Episodes

  • (12) The Blacklist

    (12) The Blacklist
    Apr 27 2025
    Rivkah takes us deep into the shadows of Israel’s marriage system to explore the “blacklist”—a secret registry maintained by the Chief Rabbinate that tracks thousands of people prohibited from legally marrying in Israel. From accusations of adultery to the status of mamzerim, we explore who gets listed, how, and why it’s nearly impossible to clear one’s name. Behind closed doors, a quiet bureaucracy decides who may love—and who loses a fundamental right. Justice Unbound is made possible by the generous support of the Gimprich Family Foundation.
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    15 mins
  • (11) Halachic Prenups

    (11) Halachic Prenups
    Mar 26 2025
    Too many women find themselves powerless in the face of get refusal or being trapped as an agunah. But halachic prenuptial agreements can change that. Rivkah explains how these agreements use legal and halachic tools to prevent injustice and why every couple--engaged and married--should consider signing one. Find the agreements here.
    Justice Unbound is made possible by the generous support of the Gimprich Family Foundation.
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    24 mins
  • (10) Three Ways Out

    (10) Three Ways Out
    Mar 9 2025
    Susan reveals how Israel’s rabbinic courts concoct an unholy trifecta of rigid formalism, extortion, and violence to deal with women trapped in unwanted marriages. Who really holds the power—the husbands or the dayanim (rabbinic judges)? Should the ends justify the means when punishing get refusers? Susan and Rivkah discuss why change remains elusive when justice, religion, and human rights collide. Justice Unbound is made possible by the generous support of the Gimprich Family Foundation. Mentioned in this episode: Article: "A Woman Acquires [Freedom for] Herself in 3 Ways…" by Susan Weiss Book: Marriage and Divorce in the Jewish State: Israel's Civil War by Susan Weiss and Netty Gross-Horowitz
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    35 mins
  • (9) Grounds for Divorce

    (9) Grounds for Divorce
    Feb 23 2025
    What must a woman prove to be divorced in a rabbinic court? Susan shares a shocking case where she learned firsthand that, no matter what a husband does—whether he rapes, beats, cheats, takes another wife, withholds intimacy, or even if his wife is utterly repulsed by him—none of it grants her the right to leave. No fault of his is considered grounds for divorce. How is this possible? What does this mean for women trapped in these marriages? Justice Unbound is made possible by the generous support of the Gimprich Family Foundation.
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    20 mins
  • (8) Killer Wife

    (8) Killer Wife
    Feb 9 2025
    According to Jewish tradition, a woman who outlives two husbands is labeled a “killer wife,” believed to bring misfortune to any future spouse. In Israel, a woman suspected of being a killer wife needs special permission to legally remarry. Susan and Rivkah dive into a fascinating 2014 rabbinic court ruling that allows one such woman to escape the stigma—while paradoxically reinforcing the very law that condemned her. Justice Unbound is made possible by the generous support of the Gimprich Family Foundation. Book mentioned in this podcast: Pious and Rebellious: Jewish Women in Medieval Europe by Avraham Grossman
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    16 mins
  • (7) Chalitza, Part 2

    (7) Chalitza, Part 2
    Jan 27 2025
    As the war in Israel leaves countless families shattered, the issue of chalitza resurfaces with complicated consequences for widows. In this second episode on chalitza, Susan and Rivkah discuss halachic solutions--past and present--and why the current crisis makes it more urgent than ever to address. Learn about what the Center for Women's Justice is doing to ensure women’s freedom and dignity in their most vulnerable moments. Justice Unbound is made possible by the generous support of the Gimprich Family Foundation. Check out CWJ’s halachic document that addresses chalitza, as well as CWJ’s full halachic prenuptial agreement, here: https://www.shtar-eng.cwj.org.il/
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    23 mins
  • (6) Chalitza, Part 1

    (6) Chalitza, Part 1
    Jan 19 2025
    Susan and Rivkah delve into the ancient ritual of chalitza, a halachic ceremony releasing a widow from marrying her late husband’s brother. What does chalitza mean for women today, especially in the modern state of Israel? What happens to a woman when chalitza can’t—or won’t—be done? Through personal stories, expert insights and a critical lens, we explore the halachic, legal, and cultural dimensions of this practice. Justice Unbound is made possible by the generous support of the Gimprich Family Foundation.

    Mentioned in this episode:
    Family Law and the Challenge of Modernity: Debate about Levirate Marriage among Moroccan Sages by Elimelech Westreich
    https://bit.ly/Westreich
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    26 mins
  • (5) Millet System

    (5) Millet System
    Jan 5 2025
    What does the Ottoman Sultan have to do with Jewish divorce in 2025? Susan and Rivkah delve into the surprising origins of Israel’s two-tracked civil system, consisting of religious and secular courts. What is the difference between these secular and religious courts, and how do Israelis decide where to go? Are non-Jews in Israel also bound by religious courts? And how can a democratic state operate religious courts, anyway? Justice Unbound is made possible by the generous support of the Gimprich Family Foundation.

    Mentioned in this episode: Scholarship of Dr. Yüksel Sezgin
    https://bit.ly/YSezgin
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    17 mins
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