16 | FEBRUARY 1 • 2024 J
N

OUR COMMUNITY

S

amantha* filed for
divorce from her
ex-husband when her
son, now 2, was 3 months
old. She had been looking to
join a Jewish-focused support
group as she grappled to come
to terms with the domestic
violence she faced at home.
“Everything fell apart once
we had a baby,” says the
woman, who has a doctorate
degree but was routinely told
she was too dumb for it, that
it was wasted on her. “I really
was a victim of emotional and
psychological abuse.”
It can be lonely and
isolating in Detroit’s Jewish
community to be in the
position she found herself in,
she says. “I feel like, growing
up Jewish, you’re taught you

marry a nice Jewish boy or a
non-Jew who was willing to
convert, in my case. There’s
no conversation about what
happens if the relationship
goes bad.”
Today, she’s a part of a
support group of the Jewish
Coalition Against Domestic
Abuse (JCADA), run by
the JFS’ BH Department,
a network of agencies,
community members and
synagogues started over 20
years ago with the support
of the Jewish Women’s
Foundation to raise awareness
in the community.
When she found out about
the support group, she says
she knew she wanted to be a
part of it.
“Until this support group,

I have spoken to no one. I
didn’t know anyone else in the
community existed who was
having similar experiences to
me,” she says, explaining that
it’s nice to have a place to talk
where she’s not worried about
people sharing her business.
“I’m sure there are other
women, but nobody’s talking
about it. So, I think this group
is the jumping off point to
have these conversations and
we’ll hopefully get to the point
where people are willing to
share their stories
and share their
experiences.”
Aliza Bracha
Klein, clinical
therapist
and JCADA
coordinator, runs
the online group
for survivors of domestic
abuse, which started in
December on Zoom. Being on
Zoom gives participants the
option to remain anonymous
in Detroit’s tight-knit
community, she says.
“It gives them the oppor-
tunity to turn off their
cameras and change their
names so other participants
will not know who they are,”
she explains.
The group remains open for
additional participants, says
Klein, a specialist in domestic
violence who also provides
counseling.
“There are other support
groups, but within the
community we were hearing
from people calling for
support; they were looking for
something that’s specifically
a Jewish space so their
lived experience would be
understood.
“
Also, I think in the current
world right now, people
aren’t feeling as safe in non-
Jewish spaces because they

don’t know exactly what the
environment is going to be
post-Oct 7.”
Many individuals are
nervous and scared to talk
about domestic violence,
she says, but because,
unfortunately, it’s happening
in the Jewish community as in
so many others, it’s important
not to be silent. “We want to
create involvement and that’s
how we want to see it grow,”
she says. “We want more
support from the community
as far as increasing awareness.”
Beyond the support group,
she says they’re also trying
to amplify their message that
JCADA, supported by Jewish
Family Service, is there for the
people who might need it.
“There are resources in
the community available for
people who are survivors,
people who are allies to
people who are survivors;
we want people to know
there’s education, too, and
we’re able to present to your
congregation, your agency,
your support group on the
signs of domestic violence,
the risk factors for domestic
violence and for it to also not
be stigmatized,” she explains.

IN PARTNERSHIP
In the broader community,
Klein is connected with
nearby cities’ domestic
violence response teams as
a JFS representative, both
to expand and improve its
knowledge of working in this
population. Also, if someone’s
in a police station and/
or needs case management
support, she lets organizations
know when to contact JFS.
She says JCADA is planning
for the year ahead, and hopes
to partner with individuals, a
sorority, and law enforcement
and area programs to increase

Jewish Coalition Against Domestic
Abuse of
ers a safe space for
Jewish abuse survivors.

KAREN SCHWARTZ CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Support
Group
Resurgence

Aliza
Bracha
Klein

COURTESY JFS