Championing Divorce Equality and Women’s Rights in Israel
Since March 2024, Sigal Razin has been leading Mavoi Satum (Dead End) as its CEO, bringing over 20 years of experience in managing nonprofits focused on gender issues. Mavoi Satum, founded in 1995, fights for the rights of women trapped in unwanted marriages due to Israel’s religious divorce system, which requires a husband’s consent for a divorce.
Sigal’s leadership comes at a crucial time. The events of October 7th exposed alarming cases of violence against women, underscoring the urgency of Mavoi Satum's mission. As a mother of daughters, Sigal’s commitment is deeply personal:"Discrimination against women must be stopped. If we do not correct this travesty at the individual and societal level, we cannot expect social change of any sort to take hold."
Addressing a Critical Need: The Fight for Divorce Equality
In Israel, Jewish marriage and divorce are governed by an ultra-Orthodox monopoly, leaving thousands of women—secular, religious, modern, and ultra-Orthodox—imprisoned in abusive marriages. No matter the circumstances or the way a couple is getting married (civilly or religiously), women cannot get divorced without their husbands' approval, and they must do it through the rabbinical court. Many endure extortion during divorce proceedings, forced to relinquish their homes, their money or custody of their children to gain freedom.
Mavoi Satum tackles this crisis on two fronts:
Individual Support: Offering legal advice, representation, and social support to hundreds of women each year, along with advising couples on prenuptial agreements to prevent divorce withholding.
National Advocacy: Driving policy changes by working with the Knesset, the Supreme Court, and public awareness campaigns to demand divorce equality.
Strategic Vision: Expanding Impact and Influencing Policy
Sigal has ambitious plans for Mavoi Satum’s future. Recognizing that the current moment presents a “window of opportunity” for change, the organization strategy includes:
Eradicating the agunot crisis through a comprehensive plan targeting legislation, rabbinical court reforms, and criminalizing divorce extortionists.
High Court petitions addressing victims’ rights and contract law violations.
Public policy expansion to reshape societal perceptions and influence national legislation.
Support for divorced women: Launching a new “divorce processing” service—a short-term treatment to help women rebuild their lives post-divorce, including partnerships for job training and economic independence.
Sigal’s strategic focus balances immediate support for women with long-term systemic change, ensuring Mavoi Satum’s work has both depth and reach.
Milestones and Advocacy Successes
A few significant milestones, Mavoi Satum has achieved the past year, including:
A precedent-setting achievement highlighted in Ynet.
The annual “Get Party” event is to celebrate women's gaining their freedom.
Media appearances, including an interview discussing a shocking case at the rabbinical court.
The “Brides of the Future” exhibit, which powerfully reframes the issue of get refusals and divorce equality.
The CALO Experience: Combatting the Isolation of Leadership
For Sigal, CALO has been a lifeline of support: "The forum is significant in alleviating the CEO's loneliness. Listening and sharing topics and issues that sometimes only we, as CEOs, can understand has been invaluable."
CALO's peer forums have provided a space for open dialogue and strategic insight, helping Sigal navigate the complexities of leading a mission-driven organization. The sense of community and mutual understanding has been a powerful antidote to the isolation that can come with executive leadership.
A Vision for a Just Future
Sigal’s unwavering commitment to women’s rights, divorce equality, and systemic change reflects both her professional expertise and her personal mission to build a better world for her daughters—and for all women, men and families in Israel.
Despite the challenges ahead, her vision for Mavoi Satum is clear: a society where divorce equality is a fundamental right, where no woman is held captive in an unwanted marriage, and where justice prevails both in law and in practice.
Sigal Razin’s leadership exemplifies courage, vision, and the relentless pursuit of justice for women.
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