Getting Free

About Getting Free

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 (http://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.

Publisher

International Beit Din

Category

religion & spirituality · society & culture

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

14 Apr 2025

Latest episode

7 Oct 2026

Latest episodes

1 of 9 episodes have a transcript.

1. 

   7 Oct 2026TRANSCRIPT

   Update from the Getting Free team

   The Getting Free team shares an update about their Signal Awards finalist status and encourages listener support for the Listener's Choice Award.

2. 

   29 Mar 2026

   How you can help

   Rabbi Barry Dolinger and social worker Anna Cable share actionable advice on supporting individuals escaping coercive relationships and addressing domestic abuse within the Jewish community.

3. 

   29 Mar 2026

   Are they free?

   Host Julia and guests Melissa, Amit, Alla, and Helen share their personal journeys and strategies for obtaining a gett, revealing what works and what doesn't in this interview.

4. 

   22 Mar 2026

   Yes, the women will be sacrificed

   Host [Host Name] interviews [Guest Name, Credential] about why women endure abuse and gett refusal within the Jewish community, exploring the devastating impact on their lives.

5. 

   15 Mar 2026

   What about the men?

   Host Rabbi Barry Dolinger interviews men refusing to grant a religious divorce, exploring their arguments and rabbinical rulings on the matter.

6. 

   8 Mar 2026

   More than a messy divorce

   Advocates and legal experts discuss the agunah crisis, explaining why women cannot simply leave a religious marriage without a gett and the abuse fueling this crisis in an interview.

7. 

   1 Mar 2026

   From courtship to court

   Host [Host Name] interviews women fighting for their religious divorce, revealing the struggle for freedom beyond legal separation.

8. 

   28 Feb 2026

   They didn’t sign up for this

   Host [Host Name] interviews five women who share their powerful stories of escaping abusive marriages and navigating the complex process of obtaining a Jewish divorce.

9. 

   14 Apr 2025

   Getting Free - Pilot Episode

   Host Sarah Jones interviews Rabbi Dr. Shlomo Riskin about the complex issue of Jewish women trapped in marriages without a religious divorce.

Who has been a guest on Getting Free

Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.

• Barry Dolinger
• Anna Cable
• Julia
• Melissa
• Amit

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

Apple Podcasts (US)

4.6 / 5

82 ratings

Spotify

5.0 / 5

10 ratings

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