Tuesday, August 2, 2011

Child Abuse A Problem In Jewish Communities Too

Child abuse, hidden behind the veil of tight-knit religious communities, is nothing new.  Lately, we’ve heard plenty about the Catholic priests and people like Warren Jeffs; but it seems that the Jewish community is not immune.

Following the recent death and dismemberment of the young orthodox Jew in Borough Park, one brave soul has stepped forward to tell the world that it wasn’t an isolated incident.  Judy Brown, who writes under the pseudonym Eishes Chayil, published “Hush”, a book geared toward young adult readers, which outlines her childhood experiences, as a witness of child sexual abuse, in an orthodox Jewish community. 
She chose to write under the pseudonym to protect herself and her family, but after the recent and horrific events, she felt she had to come out into the open and raise awareness of the problems going on in her community.
Her article, published yesterday at the Huffington Post is entitled Orthodox Jewish ChildAbuse: Shattering a Traumatic Silence”.  Well worth the read.
I applaud her courage and will be picking up her book, “Hush” at the next available opportunity.

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