Documentary · International Beit Din
Getting Free
by International Beit Din
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. 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.
