Esther Macner, Esq. is the founder and director of Get Jewish Divorce Justice, a Los Angeles-based nonprofit that advocates on behalf of women (and some men) who are victims of get refusal on a case-by-case basis both in rabbinic and civil courts. She was instrumental in supporting the passage of the California Coercive Control statute that expands the legal definition of domestic violence and successfully advocated for get abuse to be covered by this law in the Hazani case in California. Esther spearheaded revising the Beth Din of America’s Jewish Prenuptial Agreement for California. She consults as an expert in Jewish divorce law to attorneys and advises on using contractual provisions in divorce settlements to enforce agreements to give the get. Her organization promotes solutions in civil law by using secular legal categories to deter get refusal, such as coercive control and fraudulent deceit in torts. She also promotes solutions in Halacha (Jewish law) and rabbinic court procedures that are not widely used in the diaspora.
Esther has served as a Senior Assistant District Attorney in the Domestic Violence Bureau at the King’s County District Attorney’s Office in New York, and thereafter as a matrimonial litigator and mediator. She also practiced in rabbinic courts in New York and California. Her educational background includes the study of rabbinic texts at Michlala in Jerusalem, a BA in psychology from the Hebrew University, an MA from the Jewish Theological Seminary, a JD from Cardozo School of Law, and certificates in mediation including from the Loyola School of Law Center for Conflict Resolution.