Dear Community,
As Tisha B'av draws to a close in much of the world, and as our calendars inch closer to Elul, the focus turns from mourning to introspection and action. The Rabbis tell us that every generation that does not merit to see the Temple rebuilt, it is as if the Temple was destroyed in their time. The Talmud also teaches that the destruction of the second Temple and the near-2000 year exile in which we find ourselves occurred due to sins between man and his fellow. It therefore follows that in order to end our national suffering and usher in the Redemption, we must strive to bring peace between man and his fellow, husband and wife, and between religious and political factions in our community that despise one another.
In this vein, I would like to share three things you can do today to help end the plight of agunot.
- Tell your synagogue to join the Not in My Shul campaign, a simple pledge in which shul leaders commit to not opening their doors to individuals who are defying beit din and refusing to give or accept a gett. This is an initiative of the Chochmat Nashim organization, as is #2 below.
- Share Rate My Beit Din with your friends and family members who are divorced, separated, or beginning divorce proceedings. The database highlights batei din that adhere to best practices, flags problematic ones and urges them to improve, and answers frequently asked questions about all aspects of Jewish divorce to help guide those going through it and ensure that no one is taken advantage of. The site also has a database of active seruvim (orders from beit din for gett refusers to appear before it), to protect our communities and help us enact the public pressure as proscribed by harchakot d’rabbeinu tam – which was how Adeena was freed. If you know of someone with an active seruv against them, you can submit their name to be added to the list.
- Share the Misheberach for Agunot with your shul leaders. Tell them that delaying kiddush by 45 seconds to say a prayer for agunot is the least we can do. If the answer is no, ask that they at least say Acheinu at the end of the Misheberach section and tell the congregation to have in mind agunot and other individuals and communities in need or distress.
Thank you for all that you have done to help the plight of agunot. May they all be freed speedily in our days, and may this be the last Tisha B’av we spend in painful reflection.
Elliot