The Mikvah - Suggested Protocols to Protect Minors

Conference On Sex Abuse In Jewish Communities Sunday In Brooklyn

Speaking the Unspeakable:
Sexual Abuse in Jewish Communities in the US and Israel

When:  Sunday, February 15, 2009 
             1:00 PM - 3:00 PM

Where:  Congregation Beth Elohim
        274 Garfield Place
        Brooklyn, NY 11215

Registration:

       Pre-Registration: $10.00 Per Person (Payment received no later then Feb. 12, 2009)
       At the Door:  $15.00 (SAVE 50% by registering early!)

RSVP: The Awareness Center, Inc., P.O. Box 65273, Baltimore, MD 21209

Make checks payable to : The Awareness Center, Inc.  A credit card payment can be used by clicking on the donation button on our web page.  Send us a note stating that the funds were for the registration fee for this event.

Call us at: 443-857-5560 or  e-mail:  info@theawarenesscenter.org

Sexual abuse and assault reverberate physical, emotional, psychological, and spiritual wounds; and carry numerous clinical, legal, ethical, and societal implications. Jewish communities face specific challenges in addressing these issues; and educating and increasing awareness to those challenges is key to helping identify and treat those who have been harmed, and to preventing any additional victims from being hurt.

The workshop will offer the expertise of professionals from varied fields, perspectives, and knowledge; and is geared to helping educate and heal our communities.

Panel members will each present about the topic as it relates to their field of expertise; and an open discussion (including question/answer session) will follow.  This event will be held in English.


Speakers include:

• Judge Hadasa Asif  - Criminal and Civil Court, Israel; as well as teaches law courses in Haifa University

• Leah Marinelli, RN, CNM, NP - Founder/Director, Homebirth With Love

• Vicki Polin, MA, LCPC, NCC - Founder/Director, The Awareness Center, Inc.

• Ruth Rozen-Zvi - Clinical Child Psychologist; adjunct professor in Bar-Ilan University in Bar-Ilan University in Israel

• Rabbi Nochem Rosenberg - Advocate for orthodox children in Borough Park and Williamsburg, New York

• Michael J. Salamon, PhD, FPPR, FICPP - Director, Adult Developmental Center, Hewlett, NY

• Na’ama Yehuda  -  MSC SLP TSHH, Speech-Language Pathologist with specialization in trauma, is on the International Society for the Study of Trauma and Dissociation (ISSTD) Board of Directors and Chair of the ISSTD's Development Committee

Speakers’ Bios:

Judge Hadasa Asif was born and raised in Israel. She currently lives in Ra’anana with her husband and five children. She attended and graduated the Ulpana in Kfar-Pines high-school for girls, after which she served her National Service. Hadasa completed her Bachelorette and Master degrees in Law in Bar-Ilan University, and became a licensed Attorney at Law in 1987. She worked as a lawyer till 1998, when she was appointed as Registrar at the Rehovot Magistrate’s Court and headed the Execution Office. In January 2002, Mrs. Asif was appointed as a Magistrate Judge for the Magistrate Court in Hadera, where she’s been serving to this day; presiding over and ruling in both civil and criminal cases. In addition to her work as a Judge, Mrs. Asif taught in the Law Faculty of Haifa University and for the last five years have been teaching Law in Netanya college and in “Sharei Mishpat” college in Hod Hasharon. Judge Asif also teaches “Execution of Judgments” in the Israeli Bar, and is a sought after presenter in continuing education programs ran by the Israeli Lawyers Association, where she presents annually.

Leah Marinelli, RN, CNM, NP is a partner in IMA Homebirth Midwives & Integrative Women Care.  She received her Nursing Degree at Rockland Community College, her B.S. in Women's Health at SUNY Empire State College, and her certificate degree in Nurse-Midwifery from the University of Medicine and Dentistry.

Leah has more than 18 years experience as a childbirth educator and labor support doula, and also provides doula-training workshops. She brings a wealth of home birth expertise together with clinical hospital training, using both alternative and conventional healing arts in caring for women throughout the life cycle.

Vicki Polin, MA, NCC, LCPC  is the founder and executive director of The Awareness Center. Vicki is a Nationally Certified Counselor (NCC), Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor (LCPC) in the state of Illinois and is a Board Certified Art Therapist.  She has an undergraduate degree in Women's Studies from Roosevelt University, and a Masters Degree from the University of Illinois at Chicago. Vicki also attended Neve Yerushalayim School of General Jewish Studies, Jerusalem, Israel and The Etz Chaim Center For Jewish Learning, Baltimore, MD.

Vicki has been working in the trauma field (specializing in sexual violence) for just under twenty-five years. Her experience includes working with individuals, families and groups who have experienced emotional, physical, and sexual abuse/assault, domestic violence, survivors of violent crimes, survivors of political torture, holocaust survivors/children of holocaust survivors, chemical dependency and other addictions, and bereavement issues. She has worked with both adults and children using a broad approach, which includes verbal, art, play, and other creative therapies.

Vicki served on the Family and Sexual Violence Coordinating Council of Howard County, Maryland from 2006 - 2007.

In the past Vicki has qualified as an expert witness and provided testimony in juvenile court on cases related to childhood sexual abuse and neglect. She has presented educational and experiential seminars to community groups, universities, and at professional conferences on both a local and national level.

Vicki's past volunteer work has included being a Rape Victim Advocate in Chicago, Disaster Mental Health Worker for the American Red Cross, a Volunteer Speaker in conjunction with a rape crisis center, hosted several chats on AOL in the Jewish Community Online, Jews for Judaism and for Etz Chaim Center for Jewish Learning in Baltimore.

Back in 2000 - 2002, while living in Jerusalem, Vicki founded and director of CNN-WATCH (originally called Boycott-CNN) -- a news media watch group that dealt with biases against Israel.

Vicki served as a board member of several different not-for-profit organizations, which included VOICES in Action, Inc and Alternative Behavior Treatment Centers: For Juvenile Sex Offenders and Sexually Reactive Youth). Vicki also served on the planning committee of Jewish Women International (JWI) 2nd International Conference on Domestic Abuse.

Vicki was the editor of "The 1997 - Chicagoland Area Sexual Abuse Resource Guide for Care Providers and Consumers"; and also contributed to the book -- Art Therapy Practice: Innovative Approaches with Diverse Populations, by Harriet Wadeson.

Ruth Rosen-Zvi - Clinical Child Psychologist, was born and raised in Israel. She currently lives in Givat-Shmuel with her husband, Dr. Rosen-Zvi, and their three children. Ruth is a clinical psychologist who specializes in children, adolescents, and adults. For the last decade, in addition to her private practice, Ruth has been teaching theoretical and clinical courses in various departments (e.g. Music & Movement Therapy, Special Education, Early Education) in Levinski college in Tel-Aviv. She is an adjunct professor in Bar-Ilan University where she teaches courses on providing parents with therapeutic guidance. In addition to teaching, Ruth’s academic work involves supervision of beginning clinicians. Ruth combines individual psychodynamic therapy with family-system interventions and cognitive-behavioral techniques; and applies them to both theory and clinical work.

Ruth completed her graduate and post-graduate work for a BA and MA in the Faculty of Psychology in Bar-Ilan University, and is currently involved in PhD research in that department.

Ruth Rosen-Zvi is experienced in working in educational psychology, developmental disabilities, and trauma. She worked for several years for ELI—The Israel Association for Child Protection—a leading Israeli organization committed to increasing awareness to, prevention, and treatment of abused and maltreated children. Since that time on she has been very involved with working with children and adults who’d been through traumatic experience, including trauma within the family. Ruth has worked with sick children in the Oncology unit in Tel-Hashomer Hospital, and in the Psychiatric child and adolescent clinic. She also worked with children who presented with post-traumatic and dissociative symptoms, but were misdiagnosed as suffering from learning disorders and didn’t have their trauma taken into account. These children led her to collaborative work with speech-language-pathologists on the interrelations of traumatic states, learning disabilities, language, attention, behavior, and development. Ruth is tuned into the impact of trauma on the psychological and relational development of children, and approaches trauma work with sensitivity as well as awareness to the social and cultural background of the family. She believes that the therapist’s job is to create an environment that allows the client the safety to search, understand, expand, and process their internal world. As part of her clinical interventions, Ruth often works extensively with the parents, as they are the most meaningful people in the child’s life and often have the most impact on the child’s environment. So that in order to allow the child to make internal changes, often times the parents’ functioning needs to change as well.

Ruth worked in the Educational-Psychology Services of the municipality of Bnei-Brak, and as a clinician in private practice in the Charedi (ultra-orthodox) special-education schools ran by the “Sulam” organization. Her work in the education system honed her expertise in understanding the variations in parent-child relationships and the interpretation of trauma in different cultures. Ruth is well known in the Charedi community, and several Charedi bodies and organizations such as “Ezer Mi-tzion” refer families to her for are in need of counseling and therapy.

Rabbi Nuchem Rosenberg is an orthodox rabbi living in an ultra orthodox community in New York City.  For the last few years he has been a lone voice for children and adults living in his community who have been sexually abused. He initiated a hotline for children and teens to call for support and to educate parents.

Unfortunately, his commendable conduct and tireless work to save children from harm, has been 'repaid' by members of his community by attempts at bullying him into silence.  These attacks have included, attacking him psychologically and emotionally, portraying him as a public enemy, there was even an atttempt on his life.  

The rabbis of his community are actively encouraging this bullying by posting letters condemning his efforts to assist survivors of sexual abuse, using disparaging language against him and his conduct, warning the populace not to allow him into their shuls and or homes, not to speak to him, and effectively shunning him in his community. All for doing the right thing.

In spite of this persecution, Rabbi Rosenberg continues to be a vocal advocate for healing the wounds of those who experienced sexual abuse in the Jewish community by raising awareness to the problems. For recognition of his important work, dedication, and risking his life to help those who have been sexually abused Rabbi Rosenberg was presented with The Awareness Center’s "Rape Victim Advocate of The Year Award" for 2008. Senator James Brochin (or Maryland) and Vicki Polin, Founder/Director of The Awareness Center, Inc. presented Rabbi Rosenberg with the award in November 2008.

Michael J. Salamon, Ph.D., FPPR, FICPP  received his doctorate in psychology from Hofstra University. He is a Fellow of the American Psychological Association, a Fellow of the Gerontological Society of America's Behavioral and Social Sciences Section and a board certified Diplomate-Fellow Prescribing Psychologist Register.

Dr. Salamon is the founder and director of the Adult Developmental Center, Inc. (ADC), a comprehensive psychological consulting practice in Hewlett, NY. He empowers individuals and families to cope with the various psychological challenges that arise throughout the life span. Among his areas of specialization are substance abuse and alcoholism counseling, crisis management, child, family, and marital counseling, therapeutic interventions, and gerontology.

Dr. Salamon has worked as the Director of Psychology at St. John's Episcopal Hospital and Nursing Home, the Chief Psychologist at the Hebrew Home for the Aged in Riverdale, and the Chief Psychologist at the Gustave Hartman YM-YMHA. He is presently on staff at North Shore University Hospital. He has taught psychology at C.W. Post College of Long Island University, Touro College, and the New York Institute of Technology.

Dr. Salamon is the author of hundreds of articles, many assessment tools including the Life Satisfaction Scale and the Addiction Dependency Scale, and several books, including, Home or Nursing Home: Making the Right Choice. He has presented more than 50 papers at national and international conferences. He is listed in Television and Film Consultants, the American Psychological Association's media directory, and has appeared on numerous TV and radio shows.

Na’ama Yehuda, MSC, SLP, TSHH was born and raised in Israel, and is currently residing in New York City. She is a Communication Disorders Clinician of 20 years, with extensive experience in Audiology and Speech Language Pathology, scientific research, and teaching. She was involved in child development research in Tel Aviv University; Haskins Laboratories in New Haven, CT.; and the Research Foundation of the City University of New York. Na’ama was elected to and served on the board of the Israeli Speech, Language, and Hearing Association, holds Bachelors and Masters degrees (Cum laude) from Tel-Aviv University, and was the recipient of the Rubinshtein Award for Excellence in Masters studies. She is a licensed Speech Language Pathologist and Teacher of the Speech and Hearing Handicapped in New York State. She specializes in working with pediatric populations, and has specific expertise in Oral-Motor disorders, Autism, Hearing loss, Cochlear Implants, Auditory Processing, Retrieval issues, ADHD, medical issues, and Emotional and Trauma-based Disorders. Na’ama consults to public schools in Harlem and the Bronx, providing speech services to struggling children, many of whom experienced maltreatment and were traumatized by witnessing or experiencing abuse.

Na’ama is a trained clinician in both Hebrew and English, and is experienced with the particular developmental issues complicated by exposure to both Hebrew and English. She often consults to parents, teachers, doctors, and other professionals in Israel and the USA about ways to optimize a child’s communicative and general development. In all of her work, Na’ama stresses a holistic view of the child; their optimal development and connection to their family, environment, and other children; and their ability to keep up with social and academic demands. 

As part of her experience in the trauma field, Na’ama attends professional workshops and teaches health and mental health professionals, parents and teachers of sick and severely handicapped children, as well as survivors of traumas and childhood abuse about trauma, communication, and dissociation. She served as a volunteer practitioner at a center that provided free services for disadvantaged populations in New York City. She attended New York State Office of Mental Health courses about post-traumatic problems in children, and took part in workshops and outreach programs to homeless shelters for runaway teens and mentally disabled women—many of whom experienced sexual abuse and other trauma—where she assisted both residents and caregivers. She was called to assist with the healing efforts post September 11th in the emergency room of St. Vincent’s Hospital in downtown Manhattan and provided support to the medical and rescue personnel. She led “Moving from Trauma to Meaning” support groups for people affected by the disaster and/or previous traumas.

Na’ama is an active advocate for healing, internationally. She is an elected professional on the Board of Directors of the International Society for the Study of Trauma and Dissociation (ISSTD), chairs the ISSTD’s Development Committee, participates in the Child and Adolescent Task force, and holds various other volunteer positions within the organization and its component groups. She is a member of local professional groups, and remains a member of the Israeli Speech, Language and Hearing Association. For more than five years she volunteered on the support team of an international e-group for trauma survivors and their families; as well as founded and ran a not-for-profit psycho-educational support group for people with post-traumatic disorders. Na’ama wrote and published articles in her various areas of expertise, and was asked to review books, publications, and studies. She was invited to contribute to the “Critical Issues” column in its official newsletter, and her article “The Language of Dissociation” was published in the 2006 Journal of Trauma and Dissociation—the first article in the journal of its kind and the first by a non-mental health professional. Among colleagues in the Communication Disorders and Mental Health fields, Na’ama is considered a pioneer in bridging gaps of information and collaboration between disciplines and advocating on behalf of children everywhere. 

Registration Form:
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 A credit card payment can be used by clicking on the donation button on our web page.  Send us a note stating that the funds were for the registration fee for this event.  Call us at: 443-857-5560 or   e-mail:  info@theawarenesscenter.org

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Mother's Day

© (2006) Vicki Polin, MA, LCPC and Na’ama Yehuda, MSC, SLP, TSHH

We have all been taught from a very early age to honor our mothers and fathers. This lesson can be extremely complicated for survivors of childhood emotional, physical, and sexual abuse.

Each year when "Mother's Day" comes around, certain expectations come along with it. All of us whose mothers are still alive are called to honor and reaffirm our love and appreciation for an individual who brought us into this world; a person who made numerous selfless sacrifices in her own life to raise happy and healthy children and support them through their path to adulthood. Unfortunately for survivors of childhood abuse, this day can be extremely difficult and confusing: for how does one spend a day seeped in honoring someone who had failed to live up to the very archetype of unconditional protection that the day celebrates and who at times may have been the very person responsible for the abuse?

Jonathan, a survivor, wrote us:

"Growing up my brothers and I would buy our mother presents. It was expected that our family would spend the day together and come evening my father would take us all out to dinner. Once I became an adult and started dealing with my abuse issues, it became difficult for me to attend family functions, especially this family function.

How was I to honor the very woman who was my offender? It's taken me years to be able to say 'I am a survivor of Mother-Son incest.' To this day my mother has never apologized for sexually assaulting me...and so I struggle honoring the kind of mother she is. This makes Mother's day a difficult day for me."

Nancy wrote:

"My mother was always very abusive to me as I was growing up. She even blamed me for her boyfriend raping me when I was eight-years-old! From that time on I'd tried being the perfect little girl; hoping that one day she'd forgive me... Every year as Mother's Day approached I'd go to our local card store and spend hours searching for the perfect card that will tell my mother how much she meant to me. I guess I figured that if I could find the right card she would start to love me again...

When I turned eighteen I moved out on my own. This was also the year when I first entered therapy. It got to be very difficult for me to buy my mom a Mother's Day card... For a few years I just got cards that were funny, but then it didn't feel right to do that anymore, either. Because you see, even the funny cards ended up saying stuff like 'what a great mom you were'... Finally I found a recovery bookstore that sold greeting cards and believe it or not they had cards that specialized in dealing with the very 'card-issues' those of us from 'dysfunctional families' have! I now send her cards that acknowledges the fact she gave birth to me, spent money raising me, and so forth; but don't go on to say how great a parent she was."

With the messages of picture-perfect mothering practically everywhere, Mother's Day is a time of year when it is NOT uncommon for survivors to have painful memories reemerge. When this happens a survivor may find it safer to retreat than to participate in family functions (especially if the abuse wasn't acknowledge along with the complicated feelings that being hurt or unprotected by someone you love and depended on can bring up). It is important that survivors find what works best for them in order to stay emotionally healthy. While one survivor may find shunning Mother's Day altogether the safest, another may find that they do want to spend some time with their family, but set some boundaries as to how long they stay or where they spend this time. Other survivors may find it easier to make a phone call than to see their mother in person. Others yet may want to spend the day with friends or mentors. Some survivors have made Mother's day an opportunity for giving--they volunteer in orphanages and children's homes, call their local nursing home to find if there are residents without families who may appreciate a visitor on a day when other residents have family come, or spend time with an elderly or lonely neighbor. What is most important is that each person be kind to themselves, no matter what they decided. If you have a survivor in your family--you can help support them by respecting their decision, especially if they decide not to participate.

Marleen said:

"Every year when 'Mother's Day' approaches I get together with a group of my friends who are all survivors and we honor each other for helping ourselves re-parent ourselves."

Lou shared:

"Mother's Day has always been a very difficult day for me. My mother was not my offender, but I know she was more than aware of the physical violence that went on in our home. She'd be sitting there watching TV as my father chased me around the room and then beat me with his belt. I cannot honor my mother. However, I do celebrate Mother's Day with my wife and children--my wife is a wonderful woman and mother. I don't know where I'd be today if it weren't for having such a kind and loving life-partner."

If you know someone who is a survivor of childhood abuse, it may be a good idea to check on them a few times on Mother's Day and let them know you understand.

If you are a survivor, maybe find a friend who is free and spend time with them. Remember, YOU ARE NOT ALONE!

Mother's Day can be difficult not only because of its topic. Sometimes the day itself carries memories of pain. Holidays are a time when families tend to get together and routines are changed. There's often added stress of traveling, cleaning, and preparing meals. In healthy families this stress translates mostly as excitement and anticipation. Unfortunately, however, dysfunctional parents who are already inclined to use their children as an outlet for emotions and urges, are often even more likely to do so when under increased stress and anxiety. Many survivors of childhood abuse report that their abuse intensified around and during holidays, including Mother's Day.

Symptoms of PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) can at times intensify around holidays, or get temporarily triggered even after periods of relative remission. If you experience an increase in disturbing thoughts, nightmares and flashbacks, try to remind yourself that these intrusions are about the past, that the abuse is over, and that the most important thing you can do for yourself is to be kind and gentle with yourself. If you find yourself beset by thoughts of self-harm or even suicide--reach out. Call a friend, a therapist, a hotline. You don't need to manage these overwhelming feelings alone.

Whatever you decided to do, remember that this is your life to live and that things can change with time--you may never want to have anything to do with your family or the holiday ever again, or you may find that several years down the road you are ready to make new or partial plans. You are not wrong or bad for having second and third and forth thoughts about if and how to celebrate holidays--any holiday! Look into yourself and identify what it is you need, then do your best to do it. Be kind to yourself as you make the adjustments you need to make.

And...most importantly...Todah Rabah for Surviving!

Mother's Day
© (2006) Vicki Polin, MA, LCPC and Na’ama Yehuda, MSC, SLP, TSHH

Surviving Passover: Jewish Survivors of Incest and other forms of child abuse

© (2003, Revised 2006) by Na'ama Yehuda, MSC, SLP, TSHH and Vicki Polin, MA, LCPC

There are many issues surrounding holidays and childhood sexual abuse that have rarely, if ever been addressed in our communities. One of those issues pertains directly to surviving Jewish holidays.

It's not too surprising that many adult survivors of childhood abuse (emotional, physical and sexual abuse) have difficult times during Passover (Pesach), as this time of the year can bring up painful memories of families get together and that routines are changed. Plus there is the added stress of cleaning your home top to bottom, preparing, and "doing it right." These issues alone can be extremely stress producing; yet in a home where violence occurred, would most likely lead to an increase of abuse.

Parents who are already inclined to use their children as an outlet for emotions and urges, are even more likely to do so when under the pressure of increased anxiety.

Many survivors of childhood abuse report that they were abused more around and over a holiday period then any other time of the year. Remember Passover brings with it--on top of cooking and cleaning--an added financial burden.

This is written as a reminder to all survivors of child abuse -- YOU ARE NOT ALONE. It is not uncommon for symptoms of PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) to emerge this time of year, even after times of relative remission and/or intensify in those already struggling.

It is not unusual for Survivors to experience an increase in disturbing thoughts, nightmares and flashbacks. Thoughts of self-harm, even suicide, may be an issue. The important thing to remember is these feelings are about the past, the abuse is over, and that it is of utmost importance for you to be kind to and gentle with yourself.

Over the years we have spoken to many adult survivors who find it very painful to even consider going to a seder. This is OK. Someday you may feel different, but if the pain is too intense, it is important that you do things that can be healing. Set healthy boundaries for yourself and do what feels safe for you. If you have a rabbi that is sensitive to child abuse issues, discuss these issues with him or her.

One survivor shared that she felt uncomfortable not doing anything for Pesach, so she'd rent the "Ten Commandments" each year on Seder nights and watch it, forming her own ritual of remembering the events that lead to the Seder night. Another survivor would invite other Jewish Survivors over to her home and they would use "The Survivors Haggadah" for their services. Another person used the time before Pesach for "spring cleaning" her relationships--reconnecting with friends with whom she feels safe, airing out the achievements of the last year and making resolutions for added liberation from her past for the coming year. The survivors above found a way to celebrate a "modified" Pesach, but there are many others for who just try to survive this time of year by pretending that there is no such thing as Pesach.

The goal is for you to do things that are healing and brings about an emotional freedom. Remember you are not alone, not wrong, not bad for having second and third and forth thoughts about how to celebrate and if to celebrate the holiday.

Look into yourself and see what you need, then do what you can to do it. Be kind to yourself for needing to make these adjustments. And remember, when Bney-Israel left Egypt to walk toward a new era--they were walking from a place they knew, but was of pain, to a place unknown, but free. The essence of the Seder night is to remember, and ask why, and be expected to understand and participate only to the extent one can.

Have a gentle, safe holiday!

Interview About The History of The Awareness Center With Vicki Polin

Interview About The History of  The Awareness Center With Vicki Polin

Interview - December 15, 2004

Luke: "Tell me why you started The Awareness Center?"

Vicki: "I've been working in the sexual victimization field since 1985. I started as a volunteer, and then went back to school to get my degrees. As time has gone on, I've gotten more in touch with my Jewish identity. I started to realize that there was nothing out there for the Jewish survivors of sexual violence. For years I told other people to start something, no one did, so I ended up creating The Awareness Center. 

"It was a gradual process. In April of 1999, I started changing my private practice web page into The Awareness Center as it is now. 

"Back in the early 1990's, I was working in a rape crisis center on the South side of Chicago. I was a clinical sex abuse therapist, working with kids who were sexually abused. I was the fifth Caucasian hired and the first Jew. As I worked with the kids, I had to learn about black history, Kwanzaa, and black power. I started realizing that I knew more about their heritage than I did about my own. That's when I started learning about Judaism." 

Luke: "How did you start getting support for The Awareness Center, particularly from Orthodox rabbis?" 

Vicki: "As I was recreating the web page, I was also googling Jewish web pages finding e-mail addresses and sending notes to everyone who had an e-mail address listed -- letting them know what I was doing and asking if they were interested in joining forces. That's how I met Na'ama Yehuda, Dr. Michael J. Salamon, rabbi Yosef Blau and rabbi  Mark Dratch. I'll never forget when I got an e-mail back from rabbi Blau, I didn't know who he was. I had to ask someone who he was. My friend told me he was OK and I should contact him. I did that immediately and the rest is history." 

Vicki Polin, Na'ama Yehuda, Michael Salamon, Yosef Blau, Mark Dratch

Luke: "What have been the typical areas of conflict between you and Orthodox rabbis regarding the center?" 

Vicki: "It seems that everybody has a different perspective on halacha and the way we deal with cases. It all depends on which case we're dealing with, what the halacha seems to be." 

Luke: "Why did rabbi Dratch leave the center?" 

Vicki: "He was under a great deal of pressure with his position with the RCA (Rabbinical Council of America). It was a conflict of interest between the two organizations. You would have to ask him." 

Luke: "How is dealing with sexual abuse different in the Orthodox world than outside of it?" 

Vicki: "First of all, the Awareness Center is not an Orthodox organization. It is a Jewish organization. We have individuals calling us from all affiliations and including those from no affiliation. On our web page we have cases of alleged and convicted rabbi abuse from every affiliation.

"In the secular world, people read newspapers and watch TV. They tend to be pretty progressive in the way they see individuals who have been sexually victimized, especially children. In the Orthodox world, it is often so insulated, that I feel that I am back in the 1980s trying to educate them on the basics. Many just don't have the information available to them that they need." 

Luke: "How do you tell the truth when someone alleges sexual abuse?" 

Vicki: "One of the myths that people have is that the majority of claims individuals make of sexual violence are made up. You have to realize that it is only 1-2 percent of cases where there might be false allegations. If and when there is a case of false allegations -- it is usually a cry for help, something else is going on in the life of the individual. Either way, the individual needs help. 

"One of the things The Awareness Center does is to look for consistency in what a caller is saying. 

"The statistics of occurrences of childhood sexual abuse is the same in the Orthodox world as it is in the secular world. I even read a study some time ago saying the statistics are the same in rural China. Basically one out of three-to-five women and one out of every five-to-seven men have been sexually abused by their 18th birthday." 

Luke: "Don't you think the Jewish community is taking this more seriously than it has in the past?" 

Vicki: "It depends on which community you are talking about. I was recently talking to a rabbi from an extremely insulated community -- he basically was saying that anybody who makes these kind of allegations is crazy. It appeared that he bought into the myth that 'Jewish people don't abuse their children.' It enraged me, and made me more determined to do what ever I could to make sure our rabbinic leaders become educated." 

Luke: "What is rabbi Saul Berman's complaint with the center?" 

Vicki: "His complaint has mainly to do with our handling of the case of rabbi Mordechai Gafni (AKA: Marc Gafni). From the beginning, I've had no idea where he was coming from and why he is trying to protect an individual who confessed to statuary rape a 13-year old girl. Rabbi Gafni has never shown any signs of remorse. He has never made teshuva [repentance] to the individual he assaulted. Rabbi Berman has sent The Awareness Center several long elaborate letters of complaint. No matter what we did or said, he just wasn't satisfied. It's obvious that he is lacking the needed education so that he could have a better understanding of sex offenders and in working with survivors of sexual violence. It saddens and scares me that a man of his statute is not willing to learn." 

Luke: "Do you feel like you need to educate these rabbis?" 

Vicki: "Definitely. I'd love to do training with them. One of the long-term goals of The Awareness Center is to have some kind of certification program for rabbis. Once they are educated we would be able to use them as referral sources for survivors, their family members and those who offend." 

Luke: "How much training does a rabbi need?" 

Vicki: "When I worked as a rape victims advocate, I had to undergo a 40-hour training on some of the basics. That's what I wanted to start out with. Rabbis need to understand what the symptoms are of someone who has been sexually violated (both adults and children). They need to know about the different types of sex offenders, and how to help families members of sex offenders. They also need to know what to do when an alleged or convicted sex offender comes to their minyan. They need to know some of the basics of how to make their minyans safe for everyone." 

Luke: "What role does rabbi Blau play with the center?" 

Vicki: "He's my partner in crime. He is our halachic advisor (Jewish legal advisor regarding Jewish law), does a lot of hands on work -- doing a lot of case management. And most important, he's always explaining to me -- who's who in the Orthodox world." 

Luke: "Do you believe that God called you to be a sex abuse victims advocate?" 

Vicki: "It's hard for me to say that it comes from God. Please remember that I come from an atheist background. I'm really learning as I go along. What I feel comfortable saying is that the universe has opened its doors in this direction for me. Every time I try to walk away, it just doesn't let me."

Luke: "Have you ever been romantically or sexually involved with someone you were [counseling]?"

Vicki: "No."

Luke: "What do you think about suppressed memories, are they valid?"

Vicki: "Instead of me answering this question, I would like to refer you to a dynamic web page that discusses all of the relevant information on the topic." 

Luke: "Is the center a one woman show?"

Vicki: "The Awareness Center is a coalition of several different individuals who are dedicated to ending sexual victimization in Jewish communities around the world. We currently are all volunteers (I can't wait until the day we have the funding we need to hire staff). I may be the most visable, but we have a team effort going on. We would not be able to do the work I'm doing without Rabbi Yosef Blau, Na'ama Yehuda, Dr. Michael Salamon, Renee Cannella, San, Adam and a slew of other people.

Luke: "Are you the poster "Me"?"

Vicki: "I am NOT the individual who posted on the Protocols blog, who used the name of "ME". I wish I was as intellegent and as articulate. The "ME" poster has a vast knowledge of Hebrew and Torah. I don't."

Spirituality, Sexuality, and How Survivors of Childhood Sexual Abuse Experience God

Spirituality, Sexuality, and How Survivors of Childhood Sexual Abuse Experience God

© (2004) By Vicki Polin, MA, LCPC, Michael J. Salamon, Ph.D., and Na'ama Yehuda, MSC, SLP, TSHH

Spirituality and Sexuality are very often confusing issues for adult survivors of childhood sexual abuse, and for several valid reasons. In families where the concept of God is present, a child's first representation of God is either of their parents or through their parents. If you have loving, kind parents you may develop a view of God that is loving and kind. If, however, you grew up in a family of violence your perception of a higher power would be of a being that is controlling, explosive and violent. For children who have been sexually violated by their parents, their role model for God is that of a sex offender. Survivors' internalize a view of a punishing, abusive God, who only allows bad things to happen to them because "God loves them." They live in a place where nothing is safe, not even their thoughts, because God can read those and therefore punished for even feeling angry, upset or disrespectful. Given the way children develop a perception of the world, a survivor of the heinous crime of incest would naturally question the veracity of a kind, loving God.

The Talmud (Moad Katan, 17a) relates that a respected Rabbinical educator was rumored to have been involved in behavior that was "hateful." The commentators suggest that he was either an adulterer or seduced young women. The Rabbis ostracized this individual. Unfortunately, despite this tradition to ostracize such offenders, Jewish communities have not taken such a strong, responsible position toward molesters. Too often when allegations of child molestation are brought to the attention of community leaders, parents or relatives of victim's are reminded that discussing issues of molestation within the community or bringing these types of allegations to the public would result in any number of negative outcomes for the survivor. These consequences include difficulty finding a marital partner of substance for not only the survivor, but also other family members, or could result in the survivor or family members of survivors not getting into good yeshivas (schools). There are tales of families of abuse victims of having to relocate to another town as a result of the political pressures following disclosures. Not only does the survivor have to struggle with their trust and belief in God so does the survivor's family.

We have begun to discuss the possibility of a correlation between assimilation and childhood sexual abuse. According to the most recently available data one in every three to five women, and one out of every five to seven men, have been sexually abused by their 18th birthday. As part of the healing journey, the majority of survivors of abuse reach the point where they try to integrate what happened to them on a spiritual level. Many are in twelve-step programs, surrounded by individuals of other faiths, yet the Jewish survivors often feel different. Jews have very different customs then that of their Christian friends. When a survivor is from an unaffiliated background, they may feel at a loss -- unsure of what to do, or how to do it while survivors from backgrounds that were more traditional and included a Jewish education may feel betrayed by that background. The confusion of the healing process adds to the inability to find a healthy spiritual place within their own religion. So what is a Jewish survivor of childhood abuse to do?

Up until now there have been very few individuals who are "survivor friendly" in the Jewish community. We need to start opening our minds and our hearts to begin listening to survivors of childhood sexual abuse bearing witness. Just like holocaust survivors, who were initially shunned, survivors of childhood abuse need to be allowed to speak in order to heal, to be able to learn to connect with God, to see God as something other then neglectful, abusive and cruel. Those listening to these disclosures have a responsibility to themselves, their families and to the survivors. It is vitally important to make sure they have access to a support group conducted by a trained facilitator who is experienced with compassion fatigue (secondary post-traumatic stress disorder), so they are allowed to debrief and maintain balance, after hearing the voices of survivors.

Karen is a thirty-year-old survivor of childhood sexual abuse. She indicated that she spent her life trying to connect to something that was spiritual, yet felt she was failing. Over the years she approached many rabbis asking them questions. Unfortunately, the Rabbis, due to a lack of training, were unable to help her understand either her questions or the concepts with which she need the most help. Most had difficulty listening to her disclose her abuse history. When Karen was a child, while her father was molesting her, he would say "this is how you know God loves you . . . you know anything that feels this good has to have come from God . . . this is how you know God is inside you." Knowing this information would be critical in understanding Karen's difficulties with the concept of God. Yet most Rabbis doing outreach were unable to help her reframe her experience and make it possible for Karen to learn to connect.

Rivka was in her teens when she first disclosed to a friend that her father, a rabbi was molesting her. Her father was also a principal of a school for young boys. Her friend told her mother, who in turn, went to a local community leader to ask for advice. Because of the stature of her father, the community leader suggested they keep quiet about the abuse. As time went on, Rivka was unable to cope. As a teen she ran into some difficulties and ended up moving into the home of one of her classmates. Due to political pressure within the community, the family that Rivka resided with was asked not to daven (pray) in the synagogue they had been members of for years. The family was dedicated to helping Rivka heal, and were not about to put her out on the streets. Rivka eventually went to college, was able to support herself financially, got married and is the mother of three. Rivka came from a Torah observant upbringing, but from her experiences with the denial of the community, she no longer practices. She feels betrayed by her family, the Jewish community, and most importantly by God. When speaking to community leaders of the town she was from, and when her name is mentioned, they make comments such as she's happy, she is married and has children. But they are not completely correct. Rivka's is in mourning. She misses her biological family, she misses her connection to her community and she feels that has no one to talk to about her feelings about God.

Mitch grew up in family filled with physical and sexual violence. The family belonged to a synagogue and his parents made sure to enroll all their children in programs so that they could learn about Judaism. There was a problem -- Mitch was deaf. None of the Jewish educational programs had interpreters. Mitch was not proficient at lip reading and disclosed that he was bored and felt left out. Growing up Mitch never felt that he was a part of his family since the majority of his family members were not proficient in sign language. He was alone isolated in his deaf world.

School was Mitch's only respite. He was enrolled in a school for the deaf, and could communicate freely with people who could understand and relate to him. Growing up in the South and being deaf meant that he didn't have any Jewish friends. As he reached high school, he wanted to be like his friends. Most of them went to church. Mitch had no concept of God, and was like a sponge to learn, to connect to something spiritual. Mitch's concept of God was that of a father who was filled with anger and rage. No one in the Jewish community ever took the time to meet Mitch's needs. He never was given the opportunity to express his thoughts and feelings about his concepts of God to anyone Jewish. But then the missionaries reached him. Like so many survivors, the desire to feel loved was strong. His new friends knew this and showed him unconditional love. He would do anything to feel loved and cared for, and if it meant learning about another religion, then he did it. When his family realized what was happening they tried to rectify the situation, but again it was done in a way that appeared to be an attempt to control and abuse him. Their attempt was unsuccessful. To this day Mitch's views Judaism as something that is abusive and wrong.

The more our communities, and our leaders are educated on the issues relating to childhood sexual abuse the easier it will be to help heal the oozing wounds of childhood sexual abuse. Band-Aids can only cover up an infection. Our communities need to do major wound care, some individuals may require "spiritual surgery," while others my just need a topical ointment. But together as a community, as a people we can come together and heal the world.

Vicki Polin, Michael J. Salamon and Na'ama Yehuda

Dissociation in school children: an epidemic of failing in disguise

The International Society for the Study of Dissociation NEWS
YOUR SOURCE FOR UP TO DATE INFORMATION ON COMPLEX TRAUMA AND DISSOCIATION
VoIume22. Number 4 July/August 2004  

Critical Issues:
Dissociation in school children: an epidemic of failing in disguise
By Na'ama Yehuda, MSC, SLP, TSHH

(Reprinted by Permission)


As a part-time speech-language pathologist in inner-city public schools, I treat academically failing children who are mandated for speech services due to speech-language disorders and delays. All too often, masked by or masqueraded as problems with memory, auditory processing, word-retrieval, social language, restricted vocabularies, learning disorders, ADHD, and PDD; children exhibit alarming symptoms of dissociation. However, even though dissociation can impact cognition, language, socialization, and learning, it is almost always left unidentified. Speech-language pathologist and other education professionals don't know how to recognize dissociation and aren't trained to tend to it even if they do somehow name it. It is a terrible oversight.

Dissociative children in mainstream education aren't rare, at least not in the low-income, high-violence areas I work in. In the 2002-2003 school-year alone, out of 24 children on my caseload, six received scores higher than 12 on the CDC, and five more had scores over eight. Given that most checklists were filled by teachers (and not parents or guardians), and had limited information about home and nighttime behavior, CDC scores in some students could have been even higher. My colleague had several dissociative children on her caseload, as did the other two speech teachers" employed by the school. Together, we serviced over 100 kids-a forth of the school's roster. It was a chaotic school, filled with disillusioned teachers and shuffling, spark-less children who were just as disillusioned (so many were in foster care that forms avoided the word parent, using only "guardian"). 

Paramedics and police were called to the elementary school almost daily for violence against peers and teachers, and "psychotic breakdowns" such as a table-tossing six-grader, a five-year-old running down hallways with glass shards in his mouth, and a non-responsive fifth-grader. Granted, that particular school was not an average elementary school and has earned the dubious prestige of one of "most failing schools" in all of New York City... It was located in the heart of Harlem, with drug related shootings on corner bodegas, and crumbling public housing projects that were home to many of the students. It would have been hard to find a child who did NOT experience violence and trauma. One would expect that with such harsh a reality, the school would be highly tuned to the impact of trauma on its students. .Yet it was not so. If anything, staff showed desensitization that was itself disturbingly dissociative...

As a consultant, I'm usually assigned to a different school every year, often such that couldn't attract enough staff to cover the kids needing services. There were dissociative children on every caseload in every school I've worked in, including a special-education school for children with Autism. If one keeps in mind the statistics of child maltreatment and the research on post-traumatic stress symptoms in maltreated children and children who witnessed trauma, this prevalence shouldn't be surprising. In fact, it is probably likely that there are dissociative children in every school around the country, maybe around the world! Close to one million child-maltreatment cases are substantiated annually in the US alone, and even this figure is suspected to be vastly under-reported. Upward of 75% of substantiated maltreatment comes from the hands of close family, often resulting in foster placements and/or destabilization of family units which further stresses already overwhelmed children.

Dissociation research is yet to conduct large scale prevalence studies in the general and/or traumatized young population. However, with post traumatic stress strongly associated with child maltreatment and subsequent dissociation, statistics from PTSD research can maybe hint at the possible prevalence of dissociative symptoms in school-age children. The percentage of PTSD in maltreated children ranges from 20% to over 63%, depending on definition and evaluation criteria. In medically ill children (including car-accidents and burns), PTSD prevalence was found to be 12% to 53%, and in children exposed to disasters (earthquakes, hurricanes) and war, from 14% to 95%, Even indirect exposure to violence places children at risk for post-traumatic symptoms, and in today's society is a frequent stressor: up to 80% of inner-city adolescents report witnessing an assault, 40% a shooting or stabbing, and almost 25% a homicide. PTSD prevalence in a sample of these teens ranged from 23% (in high-school students exposed to community violence) to 65% (in a sample of adolescent female offenders ages 13-22, many of whom have been abused) (Silva 2004). In general, severity of post-traumatic symptoms is directly related to the severity and proximity of the traumatic event. Children exposed to severe, chronic, and/or multiple-source trauma, often present with dissociative symptoms which further impact their ability to do learn and socialize (Silberg 1998, Putnam 1997, Attias & Goodwin, 1999). Young children who have little parental support due to parents who are absent, overwhelmed by their own post-traumatic stress, and dealing with psychiatric conditions, are more vulnerable to post-traumatic stress and dissociation, let alone if the caregiver is the cause of trauma (Silva 2004). In the schools I've worked in, parental support was often significantly compromised or unavailable. With family-units smaller, single parenting on the rise, and divorce affecting almost one out of two households, parental supports can be compromised well beyond society's borders of under-privileged, high-violence-exposed population.

The significance of the statistics above is that even due to maltreatment alone, an estimated up to 600,000 children are added annually to those already burdened by post-traumatic symptoms. Our education system is filled with millions of maltreated and otherwise traumatized children who still have to go to school. There they are expected to learn, communicate, and socialize; regardless of whether and why they might be unavailable for learning due to persistent states of arousal, anxiety and dissociation (Attias & Goodwin, 1999; Putnam, 1997; Silva, 2004).

My students' turbulent life and confirmed or likely trauma was common knowledge and most teachers weren't without compassion to the children's plight. However, other than immediately following a serious trauma, school staff did not make the connection between a child's behavior in class and his or her history and present stresses. Once a child was placed in foster care or some time passed since the trauma, the child was supposed "to be over it", even grateful. Frequent family "re-arrangements", separation from parents and siblings, and multiple foster placements were rarely considered a good enough explanation for a child's acting out or spacing out. Like a hologram, children's dissociation ended up mirrored in the dissociation and compartmentalization of the adults around them: school is school, home is home, and history is history. Teachers' blindness to children's pain wasn't malicious. School professionals simply aren't educated about traumatic aftermath or dissociation. Children are left to bear the blame for coping skills that-if identified and treated-can make enormous academic and personal difference (Attias & Goodwin, 1999; Putnam, 1997; Siiberg 1998, Silva, 2004).

Though quite burnt-out by overcrowded classrooms and ever-changing teaching programs, school staff can benefit from understanding and recognizing dissociation. Teachers I've worked with were interested in having skills that would then help them better manage and motivate their most difficult students; even if only because ultimately students' achievements reflects heavily on a teacher's perceived skill. Once they understood what dissociation is, why it happens, and why a child might apply it in the classroom, teachers were generally open to reduce confrontation and encourage grounding. Simple things, such as filling in an aggressive yet denying child as to what just took place, rather than immediately interrogating for 'why did you do that?" helped tremendously. As did looking at a child's "spacing out" through the lens of overwhelm rather than laziness, or considering the fact that an upset-at home or in class- might be at the root of a shift in behavior and skills. Simultaneously speech-language work focused on filling up what seems like dissociation-specific holes in communication: learning cause and effect, understanding sequence and consequence, identifying and naming feelings and body-states, predicting outcome, turn taking, and telling stories. With this help, and even though they sorely needed adequate counseling which they didn't get, students were at least better able to tolerate daily interactions as well as to take tiny yet heartening risks to attach to adults who were in turn more compassionate and less flustered.


Educating tens of thousands of teachers is a tall order. Related service providers such as school psychologists and speech-language pathologists are a good place to start: the children we see are already failing and therefore more likely to have issues needing attention. Dissociation and hyperactivity (in sexually abused girls) were the best indicators for learning problems, avoidant behavior, and overall poor academic performance (Putnam 1997). With the numbers of maltreated children and the price of dissociation so astronomical, anything that can be done to help identify dissociation in children who are already failing academically and socially is crucial.

Future research will hopefully elucidate whether certain communication disorders symptoms are more indicative of post-traumatic and dissociative behavior than others. The ISSD current commitment to move dissociation into the mainstream, will no doubt (I'm an eternal optimist...) help de-stigmatize dissociation and evolve to a place where every mental-health professional will be wellversed in evaluation and treatment of dissociation. The recent publication of the ISSD guidelines for the evaluation and treatment of dissociative symptoms in children and adolescents is already paving the way for that. In the meanwhile, there is enough already known about trauma and development to support screening for dissociation among children sent for related services. Especially in cases where trauma is known or likely and the child already exhibits unusual behaviors and symptoms.

From the time they are four-years-old to when they reach eighteen, children spend most of their waking hours in school. For eight hours a day five days a week, they are in a potentially safe and can be seen and their struggle be heard. For the hundreds of thousands of traumatized children in our school system, and the many of them who are dissociative, trauma-educated staff can make the difference between healing and failing. While teachers and speech-language pathologists are not expected to treat children's dissociation, they can-with relatively little training-function as frontline screeners of dissociation that heeds further assessment, cooperate with therapeutic teams, and assist with carry over of grounding and integrative skills.

References:

1. Attias, R., Goodwin, 1. (1999). Splintered Reflections: Images of the Body in Trauma. Basic Books.
2. Child Maltreatment (1997): Reports from the States to the National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System
3. Putnam, F W (1997). Dissociation in Children and Adolescents: A Developmental Perspective, The Gulliford Press.
4. Putnam, EW (1997) Child Dissociative Checklist (CDC) Version 3, Dissociation in Children and Adolescents: A Developmental Perspective, The Gulliford Press, Appendix Two, pp 354-356.
5. Silberg,J. (1998). The Dissociative Child:Diagnosis, Treatment, and Management, Sidran Press.
6. Silva, R.R (2004) Post Traumatic Stress Disorders in Children and Adolescent Handbook. Norton Press,
pp.8-9, 14

More faith communities struggle with alleged child sexual abuse

Ragsdale: More faith communities struggle with alleged child sexual abuse

By SHIRLEY RAGSDALE, Register Religion Editor

Des Moines Register - November 22, 2003

American Jews have joined Catholics and United Methodists on the list of U.S. denominations that are wrestling with how to deal with allegations of child sexual abuse.

This year, the Rabbinical Council of America joined the other three Jewish denominations in voting to report allegations of child abuse to the police. 

Prompted in part by the case of a rabbi, whose appearance in Des Moines was cancelled earlier this month, the rabbinical council reversed a long-standing Orthodox practice of protecting accused rabbis or trying to take care of scandal internally. The organization's ethics policy is being rewritten with the help of mental health professionals and survivors of clergy sexual misconduct. 

It's a huge step forward for a faith tradition with a history of persecution. That history undoubtedly contributed to an ancient Jewish prohibition called a Mesirah, a mandate that no Jew should betray another Jew to civil authorities. 

The urge to stifle scandal and preserve the status quo has been a common reaction for congregations that are confronted by allegations of sexual abuse of children by clergy. But it's a bad choice that ill-serves everyone involved - the victims, the accused, the congregation and the community. 

Resorting to secrecy got the Boston Catholic Archdiocese in trouble, because when 50 years of accumulated accusations of sexual misconduct poured out over six months, it exaggerated the scope of the problem. 

A similar reaction by a Winnipeg, Canada, Jewish congregation to allegations of child sexual abuse has permanently scarred the synagogue, the victims, their families and the alleged abuser. 

Beth El Jacob Synagogue on Nov. 13 cancelled the appearance of New York Rabbi Ephraim Bryks because of an e-mail campaign to alert Iowans that Bryks was accused of molesting children nearly 20 years ago when he was the leader of a Canadian synagogue and Jewish day school. 

Like the Boston Catholic cases, the charges are decades old. 

Like the Catholic cases, synagogue leaders did their best to hush things up. 

Instead of immediately asking police or child and family services to investigate, they held an internal "investigation." A number of meetings were held which reportedly disintegrated into yelling matches between the families of the victims and the rabbi's supporters. 

Winnipeg social services agencies didn't get the case until later, after the congregation had taken sides and possibly victims had been intimidated. No criminal charges were filed. But investigators said Bryks' actions were inappropriate and unprofessional. 

Bryks has always denied he did anything wrong. He left Canada in 1990 and settled in New York where he worked as a principal and a teacher. This year he resigned from the Rabbinical Council of America after some members sought his ouster. 

Victoria Polin, founder, and Na'ama Yehuda, advisory board member of The Awareness Center, an international organization dedicated to addressing sexual abuse in Jewish communities, have said that Jews carry an extra burden when it comes to going public with a sex scandal. 

"Over the years there have been many reasons why the Jewish community kept silent about sexual crimes committed by individuals in our community," Polin wrote on her Web site www.theawarenesscenter.org. "There is a large number of hate groups that would love to promote their propaganda on their Web pages and in publications by posting information about Jews who molest. Their eagerness is a reminder that anti-Semitism is alive and thriving." 

Additionally, some fervently Orthodox congregations feel bound by the Mesirah, that no Jew should betray another Jew to civil authorities. 

The prohibition arose because Jews have lived under autocratic governments and biased judicial systems for much of their history. Informing could lead to dangerous persecution of the entire Jewish community. 

Congregations relied on the judgment of special Jewish courts to settle disputes and deal out punishment. While those courts still exist, their power is limited, according to Rabbi David Jay Kaufman of Temple B'nai Jeshurun in Des Moines. 

"These special courts operated with authorities from civil authorities," Kaufman said. "They dealt with Jewish law, which many times was more stringent than secular law. It was useful for keeping community social structures intact." 

While the local Jewish community is still mindful of anti-Semitism and avoiding scandal, it would be unconscionable for anyone in the Jewish faith tradition to hesitate to report a child abuse situation today, Kaufman said. 

"In some states, clergy are required to report suspicions of child abuse," Kaufman said. "As far as I'm concerned, it is a good thing. My primary concern is for the children. The people who do this kind of thing usually don't have just one victim, so if you don't do something to stop them, you are endangering other children. I can't think of a reason that would morally or ethically make it allowable not to report." 

The work of Jewish leaders who share Kaufman's attitude toward reporting child abuse and the Orthodox community's decision to embrace a reporting policy show an "ongoing maturation process for the community in general to have the courage and determination to act aggressively against problems which have always been with us," said Rabbi Mark Dratch, who authored the Rabbinical Council resolution. 

"A lot of factors are forcing us to deal with (child abuse) to assert leadership and not just to look for cover," Dratch told The Jewish Week. "We need to do what is necessary for the welfare of the community and the integrity of the Torah."