JWI's Clergy Task Force mourns the passing of Rabbi Abraham Twerski, M.D.
JWI's Clergy Task Force on Domestic Abuse in the Jewish Community mourns the passing of Rabbi Abraham Twerski, M.D. who bravely cast a spotlight as well as shed much light on domestic abuse, long before others in the Jewish world were ready to acknowledge that no community is immune from its long reach. Many of us who work for the eradication of intimate partner violence turn time and again to the wisdom of his book, The Shame Borne in Silence: Spouse Abuse in the Jewish Community, first published in 1996. This slim volume was originally intended for Orthodox communities and included a plea that young women be offered career training to reduce their financial dependence on their spouses. Most of its messages, however, apply universally. As a psychiatrist haunted by the commandment not to stand idly by the spilling of a neighbor's blood, Rabbi Twerski did not hesitate to broaden its application by centering emotional, or verbal, abuse along with battering and sexual abuse. As a rabbi who understood that strict ritual observance must never become a substitute for ongoing ethical growth, Dr. Twerski wrote, “It is not my intent to disrupt marriages. To the contrary, ignoring and denying spouse abuse is what will ultimately result not only in dissolution of marriages, but also in an impact on the children that will cause them to be dysfunctional spouses and parents when they mature and marry.” In his blessed memory, and mindful of the brokenness he undertook to mend, may we re-commit ourselves anew to this urgent work.