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Organization for the Resolution of Agunot Inc
NEW YORK, NY · EIN 810582070 · Form 990 · FY2024 · NTEE I51 · Crime & Legal-Related · Medium ($1M-$10M) · getora.org
revenue
$1.1M
expenses
$919K
net assets
$436K
employees
11
program ratio
59%
mission · from form 990

THE ORGANIZATION FOR THE RESOLUTION OF AGUNOT (ORA) SEEKS TO ELIMINATE ABUSE FROM THE JEWISH DIVORCE PROCESS. ORA WORKS WITHIN THE PARAMETERS OF JEWISH LAW AND CIVIL LAW TO ADVOCATE FOR THE TIMELY AND UNCONDITIONAL ISSUANCE OF A GET. ORA BELIEVES THAT THE PROTRACTED REFUSAL TO ISSUE OR RECEIVE A GET IS A FORM OF DOMESTIC ABUSE WHICH MUST NEVER BE TOLERATED. ORA SEEKS TO FOSTER A JEWISH COMMUNITY IN WHICH A GET IS NEVER USED AS A WEAPON. ORA PURSUES ITS MISSION THROUGH AGUNAH CASE ADVOCACY, EARLY INTERVENTION PROGRAMS, AND EDUCATIONAL INITIATIVES FOR AGUNAH PREVENTION.

profile · synthesized from sources

The Organization for the Resolution of Agunot (ORA) advocates for Jewish women trapped in abusive marriages due to the refusal of their husbands to grant a religious divorce (get). Operating within Jewish and civil legal frameworks, ORA provides direct case advocacy, applies communal and public pressure when necessary, and promotes the use of halachic prenups to prevent future cases. The organization serves individuals primarily in the United States and works with rabbinic authorities to uphold religious compliance.

irs program accomplishments · form 990 part iii · fy2024

What they reported doing

  1. #1 primary $89K
    CONDUCTED EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS AND INITIATIVES IN SCHOOLS, COLLEGES, SYNAGOUGES AND COMMUNITY FORUMS TO EDUCATE PARTICIPANTS ABOUT JEWISH DIVORCE REFUSAL, DOMESTIC ABUSE, AND THE JEWISH PRENUPTIAL AGREEMENT FOR THE PREVENTION OF JEWISH DIVORCE REFUSAL.
  2. #2 $104K
    IMPLEMENTED A JEWISH DIVORCE RESOURCE PHONE LINE FOR INDIVIDUALS IN THE JEWISH COMMUNITY FACING DIVORCE, CALLED "ONE STEP FORWARD." THIS RESOURCE LINE PROVIDED JEWISH DIVORCE INFORMATION, STRATEGIC GUIDANCE, AND EMOTIONAL SUPPORT TO CALLERS, AS WELL AS CONNECTING CALLERS WITH A WIDE RANGE OF LEGAL, EMOTIONAL AND FINANCIAL RESOURCES. THIS HELPLINE PROVIDES GUIDANCE, SUPPORT AND REFERRALS TO MORE THAN 300 CALLERS PER YEAR.
named programs · 5 · from sources

What they call their work

Agunah Advocacy Clubs
Supports student-led groups on college campuses focused on raising awareness about get-refusal and promoting solutions
Agunah Case Advocacy
Provides direct support to women denied a religious divorce through case management, coordination with rabbinic and civil authorities, and application of communal pressure when necessary
Cheirut Network
Co-leads an international coalition of organizations working to resolve agunah cases and share advocacy strategies across countries
Educational Initiatives
Offers school and community programs to raise awareness about get-refusal and agunah issues
Halachic Prenup Promotion
Advocates for and educates communities about the halachic prenuptial agreement designed to prevent get-refusal in future marriages
activities · 5 groups

What they do

  • Jewish Religious Divorce and Mediation Services 3 activities
    • Advocacy Through Social and Public Pressure
      Applies social, communal, and public pressure—including rallies, public shaming, and targeted actions near recalcitrant spouses’ homes—to secure gittin in cases of spousal refusal, including situations involving abuse or extortion.
    • Agunah Case Advocacy and Support
      Provides direct assistance to women classified as agunot by developing individualized action plans, offering emotional support, and coordinating between parties to secure religious divorces (gittin). The organization assists approximately 425 agunot annually and maintains ongoing caseworker support for individuals navigating the Jewish and civil legal systems.
    • Financial and Legal Assistance for Religious Divorce
      Provides financial subsidies to cover the cost of writing a get (religious divorce document) and ensures gittin are issued with approval from recognized Torah authorities, enabling women to exit unresolved marriages.
  • Halachic Guidance and Education Services 1 activity
    • Educational Programming and Prevention Initiatives
      Conducts approximately 40 annual educational programs, including outreach to high schools, and publishes educational content to promote awareness of agunot issues and the halachic prenuptial agreement as a preventive measure.
  • 24/7 Crisis and Warmline Support Services 1 activity
    • Helpline and Data Collection Services
      Operates an annual helpline receiving approximately 1,000 calls, providing initial support and collecting data from nearly 500 callers to assess geographic distribution and service needs.
  • Human Rights Advocacy & Accountability 1 activity
    • International Advocacy and Peer Collaboration Network
      Participates in a quarterly international network meeting to collaborate on agunah cases, share advocacy strategies, and provide peer support across jurisdictions.
  • Uncategorized 1 activity
    • Scholarly Research and Publication
      Authors and publishes scholarly articles on the psychological, spiritual, and ethical dimensions of get refusal and public advocacy, contributing research-based insights to the discourse on agunah resolution.
financials · form 990 · fy2024
revenue
Total revenue$1.07M
Contributions & grants$1.07M100%
Program service revenue$2K0%
Investment income$600%
Other revenue$0
expenses
Total expenses$919K
Program expenses59%
Admin / overhead26%
Fundraising15%
Salaries & benefits$732K
Grants paid out$0
Largest expense lineCompensation
balance sheet
Total assets$678K
Cash$389K
Investments$0
Liabilities$241K
Net assets$436K
Liquid reserves5.1 mo
6 years on record · 2019–2024 · YoY revenue +2.8%
leadership · form 990 part vii · fy2024

Who runs it

paid leadership · 3
NameTitleHours/wkCompensation
JENNIFER LIFSHUTZ ASSISTANT DI 50 $97K
JONATHAN D KLAYMAN ASSISTANT DI 40 $90K
KESHET STARR EXECUTIVE DI 40 $81K
board members · 15
  • BAT-SHEVA MASLOW — DIRECTOR
  • BATSHEVA GANZ — DIRECTOR
  • CHANI KLEIN — DIRECTOR
  • DANIELLA ROHR — DIRECTOR
  • DR ROSLYN FEDER LIPSKY — VICE PRESIDE
  • DR YARDAENA OSBAND — DIRECTOR
  • ELYAKIM ORLINSKY — DIRECTOR
  • JOSHUA Z ROSS — TREASURER
  • MICHELLE GREENBERG - KOBRIN ESQ — PRESIDENT
  • MIRIAM GOLDBERG — DIRECTOR
  • RABBI DANIEL FELDMAN — DIRECTOR
  • RABBI JOSHUA LOOKSTEIN — DIRECTOR
  • RIVKA GROSS — DIRECTOR
  • RUEVEN STEIN — DIRECTOR
  • SAM ADELSBEG — DIRECTOR
relationships · 28

Who they work with

  • Beth Din of Elizabeth Partner — Rabbi Howard Jachter, Dayan at Beth Din of Elizabeth, publicly endorsed ORA.
  • Boston Agunah Taskforce Partner — Member of the Cheirut international network collaborating on agunah cases and advocacy.
  • Center for Women's Justice Partner — Member of the Cheirut international network collaborating on agunah cases and advocacy.
  • Congregation Eitz Chaim of Dogwood Park Partner — Rabbi Efrem Schwalb, Rabbi of Congregation Eitz Chaim of Dogwood Park, endorsed ORA's efforts.
  • GETToutUK Partner — Member of the Cheirut international network collaborating on agunah cases and advocacy.
  • Get Jewish Divorce Justice Partner — Member of the Cheirut international network collaborating on agunah cases and advocacy.
  • Go Getters Partner — Member of the Cheirut international network collaborating on agunah cases and advocacy.
  • JEWEL Partner — Member of the Cheirut international network collaborating on agunah cases and advocacy.
  • Lehrhaus Partner — Published commentary by ORA staff on the halachic prenup.
  • Matirot Partner — Member of the Cheirut international network collaborating on agunah cases and advocacy.
  • Nachum Segal Network Partner — Hosted an interview with Rabbi Jeremy Stern on issues related to agunot.
  • OSF Partner — Collaborates with OSF to provide support to individuals dealing with divorce-related issues.
  • Orthodox Union Partner — Rabbi Steven Weil, Executive Vice President of Orthodox Union, endorsed ORA's work.
  • Rabbi Gedalia Dov Schwartz Partner — Co-signatory of endorsement and public supporter of ORA's work.
  • Rabbi Hershel Schachter Government — Halachic advisor to ORA and signatory of endorsement.
  • Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary Government — Provides halachic guidance for ORA through Rabbi Herschel Schachter.
  • Rabbis Partner — ORA communicates directly with rabbis to facilitate the issuance of religious divorces (gets).
  • Rabbis who support ORA's work Partner — Rabbis who have endorsed ORA's mission and work in resolving cases of agunah.
  • The LEV Organization Partner — Member of the Cheirut international network collaborating on agunah cases and advocacy.
  • The Rackman Center Partner — Member of the Cheirut international network collaborating on agunah cases and advocacy.
  • The Times of Israel Partner — Published opinion and educational pieces authored by ORA staff.
  • The Va'ad Partner — Member of the Cheirut international network collaborating on agunah cases and advocacy.
  • Unchain My Heart Partner — Member of the Cheirut international network collaborating on agunah cases and advocacy.
  • Yad La'Isha Partner — Member of the Cheirut international network collaborating on agunah cases and advocacy.
  • Yeshiva University Partner — Rabbi Dr. Jacob J. Schacter, Senior Scholar at Yeshiva University's Center for the Jewish Future, expressed strong support for ORA.
  • Young Israel Israel Region Partner — Member of the Cheirut international network collaborating on agunah cases and advocacy.
  • Young Israel of Flatbush Partner — Rabbi Kenneth Auman, Rabbi of Young Israel of Flatbush, publicly supported ORA.
  • beit din Partner — Collaborates with local beit din in reviewing and resolving get cases.
strategies · 5

How they approach the work

Named approaches extracted from this org’s sources. Where others share an approach, follow it to see the full set of orgs running it.

  • Coordinated International Network Advocacy
    methodology: international_network_collaboration
    By leveraging a collaborative international network, the organization amplifies pressure and shares effective tactics, because collective action across jurisdictions increases the cost of noncompliance and enables strategic innovation.
  • Domestic Abuse Framing to Inform Advocacy
    methodology: domestic_abuse_framework
    By framing get refusal as a form of domestic abuse, the organization strengthens advocacy and mobilizes support, because this lens activates protective responses from religious, communal, and legal institutions.
  • Individualized Case Management with Multi-Pronged Advocacy
    methodology: individualized_case_management
    By tailoring a combination of legal, communal, and public advocacy to each case, the organization increases resolution success, because flexible, context-specific strategies address the unique barriers in complex religious divorce refusals.
  • Integrated Halachic and Civil Legal Advocacy
    methodology: halachic_and_civil_legal_advocacy
    By operating within both Jewish (halachic) and civil legal frameworks, the organization compels the issuance of a get, because dual-system pressure increases leverage and legitimacy in resolving divorce refusals.
  • Preventive Structural Reform via Prenuptial Agreements
    methodology: preventive_policy_advocacy
    By promoting the adoption of halachic prenuptial agreements, the organization prevents future agunah cases, because such agreements create binding religious obligations that deter unilateral divorce refusal.