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creating awareness...effecting change |
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JTAFV TEAM UPDATE ON CURRENT ISSUES Incident at Adass
JTAFV Management Committee members have met with involved rabbis: Taskforce emphasized the need to have appropriate professionals working with all those affected by the incident and offered help with referrals from our network.
To date we understand that very positive and supportive moves have been undertaken by the Adass community. We understand that Adass congregants are now permitted to use the Taskforce Support Line and these calls will need to be handled very sensitively.
Taskforce has offered to partner with the religious schools to bring Dr Pelcovitz (see Jewish Press article – “The End of Innocence”) to Melbourne, or alternatively Debbie Gross if she is considered more suitable, although Adass may prefer to invite Rabbi Michel and Faygie Twerski.
Sensitive letters written by Marianne Cooklin and Andrea Bliss of the Taskforce have been printed by the Jewish News. Several other Taskforce articles have been submitted and may be included as part of a series of articles that would benefit the Jewish community. We plan to meet with the editor of the AJN to discuss the role of JTAFV as well as the importance of responsible reporting and the need to be sensitive to victims of family violence and sexual abuse at all times.
Concerns re Alleged Abuse by a Trusted Official in the Jewish Community.
We are aware that there are people in the Jewish community that have disclosed allegedly inappropriate behaviour by a trusted official. We are bound by confidentiality in this matter and respect peoples decisions to remain anonymous. The Rabbinical Council of Victoria is working together with specifically trained professionals to bring this matter to a satisfactory conclusion and has established a process to deal with alleged victims, including dialogue, interviews and counseling, all on a strictly confidential basis. All individuals willing to talk about their issues will be directed to a confidential and without prejudice interview with Mary Mass of SECASA, who has been a member of the Taskforce since its inception.
The Taskforce continues to maintain a close professional relationship with the Rabbinical Council. In relation to our contact with people seeking support and understanding, we work with the strictest confidentiality and also within the constraints of the legal advice we have been given. It is really important that we help the community understand the importance of remaining positive - inaccurate comments are negative and damaging. The Taskforce team has an important role to play, particularly in regard to understanding, belief, empathy and total confidentiality,, should we be contacted by anyone affected by the recent disclosures.
Our ongoing education and awareness programs have contributed enormously to the community understanding of family violence and sexual abuse, its ability to deal with the current revelations and respond with a belief that “it happens in our community too”.
Re Ongoing Education: Deborah Rosenbloom of Jewish Womens International, USA recently conducted a workshop with members of the management committee of the Taskforce, where she introduced an educational package for Jewish schools, entitled “When Push Comes to Shove”. This program will initially be introduced into Mount Scopus and Beth Rivka Senior Schools and other schools will also be offered the program. Additional DVD’s for adults entitles “When the Vow Breaks” are also to be used for awareness.
Yesodei HaTorah College is in the process of reviewing the SECASA protective behavior curriculum to adapt it to the schools culture. Susan Mc Dougal from SECASA met with the schools psychologists to outline the program which they hope to implement during term 2. Taskforce has been informed that the Adass Israel school will also work with SECASA to deliver a “tailor made” program to their school community.
More Articles : Jerusalem Post - To Tell or Not to Tell
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