The Shalom Task Force, a volunteer group in New York, is trying to organize a nationwide network of service providers. The Nefesh organization, comprised of several hundred Orthodox psychotherapists, has held special sessions on spouse abuse. In many communities, Jewish agencies are providing trained staffs to deal with these cases. But much more needs to be done, and soon. None of us should have on our conscience that a person has been damaged or destroyed because the community was derelict in providing the necessary resources for help.
Abuse cuts across all economic, cultural and religious levels in our community.
There is no immunity. We should all become involved, even if only for self-serving reasons. Everyone should contact the agency in their community to find out what they can do to help. Too often, people fail to get involved until the problem strikes too close to home. Rabbi Dr. Twerski's book on domestic violence in the Jewish community is The Shame Borne in Silence, published by Mirkov Publications.