Get smart at the Book Fair... GET FIT at the JCC! The purpose of maintaining the body in good health is to (make it possible for you to) acquire wisdom. -Maimonides the Jewish Community Center during the 49th Annual Jewish Book Fair and Off SflUE tIP TO yearly membership fees* Take a swim. Take a class. Walk on the tracks. Play in-line hockey or racquetball. However you choose to get into shape, T THE JCC! Must join between November 2 and 12, 2000 No other aiscounts apply • Some restrictions may apply Must not have been a JCC member in the post year • for d three-dag guest pan to try us out. *SPECHIL ROTES fIT BOTH JCC LOCRTIOIIS bers get $50 off their next renewal when they mend a friend who purchases a yearly membership. , more Info (248) 661-7621:Y op by the Membership Services desk or (248) 967-4030 in Oak Park. #100M ed ' Jewish Community Center of metropolitan Detroit D. Dan & Betty Kahn Building • Eugene & Marcia Applebaum Jewish. Community Campus 6600 West Maple Road • West Bloomfield, MI J C C Jimmy Prentis Morris Building • A. Alfred Taubman Jewish Community Campus 15110 West Ten Mile Road • Oak Park, MI nos leo 25040 Southfield Rd • Southfield, MI 48075 WSA 248-569-5000 • Fax 248-569-5801 Summer 4% (Daylight Savings Time) Sunday Monday - Wed. Thursday Friday T aw 8:00am - 6:00pm 7:30am - 7:00pm 7:30am - 9:00pm 7:30am - 4:30pm „ SIMON ROTBERG INVITES YOU TO SEE OUR GREAT CHOICE OF BASKETS FOR THE HOLIDAYS 10/27 2000 1 10 HUGE KOSHER & NON-KOSHER WINE SELECTION! 111 SEMEMEENgig: • THANKSGIVING • HANUKAH • XMAS • ALL OCCASIONS 25877 Lahser • Southfield LET US CATER YOUR NEXT OFFICE OR HOME PARTY! Fax: (248) 352-7254 (at Civic Center Dr.) (248) 352 - 8556 it. Maybe it will be her mother or sis- ter or friend. We just want the infor- mation to get to her somehow," Granader said. The two separate, but complimen- tary efforts are the latest in a string of initiatives in the Jewish community. These efforts are part of a general community effort to end domestic violence. Shelters for the victims, advocacy programs through the courts, data collecting efforts in the police stations and advertising cam- paigns have existed for decades to put an end to spousal and child abuse, whether it is verbal, emotional or physical. A Jewish response is important, Yashinsky said. As in the general com- munity, 19 or every 100 women in the Jewish community are abused physically, emotionally or verbally. But not all recognize it or would be comfortable seeking communal ser- vices outside of the Jewish communi- ty, said Granader. "There are controlling people in every religion. We have caught up with divorce and drugs and domestic violence, with all of those things that Jewish people never did," Granader said. "Not everyone is comfortable with the services that are out there for everyone else." Opening Windows The Jewish community has long pro- vided for victims of domestic vio- lence. Counseling was offered through JFS and other services were available. But a more coordinated response was sought in the late 1980s that resulted in the formation of the Windows pro- gram. With Windows, women who access the services of JFS can receive coun- seling to help them understand their living situations and how abuse is affecting themselves and their chil- dren. In some situations, the coun- selors assist the women in leaving the situation. Thus far this year, 80 women have used the services, Yashinsky said. Working in conjunction with the Windows program, NCJW provides Safe Place. The location of the dwelling, outfitted with furniture donated by NCJW members who also stock the pantry of the kosher kitchen, is known only to a few in the organization, said Florence Herrmann, vice president of public affairs/education. "That is the point. We want the women to feel safe here," she said. "No one should know where it is." Herrmann said NCJW is commit- ted to providing the shelter, in part because the national organization has a directive that places the safety of women at the top of its priorities. The shelter has been available for seven years and has been used by women — and one man — seeking to remove themselves from abusive situations. "In an ideal world, we would not have to have these places," Herrmann said. "We are happy that it is used and that we can provide a safe haven for them. But in a perfect world we wouldn't want this situation." That does not mean that the two programs are working in conjunction to break up the families where domes- tic violence exists, said Yashinsky. She offers as an example the Orthodox woman with many children, closely spaced in age, who sought the services of JFS. The woman wanted JFS to help her become a "better wife." Her husband had physically abused her and her children, and she thought the problem was with her, not her husband. The woman came to gain a measure of self-respect but did not leave the home. "The fact that she knew that the dwelling was there for her gave her the courage to be able to try to be less submissive and to stand up for herself and her children," Yashinsky said. A Safe Place At the same time, the domicile has allowed women to reassess their rela- tionship before returning to the mari- tal home or leaving, Yashinsky said. In one case, a well-educated Reform woman, the wife of a high-powered executive and mother of their three children, left her abusive husband to stay in Safe Place. After intensive counseling, she and her children returned home. In another case, a Conservative woman, the wife of a doctor and mother of two, brought her children with her to Safe Place. They stayed for almost three months. She then found an apartment and divorced her hus- band. While providing the services has become essential to the Jewish com- munity, Herrmann, Granader and Yashinsky said the goal in the immedi- ate future is providing more education and prevention initiatives. "As long as there is domestic vio- lence, we will have a response, Yashinsky said. ❑