guidance and emotional support for agunot and their families throughout the process. Our support groups ensure that no client feels alone, and that he or she has the strength of an army behind them. Financial assistance is provided at times to cover Bet Din and other gett related fees when necessary.
There is so much literature in our faith that points out the huge sin of trapping someone through gett refusal. According to the Chafetz Chaim, neglecting an opportunity to do hesed isn’t just a choice to pass up an optional nice thing, rather, it’s actively choosing to not partake in a positive commandment.
It is our responsibility as Jews and as a community who cares for one another to come together and eradicate gett refusal.
These women are suffering literally every single day. We must grab this mitzvah and not forget about these downtrodden.
“I felt like I was alone stranded on an island without a life vest and nobody cared,” said one client. “When The LEV Organization got involved it was the first time that I believed my existence mattered.”
Working with The LEV Organization is the beginning of a fresh start—turning pain into peace.
*Names have been changed for client confidentiality.
Sean Dweck is the vice president of The Lev Organization.
