We are excited to announce that this year's official tzedaka is ORA.

The Organization for the Resolution of Agunot

Mission Statement:

     ORA, The Organization for the Resolution of Agunot, is a not-for-profit organization which assists divorcing couples in effectuating timely Jewish divorces in accordance with the highest standards of Jewish law. ORA strives to eliminate the infliction of abuse within the Jewish divorce process. We work to ensure that a get (writ of divorce) is issued unconditionally and in a timely fashion by amicably facilitating the divorce process whenever possible, and advocating against the abuse which is perpetrated through get-refusal when necessary. ORA works in close partnership with rabbis, professionals, lay leaders, and Jewish communities throughout the world to:

•  Pressure recalcitrant parties towards compliance using all available legal remedies;

•  Protest against recalcitrant and abusive behavior;
  

•  Educate towards preventing get abuse;
  

•  Foster a culture that does not tolerate the gross manipulation of the Jewish divorce process.

Resolving the Agunah Crisis:

     ORA is the only not-for-profit organization which addresses the agunah crisis throughout the world on a case-by-case basis. By creating and pursuing an individualized action plan for each woman who calls us in need, we provide hope and light to one of the darkest places in our communities. Those who turn to us for help have nowhere else to go.

     Since our inception ten years ago, March 2002, our combination of amicable facilitation and relentless advocacy has illuminated the lives of over 170 women throughout North America, Israel, and Europe, and provided them with their long-sought freedom. ORA has transformed tragic situations which were once deemed hopeless into fantastic achievements in securing a woman’s freedom to move on with her life and finally extricate herself from an abusive marriage. Additionally, our reputation and presence in Jewish communities serves as a significant deterrent to recalcitrant and abusive behavior.

Current Operations:

     ORA provides its services free of charge on a shoestring budget with very little overhead. Every donation is a direct investment in our tireless efforts on behalf of agunot. Additionally, hundreds of volunteers contribute to the strength and effectiveness of ORA’s advocacy.

     We are currently working on an average of 70 cases, from communities spanning Jewish ideological streams.

     ORA’s sustainability depends on the contributions of generous individual donors as well as communal fundraising initiatives.

ORA operates under halakhic guidance of Rabbi Hershel Schachter, rosh yeshiva of the Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary of Yeshiva University.