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DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
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Arthur M. Horwitz
Publisher / Executive Editor
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Rabbis Urge Congress to Keep Guns
Out Of Hands Of Convicted Abusers
F. Kevin Browett
Chief Operating Officer
kbrowett@renmedia.us
| Editorial
By the Clergy Task Force of Jewish Women’s International
I
n the well-known story from the open-
ing chapters of Genesis, we read the
sparse narrative of an intimate relation-
ship that turns violent.
Writing of the murder of Abel by his
brother, Cain, Russel Jacoby, author of
Bloodlust: On the Roots of Violence from
Cain and Abel to the Present, points out
that victims are most at risk in their inti-
mate relationships.
“Cain knew his brother — he talked
with Abel — and [yet] slew him after-
ward,” Jacoby writes.
Statistics show not only that guns in
the hands of those who commit domestic
violence often lead to murder, but also
that violence is more often perpetrated by
family members or intimate acquaintances
than by strangers. Fifty-five percent of
women murdered by intimate partners
are killed with a gun. Yet current federal
law fails to protect a growing population
of victims and survivors of domestic vio-
lence, children as well as adults.
President Barack Obama’s recent effort
through executive action to improve
enforcement and clarify definitions
regarding existing regulations on the
sale of firearms is a welcome step toward
changing the direction of the national dis-
cussion on gun violence. We support what
the president has ordered: more effective
enforcement of existing laws and a clari-
fication of language that defines who is
“engaged in the business” of gun sales.
But as welcome as these steps are,
Congress still needs to address the danger-
ous and often lethal connection between
domestic violence and guns. Federal law
currently prohibits only some convicted
abusers from buying or owning guns.
Those convicted of misdemeanor
domestic violence against a current or for-
mer dating partner, or misdemeanor stalk-
ing, can still legally buy and own guns.
And the presence of a gun in an abusive
relationship increases the homicide risk
for a woman by 500 percent.
The Jewish textual tradition has long
grappled with the roots of violence among
intimates. But our tradition also under-
stands that such intellectual wrestling is not
enough — we also have an obligation to act.
That is why, as religious leaders, we
are supporting two pending pieces of
legislation — the Zero Tolerance for
Domestic Abusers Act in the U.S. House
of Representatives and the Protecting
Domestic Violence and Stalking Victims
Act in the U.S. Senate — that would pro-
hibit the purchase or possession of guns
by those convicted of any acts of domestic
violence.
Perhaps Americans, still recovering
from the shock of one mass killing after
another and bruised by polarizing political
rhetoric, will yet reach areas of consensus
and cooperation. People of good will can
and should find it possible to agree on
small but significant steps that can reduce
both the level of violence and the risk
associated with guns.
By closing loopholes in existing laws,
where the scope and intent of the act is
clear, we are not engaging in polemics or
in politically motivated rhetoric. Rather,
we are seeking to strengthen existing laws
designed to protect victims of domestic
violence.
Given what is known about how guns
can quickly escalate domestic disputes into
murder, we urge Congress to pass these
bills. If Americans may still learn any les-
son from the tragic story of Cain and Abel,
it is that we are, in fact, our brother’s —
and sister’s and partner’s and parents’ and
children’s — keeper.
Jewish homes are not immune to gun
violence. Sadly, it has touched homes in
our local community. JCADA, the Jewish
Coalition against Domestic Abuse, works
to eliminate domestic violence in our com-
munity and supports the efforts to keep
guns out of the hands of perpetrators of
domestic violence. If you need assistance
or find yourself in a dangerous situation,
call the JCADA confidential help line at
(248) 592-2335.
*
Rabbi Marla Hornsten of Temple Israel in West
Bloomfield and Rabbi Ari Lorge of Central Synagogue
in New York are co-chairs of Jewish Women
International’s clergy task force on domestic abuse
in the Jewish community. The advocacy committee
is comprised of Rabbi Richard Hirsh, Rabbi Donna
Kirshbaum, Rabbi David Rosenberg and Rabbi
Rebecca Sirbu.
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continued from page 5
and sharing some of my experience with
these incredibly young (and not-as-
young) rabbis was the least I could do.
When I arrived with Rabbi Stein at the
Bedford-Union Armory in Crown Heights, I
saw a passion unlike anything I’ve witnessed
before. Upbeat and energetic rabbis discuss-
ing not the decline of the American Jewish
community but what they were doing to help
build it and how they could do that better.
I immediately realized that while I would
be presenting to these rabbis and contribut-
ing to their efforts, I would be receiving so
much more.
Here are three personal takeaways, I
think we, as Jewish organizational leaders,
can learn from the Chabad model:
• Twenty-one years since his passing,
6 January 28 • 2016
the Rebbe’s teachings continue to guide
and inspire his army of shlichim. There’s a
tremendous sense of mission and focus that
exists among them in a way that it doesn’t
exist in other organizations. We need to be
extremely clear on our organization’s mis-
sion and stay focused.
• Chabad rarely, if ever, focuses on costly
studies or polls. Instead, they focus their
energies and funds on implementing their
mission and delivering tangible results.
We must remember that internal studies,
reports and polls, however worthy, are
merely a means to an end.
• When interacting with shlichim, one
will quickly sense their strong responsibility
to the Jewish people, a responsibility that
far transcends covering their annual budget
or promoting a specific agenda. We have to
be sincere about our work, and sometimes
that means putting our personal agendas
aside and doing what’s truly best for our
people.
Donors today want to have a tangible,
positive impact on the Jewish future and are
looking for genuine and honest organiza-
tions that can help them do that. One who
observes the Chabad shlichim and shlichot
can’t help but be moved and inspired to
action.
I know I was.
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*
Mort Plotnick is a development consultant who
specializes in the nonprofit sector. He is the executive
director emeritus of the Detroit JCC and lives in West
Bloomfield.
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