The Role of Rabbis in Helping Survivors Heal
I've been asked the following questions by survivors who are not from a religious background. My hope is that someone out there will help me answer these questions.
1. Why would survivors of abuse need a rabbi?
2. If you find one, what do you do with them?
3. What exactly do rabbis do?
4. How do you find a "safe" rabbi?
1. Why would survivors of abuse need a rabbi?
2. If you find one, what do you do with them?
3. What exactly do rabbis do?
4. How do you find a "safe" rabbi?
posted by Jewish Survivors at Tuesday, January 11, 2005
1 Comments:
Mainly, survivors would need a rabbi in order to take action against their offender, if their offender is a rabbi. Even if the offender is not a rabbi, people are reluctant to be an "informant" on a fellow Jew. There's a big stigma against this, and many people think it's halachically not allowed. I personally asked a big rabbi about this and he said "Report it (to the police)". Also some people might feel the need to find a rabbi in order to recocile their faith with what happened.
It is VERY hard to find a good rabbi. I've spoken to several and have had very bad experiences. All I can say is that you might need to call several rabbis until you find the right one. Vicki Polin recommended a rabbi to me whom I will be calling. She works closely with him and said he's sensitive. I am still hesitant to call him due to my prior bad experiences.
I suggest asking Vicki or another survivor for suggestions of "safe" rabbis.
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