Recent News

Statement on Israel May 14, 2023
Meeting in Zurich May 4, 2023
Passover Greeting from the President April 3, 2023
Technology & Education: Public and Private Partnerships Around the World March 19, 2023
International Agunah Day 2023 March 2, 2023

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Women’s Issues

International Agunah Day 2023

International Agunah Day is traditionally commemorated on Ta’anit Esther, the Fast of Esther, the day before Purim. This year, considering the current situation in Israel vis a vis the impending changes to the judiciary, we must be especially mindful of the plight of Agunot. It appears that the Beth Din in Israel will gain increased powers, which will disadvantage woman generally and Agunot in particular. Jewish communities around the world recite the Mi She-Berach prayer for Agunot on Shabbat Zachor (the Shabbat before Purim), uniting with communities worldwide in praying for their welfare and freedom. We cannot stand idly by while women are trapped in marriages against their will. We must increase awareness of this issue. We cannot overestimate the power of the community and our ability to unite, advocate and support. Susie Ivany OAM, Co – Chair Status of Women in Jewish Law Prayer for Agunot He Who Blessed our forefathers Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and our foremothers Sarah, Rebekah, Rachel and Leah, may He remember and consider favorably all the women who are agunot and who are denied a writ of divorce (mesorvot get), help, shield and save them, and release them from their confinement to grant them a new life this day.God who answers in times of trouble, who redeems and rescues in times of woe, may He answer the women who are bound in living widowhood, hear their outcries, and nullify the intentions of those husbands who refuse to give their wives a writ of divorce. For He is the God of all flesh, nothing is too wondrous for Him.Our sisters, the daughters of Israel, who are in distress and bondage, may the Omnipresent One have mercy upon them, and deliver them from distress to relief, and from darkness to light.May God who releases prisoners from their chains, place in the hearts of the judges of Israel the spirit of wisdom and insight, the spirit of counsel and valor, the spirit of devotion and fear of God, that they may free from their fetters all the agunot and women who have been refused a writ of divorce by their husbands, so that the Divine Presence will rise from her dust since whoever frees one agunah it is as though he built one of the ruins of supernal Jerusalem. And may the biblical verse be fulfilled in them, “And call upon Me on a day of distress, I will rescue you and you will honor Me” (Psalms 91:15).May the King of Kings stand at their side, exalt them, bring them recovery and healing, and may they endure no more despair and brokenheartedness. And may they merit to establish faithful homes in Israel. Because this entire holy congregation is praying on their behalf; now, speedily, and at a near time, and let us say, Amen.“Mi she-Berakh Prayer for Agunot and Women who are Denied a Writ of Divorce (mesorvot get)” was written by Dr. Yael Levine in the summer of 2006 and first published in the journal De’ot in advance of Purim 2007. The Hebrew version of the prayer was subsequently reprinted in the monumental Sefer ha-Shabbat, edited by Yonadav Kaploun and issued by Yediot Aharonot in 2011 (p. 260). The English translation was first published in The Jerusalem Post 16 March 2016

Jewish issues

Passover Greeting from the President

Passover is the quintessential family celebration in Judaism. We remember the liberation of the Hebrew people from slavery in Egypt, that is, the creation of the people of Israel, the formation of a people as such.” In the weeks leading up to Passover there is an important movement in any Jewish house, we clean, tidy, and remove from our homes anything that may contain chametz, the Jewish mother will always be busy preparing everything for her family to spend a Kasher Passover vesameach. Many are the messages and learnings of the feast, however, today I would like to highlight the importance of two of many of our mitzvot: The first is that when we take care of extracting the chametz from our homes, we concentrate on also removing from our lives everything that “inflates”, that grows in our lives and makes us “slaves” such as pride, sadness, anger, in short, we clean and leave in our lives only those feelings and attitudes that help us to be free, to rise and be better every day. The second is the importance of “Vehigadeta le binjá bayom hahu”, we begin the seder with the obligation to tell and tell our children the years of slavery and the miracle of the departure from Egypt, from our freedom. The Jewish woman, in the day to day fulfills this great mitzvah in each action, in each dinner, every time she lights the Shabbat candles and party, every time she strives and with much love and affection gathers her family around a table transmitting in each act, the essence of our people and the transmission of our values in the family. Let us continue to enjoy our physical and emotional freedom and sow in our children and grandchildren the pride of being Jewish, of being part of this great nation, of this great people. Passover Kasher vesameach. Lilian Grinberg, President, ICJW Pésaj es la celebración familiar por excelencia en el judaísmo. Recordamos la liberación del pueblo hebreo de la esclavitud en Egipto, es decir, la creación del pueblo de Israel, la formación de un pueblo como tal”. Las semanas previas a Pesaj hay un importante movimiento en cualquier casa judía, limpiamos, ordenamos y sacamos de nuestras casas cualquier cosa que pueda contener jametz, la madre judía siempre estará ocupada en preparar todo para que su familia pase un Pesaj Kasher vesameaj. Muchos son los mensaje y aprendizajes de la fiesta, sin embargo, hoy quisiera resaltar la importancia de dos de muchas de nuestras mitzvot: El primero es que al ocuparnos de extraer de nuestras casas el jametz, nos concentremos en sacar también de nuestras vidas todo aquello que “infle”, que crezca en nuestra vida y nos haga “esclavos” como la soberbia, la tristeza, el enojo, en fin, limpiemos y dejemos en nuestras vidas solo aquellos sentimientos y actitudes que nos ayuden a ser libres, a elevarnos y ser cada dia mejores. El segundo es la importancia de “Vehigadeta le binjá bayom hahú”, iniciamos el seder con la obligación de contar y relatar a nuestros hijos los años de esclavitud y el milagro de la salida de Egipto, de nuestra libertad. La mujer judía, en el día a día cumple con esta gran mitzva en cada acción, en cada cena, cada vez que enciende las velas de Shabat y fiesta, cada vez que se esfuerza y con mucho amor y cariño reune a su familia alrededor de una mesa transmitiendo en cada acto, la esencia de nuestro pueblo y la transmisión de nuestros valores en familia. Sigamos disfrutando de nuestra libertad física y emocional y sembremos en nuestros hijos y nietos el orgullo de ser judíos, de ser parte de esta gran nación, de este gran pueblo. Pesaj Kasher vesameaj.

ICJW EVENTS

Statement on Israel

The executive meeting of the International Council of Jewish Women meeting in Zürich, Switzerland in May 2023, representing over 1 million Jewish women in 34 countries around the world, is deeply concerned that if the proposed legislation in Israel is enacted, the rights of women will be adversely impacted. ICJW joins with our Israeli affiliate to work to protect the rights of women and children in Israel and around the world.

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