The Awareness Center

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The Awareness Center, Inc. is an international, nonprofit[1], tax-exempt, educational organization also known as the Jewish Coalition Against Sexual Abuse/Assault (JCASA), whose mission is to address sexual violence in Jewish communities[2].

Contents

[edit] History

Vicki Polin is the organization's Executive Director. In 2001, she founded the center "to address the issue and ramifications of sexual victimization to both adults and children in Jewish Communities"[3]. The center was incorporated in the state of Maryland in 2003.[1]

[edit] Activities

The organization offers a speakers bureau, and a certification program for rabbis, cantors and other community leaders.[2] Its web page includes lists of clergy, therapists, and physicians who are sensitive to the needs of sexual trauma survivors [4], definitions of different types of sex crimes, and articles published by the center explaining aspects of surviving and reporting such experiences.[5]

Rabbi Yosef Blau, religious adviser at Yeshiva University and an advocate for victims of rabbinic sexual abuse and misconduct, has stated that the website is very valuable "[s]ince you can't get people arrested and there are no court cases, you have to use a standard that's reasonable and [disclosure] works in that context". The center no longer names its board members due to harassment, according to Polin, who said she herself has been threatened repeatedly with physical harm and was once spat on by a woman who was angry over an Awareness Center disclosure.[6][3]

As of 2006 December, the center site listed 236 "supportive rabbis". The list includes such names as Rabbi Reuven Bulka, Rabbi Gedalia Dov Schwartz who is the head of the Bet Din of America (Jewish religious court), and Rabbi Michael Schudrich who is the chief rabbi of Poland.[7]


[edit] Criticism

Rabbi Mark Dratch, who chairs the Rabbinical Council of America's Task Force on Rabbinic Improprieties and has founded the organization JSafe to deal with sexual abuse in the Jewish community, left the center's board in "disagreement with [Polin] on the standards required for publishing on her Web site. I wasn't satisfied with the threshold of verification. There are people who've been victimized and others who've been subject to false reports also being victimized. The big problem we have in this area is verifying the allegations and moving forward." Rabbi Avi Shafran, spokesman for the Orthodox Agudath Israel of America group, criticized the center for using material from anonymous blogs.[3]

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b The Awareness Center, Inc. (PDF) 1. The Awareness Center. Retrieved on March 10, 2007.
  2. ^ a b The Awareness Center's mission statement. The Awareness Center (2006-07-11). Retrieved on February 14, 2007.
  3. ^ a b c Meyer, Eugene L.; Richard Greenberg (2007-01-18). Awareness Center a clearinghouse of concern — and controversy. Washington Jewish Week. Jewish Telegraph Agency. Retrieved on February 15, 2007.
  4. ^ Professionals serving the Jewish community. The Awareness Center (2003-09-12). Retrieved on February 15, 2007.
  5. ^ Articles written by the Awareness Center. The Awareness Center (2006-12-19). Retrieved on February 15, 2007.
  6. ^ Polin, Vicki (2006-02-14). Bullying, intimidation, extortion attempts and advocating for survivors of sexual violence. The Awareness Center. Retrieved on February 14, 2007.
  7. ^ Rabbis who publicly support the efforts of the Awareness Center to end sexual violence in Jewish communities around the world. The Awareness Center (2006-12-16). Retrieved on February 14, 2007.

[edit] External links

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