Women’sIssues black eye. “[The teacher] said she had were professionals—social workers, That year, no men and one woman fallen off a ladder,” says Horovitz. teachers and lawyers—did extremely passed. Fried and her students took the “After speaking to her for some time, well on the tests, getting higher grades examination board to court for chang- Women Advocates she admitted that her husband had than many of the males who took the ing the requirements without informing punched her in a fit of rage. I helped exam. Out of twenty-one students, the program, and won. her recognize that she was in an abu- nineteen passed with flying colors. Looking back on that early period Make their Mark sive situation. Eventually she filed for, “There’s probably a reason why [the when everything was a battle, Fried and obtained, a divorce; I accompanied women did so well],” says Rachel notes the tremendous successes that her throughout the process.” Gordin, a graduate of the program. have been achieved since then. “Tens “What was revolutionary and incit- Gordin, who is married to Rav HarEl of women have been helped in court ed a great deal of objection in religious Gordin, the rabbi of Herzliya, and who by our graduates,” Fried elaborates. circles ... has now become a norm,” never actually practiced as a toenet, says, “Not only have our graduates succeed- says Nurit Fried, the director of the “The women taking the test [to ed in obtaining divorces in several Women’s Advocate Program. notorious [agunah] cases, but they According to Rabbi Shlomo Riskin, Toanot have have also attained higher alimony pay- dean and founder of Ohr Torah Stone ments, improved custody rights and Colleges and Graduate Programs, made batei din other gains for their clients. Moreover, dayanim (religious judges), rabbis and even the most Chareidi judges have the general public have come to appre- learned to accept female pleaders and ciate toanot (pl. of toenet). less partial to appreciate their Torah-imbued Students in the Women’s Advocate efforts. The initial objections have Program, which is situated in Jerusalem, to men. practically disappeared,” says Fried. study for three years to pass a rigorous Rabbi Eli Ben-Dahan, the director exam administered by the rabbinate. become] court pleaders saw their studies of the rabbinical courts, maintains that The students have classes three times a as a way to better the lives of women in most toanot are “extremely devoted.” week and are required to do indepen- general; the males [taking the exam] “In fact, if I were to criticize the A graduate of the Women’s Advocate Program rests her case before the Jerusalem Rabbinical Court. Photo: Gershon Ellinson dent study. The program offers classes in were merely interested in getting profes- toanot, I’d say that some of them are a Jewish law as well as in marriage coun- sional recognition and making a living.” bit too outspoken when a pesak din seling, mediation and negotiation. Subsequently, the program ran into dif- [rabbinic decision] is contrary to their When it first opened, the program was ficulties. The rabbinate suddenly expectations—due to their sincere supported by Israel’s chief rabbinate. changed the test requirements, making concern for their clients,” says Rabbi By Leah Abramowitz The first graduates, many of whom the exam almost impossible to pass. Ben-Dahan. Not all of the program’s graduates fter a great deal of “A when she met Lily Horovitz, a toenet, advocates, Horovitz says: “A woman have succeeded in this competitive heart-wrenching introspection and Toenet Osnat Sharon of Yad L’Isha meeting with clients. Yad L’Isha—The Max or woman advocate. “Lily has been a will more readily open up to another field. Over 200 women have studied at years of suffering, I decided to get a Morrison Legal Aid Center and Hotline For Women—was established by Ohr Torah godsend,” Bier says. “I think she’ll be woman; she can mention intimate the school in the last decade and a divorce,” declares Sara Bier (not her Stone to represent women who cannot afford the services of a toenet. able to facilitate the divorce quickly, details that she wouldn’t tell an all- half; about fifty of them actually work real name), a religious woman in Israel Photo: www.sassontiram.com with minimal stress.” male religious court.” as advocates. Horovitz, for example, who admits to being physically and Rabbinical court advocates are usu- At thirty-four, Horovitz, who had has an office in Jerusalem and handles verbally abused by her husband. “I ally males who are yeshivah trained. In worked as a teacher and school princi- between eight and ten cases at any one knew I had to go through the religious 1990, however, a major breakthrough pal, enrolled in the Women’s Advocate time. Some of her clients are men. court, but I felt intimidated by all took place when the chief rabbinate of Program. “I always liked learning but “Some male clients feel that [toanot] those learned men. I was sure my ex- Israel first recognized that women never had an opportunity to delve into are more sympathetic, and that they husband would impress them with his could serve as advocates in rabbinical the vast sea of the Talmud,” Horovitz see the whole picture, not just the Gemara learning. I didn’t know who courts. Consequently, Midreshet says. Aside from her interest in learning immediate problem presented,” she to turn to.” Lindenbaum opened the Monica Gemara, she was motivated to help declares. Horovitz feels that she and Bier, who was married for sixteen Dennis Goldberg Women’s Rabbinical women in abusive relationships. Her the other toanot have been successful years before she filed for divorce, and Court Advocate Program, the first father, the late Rabbi Meir Yehuda in accelerating the divorce procedure, who has six children, found hope school in the world to train women Getz (the rav of the Kotel), often coun- which is known to be notoriously and certify them as advocates in the seled couples. She remembers as a child slow. She also believes that toanot have Leah Abramowitz, a social worker and rabbinical courts. Midreshet hearing shouting and crying coming made batei din less partial to men. freelance writer, is the founder of Lindenbaum is under the auspices of from behind the closed door of the Toanot such as Rachel Levmore have Melabev, an organization dedicated to Ohr Torah Stone Colleges and rabbi’s study. When Horovitz was older been instrumental in helping to helping those with Alzheimer’s. She lives Graduate Programs. and working as a teacher, she noticed a enforce certain laws that apply pres- in Jerusalem with her family. Explaining the need for women colleague who came to work with a sure on recalcitrant husbands. Israeli Winter 5765/2004 JEWISH ACTION law permits a rabbinical court to pun- within ten years, a woman was hired to continue to represent her clients. regarding property division, child cus- can have more professional choices and the program, as well as women from ish a recalcitrant husband by taking be an integral part of that same court To be sure, there is still some oppo- tody and alimony payments outside of opportunities to assist agunot. abroad who want to start a similar away his passport, closing his bank system. I would say it’s not a revolu- sition to the concept of women advo- court, whether civil or religious, and Most of those attending the program elsewhere. account and even imprisoning him. tion, it’s an evolution.” cates. “Some Chareidim feel that our arrive at the beit din for a single session, Women’s Advocate Program today are Taking the historic view, Fried says, However, in some cases, imprisoning Despite the advances made, however, inroad in the beit din will lead to “just for the piece of paper.” Therefore young women who are more interested “Even the revered bnot Tzelafchad the husband can backfire. “Husbands there are still some cases that seem Orthodox women entering other reli- there is less of a need for toanim, male in the intellectual challenge rather must have had opponents in their who are jailed for refusing to give a get, hopeless. Currently Horovitz is involved gious fields,” says Fried. “They feel or female. This also explains why at than in meeting the requirements of time, yet, in the end, they attained or husbands who are [in prison] in a case that has been in court for three that women pleaders in religious least 10 percent of the more successful the test for toanot. Interestingly recognition with the Divine words, because they’ve committed a crime years, with no end in sight. “Most reli- courts are inappropriate, even immod- female advocates go on to study civil enough, a number of women from ‘Kein dovrot bnot Tzelafchad,’ ‘the have little motivation to cooperate with gious women don’t even apply for a est.” To this Fried counters by stating law, as Horovitz is doing, so that they Chareidi backgrounds are enrolled in daughters of Tzelafchad are right.’” JA the court. The very walls that isolate divorce until the situation is really that for many years secular female them from society also prevent them impossible,” she says. “They generally lawyers—dressed immodestly and from being interested in agreeing to a wait an average of fifteen years [by lacking respect for the dayanim—were Preventing Agunot: divorce,” says Levmore, who serves as allowed to represent their clients in Coordinator for Matters of Agunot religious courts. One Rabbi’s Advice and Get Refusals in the Jerusalem “Even the most Horovitz, like most of the graduates Interview by Matis Greenblatt Rabbinical Court—the first woman to of the program, is careful to distance work in the all-male establishment.