Things You Should Know - Jewish Divorce & Beit Din - with Rabbanit Leah Sarna

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Navigating Jewish Divorce:

In this episode of The Franciska Show, Franciska recaps a recent concert and discusses upcoming events. The main segment features Sarna, sharing insights on Jewish divorce and the Agunah crisis. Sarna details her upbringing in the Orthodox community, her work with the homeless in New Haven, and her academic journey at Yale. She explains the historical context of the Agunah crisis, the role of Batei Din, and her organization's innovative approaches to resolving Jewish divorces. They also discuss coercive control in abusive relationships and the importance of choosing the right Batei Din for divorce proceedings. Sarna emphasizes the need for community support for women in abusive marriages and outlines scenarios where her organization can intervene to prevent get extortion and facilitate fair divorces.

 

00:00 Introduction and Concert Recap 

00:59 Guest Introduction: Sarna's Background

03:19 Discussing Jewish Divorce and Agona Crisis

06:36 Ideal Divorce Process and Challenges

10:09 Choosing the Right Bait Din

16:18 International Perspectives and Collaboration

18:40 Identifying and Addressing Get Extortion 

22:39 Choosing the Right Beit Din

22:50 Halacha and Gender Dynamics in Divorce

23:59 Historical Context of the Agunah Crisis

26:56 Coercive Control in Marriages

30:56 Financial Implications of Divorce 

32:52 Challenges in Leaving Abusive Relationships

35:45 Strategies for Securing a Get

38:03 Supporting Friends in Troubled Marriages

39:53 Community's Role Post-Get

41:08 Final Thoughts and Reflections

 

About Our Guest:

 

Rabbanit Leah Sarna is the Director of Public Education and Media for the International Beit Din and the Spiritual Leader of Kehillat Sha’arei Orah in Lower Merion, PA. An award-winning Jewish educator, she has taught Torah in Orthodox and Jewish communal settings around the world, and she particularly loves empowering women of all ages to feel ownership over the most complex areas of the Torah library. Her written works can be found in The Atlantic, The Washington Post, Lehrhaus and the Jewish Review of Books, and she is currently writing a book of Torah and Halacha relating to pregnancy, birth and the beginning of life. Leah has extensive advanced higher Jewish education and holds a BA in Philosophy & Psychology from Yale University.

 

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