On Sunday, April 3, Project S.A.R.A.H. (Stop Abusive Relationships At Home) will hold its 10th annual community breakfast in recognition of its 19 years of serving victims and survivors of domestic violence and sexual abuse throughout the state of New Jersey.
The breakfast will begin at 9:30 a.m. at Congregation Keter Torah on Roemer Avenue in Teaneck. The keynote speaker will be Judy Brown, author of Hush, a book about a courageous young woman who refuses to remain silent in the face of abuse and repeated attempts to cover it up within her community.
The Rabbinical Support Award will be presented to Rabbi Haim Jachter, rabbi of Congregation Shaarei Orah in Teaneck. Rabbi Jachter is a longtime rebbi at the Torah Academy of Bergen County, a rabbinical judge on the Beit Din of Elizabeth where he has handled thousands of gitten (writs of Jewish divorce) and the author of four volumes of Gray Matter and numerous articles on Jewish law. Rabbi Jachter has been an indefatigable advocate for the widespread use of prenuptial agreements as a Jewish legal tool to prevent agunot (women who are religiously “chained” to their marriages against their will) and get-refusal, a topic on which he has written numerous articles. He has trained Project S.A.R.A.H. staff on Jewish legal issues related to rape, participated in rabbinic training, seeks guidance and collaborates with the organization on cases in the community.
The Aleinu Hero Award will be presented to Robin Niman, LMHC, a former Project S.A.R.A.H. clinician who made a lasting impact on the agency and community through the skills-based trainings she presented to mental health professionals, mikvah attendants, rebbetzins and the thousands of children, parents and teachers who participated in the award-winning Magen Yeladim Safety Kid program, which she coordinated for Project S.A.R.A.H.
The volunteer recognition awards will be presented to the National Council of Jewish Women, with Marcia Levy accepting the award on their behalf. Marcia has been a longtime member of Project S.A.R.A.H.’s governing board as well as an officer at NCJW. NCJW’s 1,100-plus members are staunchly committed to improving the lives of women, children and families and have provided support to Project S.A.R.A.H. programs. Recognizing that the Jewish home must be an environment that is safe for all and one that fosters mutual respect, Project S.A.R.A.H staffers are proud to have earned their longtime support and look forward to collaborating with them in the future.
Project S.A.R.A.H. serves all victims and survivors of domestic and sexual abuse though it focuses on meeting the needs of the Orthodox Jewish community by enabling survivors to overcome the cultural, religious and legal barriers that would prevent them from accessing needed services. Thanks to communal support, in the past year Project S.A.R.A.H. staff assisted nearly 20 percent more clients than just one year ago, providing over 120 survivors and victims of abuse with a wide range of services. These services include individual counseling, vocational counseling, psychiatric care, legal referrals, group support for men and women and specific therapy services for children exposed to domestic violence and/or sexual abuse.
In addition to clinical services, Project S.A.R.A.H. focuses on prevention by providing educational and training opportunities for the community. Project S.A.R.A.H. staff trained over 750 camp counselors prior to the 2015 summer camping season in how to maintain a safe environment in camp as well as what red flags to be aware of in preventing abuse. Over 1500 elementary-school students participated in the nationally recognized Magen Yeladim Safety Kid Program since 2014. Magen Yeladim is a comprehensive program that reaches faculty, parents and children in grades pre-K to 4 with a multimedia presentation designed to increase child safety and prevent child sexual abuse. Over 50 parents participated in “fireside chats” prior to the 2015 camping season in which Project S.A.R.A.H.’s staff led discussions in homes throughout the community with small groups of parents and provided guidance and language on how to discuss personal safety with their children at summer camp.
Project S.A.R.A.H. recognizes that religious leaders are often the first call a victim of abuse may make in their quest to seek outside help. Project S.A.R.A.H. trained over 200 rabbis, rebbetzins, kallah teachers and mikvah attendants in how to respond to allegations of abuse and how to proactively help those whom they think might be in an abusive relationship. Studies indicate that one in five female college students are assaulted during their collegiate career. Over 100 college students engaged in thoughtful discussion of what healthy and unhealthy relationships might look like after viewing Project S.A.R.A.H’s culturally sensitive relationship videos.
There is no couvert for this breakfast and child care is available with pre-registration. For information, to place an ad or to pre-register, call 973-777-7638, or log on to www.projectsarah.org today.
