Always appreciate the power of knowledge. Thanks to a dedicated volunteer, newly designed emergency cards about SAFEHOME’s services appear in bathrooms throughout the Jewish Community Campus and in most of our community’s synagogues and temples. If by chance you don’t see them or want some of these small informative cards, please let me know.
Whether it’s speaking to a mitzvah group, or at a community function, it’s not uncommon for someone to pull me aside asking a “hypothetical question,” or to share a story of her (or his) own history with family abuse. It continues to take my breath away. Usually the person tells me about abuse that happened years ago, but never told anyone because of fear of disbelief. That person knows I will believe her or his story … and I am grateful to represent SAFEHOME and offer empathy, and resources if necessary. These stories are always hard to hear, but need to be shared; unfortunately this problem affects our community. Jewish tenets such as shalom bayit (peace of the home) sometime keep victims from seeking help. One ever-present goal is to remind individuals that it is the responsibility of each person in a relationship to create that “peace.” If it means seeking counseling or help in another fashion, then so be it.
Again, thank you to the Flo Harris Foundation for allowing SAFEHOME to sustain this education and connection to resources. Even after “actual volunteering,” junior volunteers from the Jewish Community who performed in SAFEHOME’s nationally recognized 30-minute play, “The Outrage,” still “give back” by spreading their knowledge regarding healthy relationships and dating violence. The bottom line is, you just never know when the knowledge you share will help someone else … perhaps even save a life … and as written in Talmud, “… whoever saves a life, it is considered as if he saved an entire world.”
SAFEHOME remains dedicated to serving victims of domestic abuse in the Jewish Community through outreach counseling, legal assistance, advocacy and shelter (kosher food upon request). All services are free and confidential; call the hotline for any question or concern, 913-262-2868.
If you’re interested in volunteering for SAFEHOME, contact Susan Lebovitz, Jewish outreach coordinator, at 913-378-1518 or .
