The Targum Shlishi Legal Aid Program for Women addresses the needs of Israeli women struggling to attain a get by offering comprehensive, highly subsidized representation in both the state court (beit mishpat) and the rabbinical court (beit din).

In Israel, the only way for a woman to exit marriage is through the rabbinical court, a system that places disproportionate control and power in the hands of the husband – even if the husband is abusive and demonstrates a desire to hurt his wife. Through this  system, abusive men are given the ultimate tool of control with which to destroy women’s lives: the get. This is a devastating problem in Israel where, according to a Haifa University study, one out of every seven women in Israel is in an abusive relationship. Thus, women who most want and need to exit their relationships confront the most trying and painful obstacles as the religious courts sanction male power. Thus it is estimated that thousands of women in Israel are stuck in limbo, mesoravot get, waiting for years and sometimes decades for the freedom to exit their unwanted marriages.

The most important tool that a woman can obtain in this precarious situation is quality legal help. A woman whose life is completely on hold, neither married nor divorced stuck to a man she no longer wants to be with, tied to him financially, emotionally and sometimes physically, will often feel alone with nowhere to turn. Understandably, a woman burdened with getting through the daily struggle of life may not have the resources or wherewithal to hire an expensive attorney. Yet, legal representation is exactly what mesuravot get need. From our experience we have learned that having a lawyer who understands the gender and religious dynamics of the religious courts often makes the difference between freedom and indefinite incarceration for a woman. 
 
This is why Mavoi Satum has created the Targum Shlishi Legal Aid Program . Through this program, women receive high quality representation in both the religious and civil courts from women lawyers who understand and know how to navigate the entire system. Moreover, clients of Mavoi Satum receive social-emotional services as well, while they go through this trying process.

Mavoi Satum is the only organization in Israel that provides all mesuravot get an option of legal representation both in the civil and rabbinical courts, as well as emotional and psychological support to ease the process. Mavoi Satum thus serves as a bridge between the different avenues that a woman has to travel in order to obtain her freedom. This unparalleled conglomerate of services – religious court representation, civil court representation and social services – provides women with the absolute best chances of obtaining their freedom and successfully rebuilding their lives.

Mavoi Satum’s integrated socio-legal-rabbinic approach facilitates opportunities for healing and rebuilding.  The process of fighting for a get becomes a catalyst for reclaiming autonomy in other aspects of life - economically, vocationally, socially and emotionally. This integration of processes offers the woman the best chance at successfully obtaining a get, and with that, the freedom to continue her life independently. 
 
Methods to be used to attain these goals:
The Legal Aid program employs a five-pronged, multi-disciplinary approach and aims to empower the women to achieve autonomy in all aspects of their lives.
 
(1)    Mapping the woman’s story. As a first step, our professionals map the woman’s complete story.  This information enables us to develop a comprehensive understanding of our clients and their legal issues, identify their legal and social needs, help her navigate the myriad of systems, and construct an effective and appropriate strategy to help her achieve her freedom. Mavoi Satum is in the unique position to be able to work through all these systems simultaneously, and thus offer each woman the maximum chance of success.

(2)    Financing professional services. The second component in the process involves retaining the woman as a ‘client’. This entails a transformation in the woman’s self-perception from “charity cases” to women who are able to look after themselves. By subsidizing the majority of the legal aid while requiring clients to pay a token sum, Mavoi Satum enables women they are able to take ownership of the process, and see themselves as masters of their own life course. 

(3)   Facilitating engagement. Mesuravot get often reach a stage of apathy and stagnation that comes from feeling overwhelmed and weary from ongoing and stunted legal processes.  This third, vital component is one in which the staff works on building up full and active engagement, cooperation and activism with the client. Our specially-trained staff and volunteers work cooperatively with the women to address alienation and disenfranchisement by providing practical and emotional support and encouragement to the client, such as, preparing them for meetings and hearings – both emotionally and materially – in order to engage effectively with the legal system. 
 
(4)    Procuring the get. Our lawyers provide comprehensive representation in rabbinic and civil courts while using supplementary tools, such as hiring a private detective, meeting with Rabbis, meeting with the head of the Rabbinical Court, or organizing demonstrations outside workplaces.  Mavoi Satum is the only organization that works on all of these legal fronts simultaneously. 

(5)    Moving forward. As the last step in the process, Mavoi Satum’s social worker and lawyer assist the woman to identify and resolve social and legal issues arising from ending the marriage.  The resolution of these issues empowers the women to begin to rebuild and regain autonomy in their lives.