16 | FEBRUARY 1 • 2024 J
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OUR COMMUNITY

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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