This September, a large crowd of parents, educators, and abuse survivors from the Miami area gathered to raise awareness of child abuse in the Orthodox community and to learn what Jewish Community Watch (JCW) is doing to combat it.
The crowd heard from rabbis, survivors, and therapists. By the end of the evening, more than a dozen victims of child sexual abuse stood up and publicly acknowledged their abuse, some for the very first time.
JCW will be holding a second event in South Florida to further its goal of educating parents, preventing child sexual abuse (CSA), assisting survivors, and breaking the silence and shame that surrounds CSA in the Orthodox Jewish community.
Speakers will include JCW founder and CEO Meyer Seewald, abuse survivors Eli Nash and Bibi Morosow-Saul, JCW board member and licensed psychologist Dr. Norman Goldwasser, as well as Fox News Reporter Rosh Lowe. The event will take place on February 15, 7:30 p.m. at Aventura Chabad, located at 21001 Biscayne Boulevard in Aventura.
The mission of JCW,” said Seewald, “is simply to prevent, educate, and heal. We prevent further abuse by notifying the public to the threat of abusers in their vicinity. We educate the public about what to look out for, and we help survivors of abuse heal by reminding them that they are not alone and by supporting them through their battles.”
Seewald added: “Unfortunately, along with the epidemic of abuse, there is this epidemic of silence among many of our community leaders. The event last year in Miami was really a turning point in the battle against abuse and showed what we can do when we get together as a community to put an end to this evil. We are returning to the Miami area to build on the momentum created by the previous event and to reach additional parents and survivors.”
The day after the last event, JCW received the following message from an attendee: “Last night’s event was probably the most important event I’ve ever been to. The honesty, humanity, and bravery shown by every speaker and survivor affected me so deeply I really can’t describe it. Eli, Meyer, and Baruch were so courageous in sharing their stories and affected countless lives. I have never been prouder to be Jewish than I was last night, when we all stood together and sent a message to the abusers that they will never again be free to lay a hand on anyone with the help of JCW.”
For more information about Jewish Community Watch, or to contribute, call 718-841-7051 (ext 113) or visit www.jewishcommunitywatch.org.