Chag Sameach
April 3, 2015 by J-Wire Staff
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J-Wire wishes its readers a joyous Pesach and to those of our non-Jewish readers who celebrate Easter we wish a fulfilling long weekend.
We read about the escape from slavery this evening. Spare a thought for those who find themselves trapped in the torrid world in which victims of family abuse live…no branch of society escapes.
A message from the Jewish Taskforce against Family Violence.
“As we prepare to sit down for Pesach, the festival of freedom, we should take a minute to remember those whose lives are blighted by violence and abuse. For them there is no freedom, no release. They are chained, one way or another.The people experiencing family violence and abuse wear their shame like a cloak –it envelops them and camouflages what is happening inside.The women who are physically abused, emotionally abused, who are waiting for a gett, the elderly who are abused by their grown children, the children who are hearing the sounds or feeling the impact or anyone who is a victim of bullying..cyber, workplace or any other form.. each one of these individuals is chained in one way or another.So as we sit down to our Seder meal, we should think about people who may also be sitting at the seder but experiencing a very different life situation.So when Rousseau said that “man is born free but is forever in chains” we should say we will work towards the chains of those victims of abuse. We should each commit to a stand of ending the silence regarding abuse, of whichever form it takes.The JTAFV wishes everyone a Happy and Kosher Pesach.The JTAFV is working with the Royal Commission into Family Violence and if you would like your story to be part of our submission, please contact us.03 9523 2100J-Wire will resume on Monday, April 6.
