Esther Eisner is the founder of AfterForever.org, an online support community for Jewish divorcees. As a divorcee herself, Esther has experienced firsthand some of the challenges of rebuilding – both one's home and ones' self – post-divorce. She started After Forever to help others get back on their feet and to assist in navigating the path to starting over.

This is the fourth and final episode of a series dealing wih divorce in the Orthodox Jewish community. See also episode 37 (an overview of the survey findings), episode 39 (conversation with Rabbi Weissmann, director of the Beth Din of America), and episode 40 (conversation with Attorney Deborah Chames, whose broad practice includes family law and divorce issues in the Orthodox community).

Here are links to:

The Survey of Orthodox Jewish Family Life, Marriage & Divorce.

A Summary of the report.

The AfterForever.org site offering support to divorcees.

If you would like to receive our upcoming Health Survey, just send an email to [email protected].

David Wolpaw reacts to the top health issues that Orthodox Jews recently told us are most important to them, including how their priorities compare with those of the general population. We also have a wide-ranging conversation covering such topics as attitudes toward vaccines, trust in medical authority and government, social media, Israel, and a little bit of politics.

Rocky Bochner is a data analyst and behavioral neuroscientist … and also both a certified personal trainer and a certified nutrition coach in the New York City Orthodox community. It is the latter – exercise and diet – that bring him to this program, in connection with our upcoming health survey.

While his practice – RockFitnessNYC.com – provides personal training and classes for men, the issues we discuss apply to all adults in the Orthodox community. Additionally, he trains couples, prepares workouts for women, and can offers recommendations for female one-on-one trainers.

This episode continues our series on divorce, with our guest Deborah Chames, a highly respected partner at a Miami law firm.

Deborah represents family law clients at Kluger, Kaplan, a Southeast Florida firm with clients nationwide. She handles high-net-worth divorces and high-conflict divorces. Guided by 42 years of experience, Chames crafts a strategy that advocates for clients while remaining sensitive. She is the first and only woman on the board of Yeshiva Toras Chaim, the largest Orthodox day school in the South. Her daughter, Melissa, also practices family law at Kluger, Kaplan. Chames works pro bono with the legal services committee of the Orthodox Union.

In addition to providing solid advice to those contemplating or pursuing divorce, we discuss trends in Orthodox divorce, what she sees first-hand as the major causes, and she suggests some approaches that could reduce the problems and help young people transition into marriage.

Links:

Deborah's bio and contact information

The Nishma Research 2025 divorce survey, some of which is discussed in this episode.

We did a recent divorce survey and discussed the findings in episode 37. This episode is the first of several follow-ups on that topic.

The Beth Din of America serves as a national rabbinical court, affiliated with the Rabbinical Council of America and the Orthodox Union. It addresses a broad spectrum of issues and is likely the busiest beth din in the country. (This here are many in the US and experiences vary among them.)

Rabbi Shlomo Weissmann is both a rabbi and a lawyer, having received rabbinic ordination from Yeshiva University and graduated from Columbia Law School.

He oversees BDA operations and also serves as an arbitrator (dayan) and mediator in both civil and religious matters. He frequently write, speaks and teaches on how Jewish law intersects with contemporary secular law. Under his direction, the Beth Din has promoted the use and administration of the halakhic prenuptial agreement viewed as an effective solution to the agunah problem by preventing cases of divorce refusal.

Links:

• The BDA and information about the halachic prenup.

• The Nishma Research 2023 Jewish Community Profile (See pages 36-38, which discuss the divorce process)

• Article "Beyond the Get: Why More Divorcing Couples Are Turning to the Beth Din of America," Jewish Link, July 24, 2025.

Dr. Berel Leib (Zachary) Epstein lives in Baltimore with his wife and children. He learns at Yeshivas Ner Yisroel.

He also is a theoretical physicist and a Senior Staff Scientist at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, where he engages in advanced research aimed at supporting the United States' technological edge in defense applications.

He came to my attention when I received an email from Mosaica Press about his new book "Emunah and Physics: A Jewish Resolve."

Mosaica Press writes: "The age of the earth. Archaeological evidence. The nature of miracles. These questions have often been either sidestepped or answered in ways that satisfy neither the scientific mind nor the believing soul. 'Emunah and Physics' does something rare: it takes these questions seriously, without flinching—and without losing the integrity of either science or Torah.

"Dr. Epstein explores the blurred and often misunderstood boundaries between what we know, what we believe, and what we are still discovering. This book is not about proving Torah with science, nor is it about bending Torah to fit scientific models. It's about thinking clearly, with humility and depth, and seeing how the two worlds can not only coexist but deeply illuminate each other."

Here is a LINK to information about this book.

In this episode, we interview Esther Eisner and David Sheril, two of the members of our Community Advisory Group that helped to develop this study. We discuss a wide range of findings among Modern Orthodox and Haredi Jews, including the causes of divorce and the factors that help to create a lasting marriage.

The full report ("A Survey of Orthodox Jewish Family Life, Marriage & Divorce") may be found HERE.

Esther's Divorce Support Group – AfterForever.org – may be found HERE.

Finally, our next study will cover Orthodox Jews and health. At this time, we would love to give you, our listening audience, an opportunity to chime in on issues related to health. So click HERE for a brief, two-minute mini-survey, where you will be able to suggest questions for us to ask in our survey of Orthodox Jews and health. Thank you so much for your participation.

Rabbi Dov Fischer was ordained at Yeshiva University, has held leadership roles in numerous Jewish organizations, and is the founding rabbi of Young Israel of Orange County, California. He is also an accomplished trial attorney, writer, and prominent leader in advocacy relating to Orthodox Jewish issues.

A UCLA Law school graduate, he has worked at major law firms, and has been an adjunct law professor for over 15 years. He is a public commentator, has written for The American Spectator, Israel National News, Forward, the Jewish Press, the Times of Israel, Arutz Sheva, and others, and has a series of YouTube videos containing Torah classes and other discussions,

He is a prominent leader of the CJV (Coalition for Jewish Values), where he expresses thoughtful view and policy advocacy on issues related to Jewish Orthodoxy … from the political and religious right (hence the title of this episode).

In this episode, Rav Fischer describes his fascinating background, and we discuss advocacy in the Orthodox community, Israel, polling, recent events in New York City, and more.

Links and Contact Information:

Coalition for Jewish Values - https://coalitionforjewishvalues.org

Cross-Currents (At the Intersection of Torah and Current Events) – https://cross-currents.com

Subscribe to Rav Fischer's YouTube channel at bit.ly/3REFTbk and follow him on X (Twitter) at @DovFischerRabbi to find his latest classes, interviews, speeches, and observations. To attend any of his three weekly Zoom classes — Sundays on the past week's events impacting Israel and world Jewry, and Tuesdays and Thursdays on the Tanakh (Bible) and Jewish law — send a request to [email protected].

Ruthie Braffman Shulman is passionate about the importance of women's roles in Torah Leadership positions, and she currently serves as the Director of Women's Torah Leadership at Micah Philanthropies, where she develops and supports women in Torah leadership positions at shuls. Simultaneously, she is the Yoetzet Halacha and community scholar at Young Israel of West Hartford CT.

Ruthie studied at Sha'alvim for Women and Yeshiva University's Stern College and earned an M.A. in Talmud at Yeshiva University's Graduate Program for Advanced Talmudic Studies for Women (GPATS). She is also trained and certified as a Yoetzet Halacha.

Ruthie has nearly twenty years of experience in community leadership and Torah education, having worked at institutions such as United Orthodox Synagogues of Houston, Manhattan Jewish Experience, OU-JLIC at University of Pennsylvania and Drexel University.

She resides in Philadelphia with her husband and four children.

Here is the link to our Survey of Orthodox Jewish Family Life, Marriage & Divorce, available online through June 18, 2025: http://bit.ly/marriage-divorce-2025.

Rabbi Weinberg is a distinguished Jewish educator, relationship coach, and speaker, renowned for his expertise in fostering healthy relationships and guiding personal development.

He received his rabbinical ordination from Yeshiva University, he holds a master's degrees in marriage and family therapy, secondary education, and school administration; and a doctorate in education with a focus on adolescent religious development.

He has over 25 years of experience as a teacher and school administrator, including serving as the principal at North Shore Hebrew Academy High School in Great Neck, New York.

He currently lives in Israel, and conducts seminars, webinars, and speaking engagements focused on enhancing relationships between couples, parents and children, teachers and students, and more.

Check out his website at https://www.rabbidrnoamweinberg.com/