Kol Isha nonprofit helps women know their rights

Rachel B., a 37-year-old Jewish mother of four, endured years of emotional and physical abuse from her husband. She hoped that ending her marriage was the answer but was afraid of the unknown. She knew that she needed a Jewish divorce, a GET — but she didn’t know her legal rights to obtain a Divorce - could her husband take the kids away from her, how would she support herself, would she be able to re-marry one day, should she proceed through the civil courts or a Beis Din (Jewish court of law) first?

In Rachel’s close-knit Jewish community, the topic of divorce was a difficult one; talking to her rabbi might help, but she needed a legal perspective as well as a Jewish one. Even among the women, she felt she had nobody to turn to - no one to help her understand her rights, no one to help her navigate the costly legal process. And most importantly, no one to inform her of her rights when confronting a Beis Din, a Jewish court law comprised of powerful and potentially intimidating scholarly rabbis.

Then she learned about Kol Isha (www.kol-isha.org), a nonprofit organization dedicated to addressing the intricacies and challenges of Jewish marriage and divorce. There she found a wealth of resources to support her rights (in Jewish Courts), provide information and advocacy, help her understand and navigate the legal issues (both civil and Jewish), and find ways to mitigate legal costs while becoming fully informed about what to expect in the process. Step by step guidance was the key to getting the help she needed to proceed.  (Kol Isha also helps to connect with others in local support groups.)

Kol Isha (“Voice of Women” in Hebrew) was founded by Margaret Retter, a seasoned lawyer, to empower women who have been abused and left defenseless and powerless by their lack of knowledge of the Jewish court system (Beis Din).

As a public defender and criminal defense attorney in the Federal and State courts, and who has also served the Jewish community for decades, Retter has advised countless women on their rights in marriage and divorce. She knew all too well about the severe lack of information available to those in the Orthodox community. So, she set out to “lift the veil of secrecy.” The result: Kol Isha — a place where women can come for answers to questions they never knew to ask

“It is only when I am convinced that a woman really wants to separate, and or divorce, or I have evidence from a physician, emergency room information, or police reports, that I will give her safety plans and explain the Beis Din system, how it works and how to proceed,” says Retter.

“My mission is to prevent a woman from becoming an ‘Agunah,’ chained woman, and my aim is for her, if she wishes, to be able to remarry by an Orthodox Rabbi which will accept her Jewish divorce without question anywhere in the world.

Kol Isha has been helping victims through domestic abuse, violence, and navigating the complex legalities of divorce.