Sexual abuse affects one out of three girls and one out of seven boys. Sexual abuse triggers psychological, social, and economic consequences that can fester for generations. But the Jewish community, including the funder community, has yet to forge a comprehensive strategy to address the scourge of sexual abuse. Our communities remain vulnerable and our constituents continue to suffer.

Jewish Funders Network and the Friedberg Charitable Foundation invite JFN members (trustees and/or professional staff) to learn more about sexual abuse in the Jewish community and participate in a brainstorming session at Safe Horizon’s Brooklyn Child Advocacy Center on Wednesday, December 7. Meet world experts and share your insights on how philanthropists can work together strategically to address sexual abuse in the Jewish community. 

Tentative schedule:

• 10: 00 - 11:00: Understanding Sexual Abuse. Information, statistics, impact and intervention methods, including a zoom-in on Jewish communities.
• 11:00 - 11:30: Tour of the Brooklyn Child Advocacy Center with members of the Safe Horizon Multidisciplinary Team.
• 11:30-12:30: Brainstorming Session for trustees and professional staff on strategic approaches to addressing sexual abuse in the Jewish community (Kosher lunch will be served.) 

Background:

The Friedberg Charitable Foundation has been leading and supporting numerous efforts to address and prevent sexual abuse in Jewish communities in Israel, the US, and Canada since 2011. To date, the foundation has invested significant funding in developing safety programs and policies for schools, camps, and communities; funding trauma treatment for hundreds victims of child sexual abuse; guiding victims and their families in reporting to proper authorities; training therapists in trauma treatment; and creating community awareness.

Safe Horizon is a federally funded national organization dedicated to providing support, preventing violence, and promoting justice for victims of crime and abuse, their families, and communities. It offers shelter, advocacy, counseling, and legal services. Its Child Advocacy Center is an exemplary model for addressing sexual abuse in a sensitive, suitable, and comprehensive way. Safe Horizon's collaborative multidisciplinary team investigates, prosecutes, and treats the most serious cases of abuse by offering culturally-sensitive services to different communities (including the Jewish community) to ensure families are provided with appropriate medical, legal, and mental health services, and ensure they feel safe and supported throughout the investigation.