The Charlotte Jewish News - October 2018 - Page 17
Jewish Family Services
Are Jews Really Victims of Domestic Violence?
Domestic violence occurs in
millions of households every day,
and a huge number of these inci
dents go umeported. Violence in
the home affects everyone with
in the household, whether or not
family members are victims of the
abuse themselves, and it extends
well beyond the coniines of the
home, affecting neighbors, fam
ily, friends, coworkers, and the
community at large. Very often,
people in abusive relationships
can’t or refuse to accept that they
are victims of abuse. Particularly
in the absence of physical abuse,
it may be difficult to identify con
trolling behaviors, put-downs,
and emotional manipulation as
the ongoing abuse that it is.
As we try and raise awareness
in October, Domestic Violence
Awareness month, consider these
national statistics:
* A woman is assaulted or
beaten every nine seconds.
* 1 in 3 women — and 1 in 4
men — have been in abusive rela
tionships, and 1 in 5 women and 1
in 7 men have faced severe phys
ical violence.
* 20 people are abused by an
intimate partner every minute,
adding up to 10 million each year.
* More than 200,000 phone
calls are placed to domestic vio
lence hotlines every year.
Many believe that abuse does
not happen in the Jewish commu
nity, yet according to the largest
OCTOBER IS
NATIONAL
DOMESTIC
VIOLENCE
AWARENESS
MONTH
survey of its kind. The Jewish
Women’s Aid Study, one in four
(26%) of the Jewish women and
17% of the male respondents in
dicated that they had been abused.
A third of those surveyed ad
mitted that they thought abuse
in the Jewish community would
not be the same as the rest of so
ciety, but actually, the number of
Jewish women abused is actually
2% higher than the national aver
age. The study looked at all sects
across the religious spectmm,
from very liberal to the strict Or
thodox.
Emma Bell, executive director
of JWA, said: “There is a shock
ing, unacceptable level of domes
tic abuse in the Jewish communi
ty and this shows that we are not
immune. We routinely hear from
the community that ‘surely we're
not the same.’”
The majority of those inter
viewed by JWA said that the vi
olence had caused them to feel
more distant from their religion.
“1 just felt cut off from the Jewish
community because of all this,”
one woman said. “And it still
hurts.”
Domestic violence includes
physical, psychological, finan
cial or emotional abuse and
can include dictating religious
observance, withholding mon
ey, threatening to hurt or kill,
stalking, threatening messages,
or belittling someone so they feel
worthless.
It’s not easy to know what to
do when someone you care about
is in an abusive relationship. We
must all do om part by abandon
ing false beliefs, embracing a cul-
tme of safety, and supporting the
victims we know.
For the Jewish communi
ty in Charlotte, Jewish Family
Services is a primary resource
to reach out for support and as
sistance. JFS has staff who are
licensed therapists, have been
trained and certified by the North
Carolina Coalition Against Do
mestic Violence and are experi
enced in responding and serving
victims who have been abused.
Together, we establish a plan that
ensmes the safety of the adult be
ing abused and the children in the
home and coimects them with the
internal and community resourc
es needed to heal from the trauma
they have experienced.
No one should have to suffer
from physical or emotional abuse.
If you are interested in learning
more about how you can raise
awareness about Domestic Vio
lence or you know someone who
is being abused, call JFS at 704-
364-6594, or contact the 24/7 Na
tional Domestic Violence Hotline
at 800-799-7233.*:*
Show Your
Support and
Wear Purple
on October 18
:)CLT
SmileCharlotte.com
Scott Menaker, DOS, FAGD
Tricia Rodney, DOS
(704) 377-2503
2711 Randolph Road • Suite 205 • Chariotte, NC 28207
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