Susan Weiss

Susan Weiss

Susan Weiss, J.D., PhD. is the founder and Executive Director of the Center for Women’s Justice (CWJ) in Israel. Susan has been actively working to find solutions for the problems of Jewish women and divorce for over 20 years, first as a private attorney, then as the founder and director of Yad L’Isha from 1997-2004, and now as the founder and executive director of CWJ. Susan initiated the innovative tactic of securing compensatory damage awards for women whose husbands withheld a get by filing damage cases in Israeli civil courts, a tactic noted as “game-changing” by Ha’aretz news daily.  Susan holds an MA and a PhD in sociology and anthropology from Tel Aviv University, and a JD from Brooklyn Law School. According to Susan, visionary leadership is the ability to see beyond the “common sense”, reframing what may seem natural, inevitable and immutable today to lead to a more just and fair tomorrow.” Susan believes that how the State of Israel protects the civil liberties of its citizens, in particular its women, will determine the Jewish and democratic nature of the State of Israel in the years to come.