Madelyn Bell attended a training session at grantee Mayyim Hayyim to get a deeper understanding of the “Embracing Waters” initiative which we are funding.
Here is her report:
“The sessions were led by Janet Yassen, who is a Mikvah guide and a psychotherapist. She started by doing a review of domestic abuse and the impact of domestic abuse on survivors (that was the focus of the first session). There were two male guides in attendance in addition to about eight women guides. The two women from the staff of JF&CS who dealt with domestic abuse were there, and had been at the first session as well. Apparently they talked a lot about abuse in the Jewish Community in the first session. This time, there was a lot of conversation on recovering from abuse. There was constant reinforcement of the point that abuse can be emotional as well as physical, and it is not gender specific.
Everyone got a folder with pertinent material on abuse. Included was “Immersion Ceremony, Healing from Abuse.” This will now be added to the folder of Immersion Ceremonies that one can choose from. (Many of the people who come don’t announce in advance the reason for their coming: conversion, getting married, an illness, a loss, etc.) The label on the front reads “Mayyim Hayyim Embracing Waters, in collaboration with Journey to Safety of JF&CS.” Our logo is included on the label as well.
A sheet “Domestic Abuse Resources” was distributed and gone over item by item. The representatives from JF&CS led the discussion. There was then conversation on what to do if a client mentions abuse, or there is a hint that this may be an issue in their lives.
MH and JF&CS made it clear that they consider this an important piece to add to MH’s Life in Transition ceremonies, and that a lot of outreach will now be done (temples, for ex.) to inform the community that this is now an available service at MH.
...very professionally done."
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