On the JWI Blog: Discussing Violence and Abuse
Have you discovered JWI's blog at jewishwomeninternational.wordpress.com? It’s a fascinating place to visit.
Here is a sample:
On Gender Abuse in Israel
What would Golda think? What would Golda say? I think she would say “for shame.” For shame that in Israel a few men are being allowed the power to extend their exclusionary religious agendas to those who don’t believe as they do.—Lori Weinstein, JWI executive director
On Talking About Dating Violence
As parents, we don’t always know how to best respond to an issue or question and may avoid the subject altogether. We must create open and ongoing channels of communication with our tweens and teens and help them to set appropriate boundaries for their safety.—Cantor Deborah Jacobson, Temple Ahavat Shalom, Palm Harbor, Florida, co-chair of JWI’s Youth Committee.
On Responding to Sexual Violence at Yale
As I have learned during my time at Yale, there is an unspoken belief that the victims of sexual violence should not speak out or report the incidents, as doing so would “ruin” the life of the offender. To some degree the hesitancy is understandable—I do believe people make mistakes and should be given second chances, and that alcohol can blur the bounds of culpability in certain situations. But what of the victim? While empathy is a cherished virtue, empathy leading to inaction perpetuates the problem, because both the offender and the victim know that there will be few, if any, consequences.—Daniel Tahara, Yale Class of 2014
On Chris Brown at the Grammys
The most shocking and horrifying part of the evening was not even that Chris Brown was allowed to perform, but the way in which his fans reacted on Twitter. In a horrifying selection of tweets, young women expressed that Brown “could beat them anytime.”—Hannah Sherman, JWI intern