Post #1
Dr. Shoshannah Frydman, executive director of Shalom Task Force states, “We are not a Jewish agency; we are an agency that serves the Jewish community.”
Entire audio is part of a podcast and can be found here.
Frydman has also describes benefits of government-based organizations with Jewish sounding names, to make it easier for community members to do things which their conscience and culture would otherwise inhibit: See the full document here and here.
Here are some quotes:
“Widely known in the community as a ‘Jewish’ venture yet based out of a government office, Project Eden is a distinctive model in the Jewish communal world. The benefits of this unique collaboration have been felt not only by the recipients of Project Eden’s services but also by the practitioners and agencies involved. As two of those practitioners, it is our hope that similar ‘unusual’ collaborations within the Jewish Family Service system will follow.”
“As part of the initial planning process, Project Eden partners studied in depth the community’s stakeholders and gatekeepers, with special attention paid to identifying groups of individuals who have regular contact with women in the community and might learn of difficult home situations. As such, Project Eden and its partners offer educational programs for mikvah (ritual bath) attendants, kallah teachers (bridal instructors), day care providers, sheitelmachers (wig stylists), rabbi’s wives, and others who may have contact with women in the community. Kallah teachers, for example, often become confidantes of women well beyond the time of their kallah class, often throughout their marriage, as they are often the only individual discussing intimacy and other deeply personal issues. As intended, Project Eden agencies have received numerous referrals as a result of this grassroots programming. Recognizing the pivotal role that rabbis play in Orthodox life, often being the first point of contact for families in times of trouble, Project Eden worked collaboratively to convene a conference attended by more than 300 Orthodox and Ultra Orthodox rabbis on the role that rabbis play in these complex situations. Renowned rabbis and other professionals addressed the audience, offering varying views on the important issue. The philosophy of Project Eden is that it is critical to work with the rabbinic community and other forms of leadership simultaneously in order to have the greatest impact. As part of the effort to reach all segments of the community, Project Eden has held two widely attended public symposia for the Orthodox community on domestic violence. The utmost sensitivity went into the planning of these programs, a primary tenet of Project Eden being the need to work with the community, rather than against it. For example, the words “domestic violence” were not used in the symposia titles, and the speaker was a well-respected authority from the community, Rabbi Abraham Twerski, MD. The symposia were entitled “Issues of Family Wholesomeness,” and Dr. Twerski was listed on publicity tools as the author of The Shame Born In Silence: Spouse Abuse in the Jewish Community, his courageous book calling attention to this social ill.“
For more information on the defunct Project Eden which Frydman refers to, see here which shows how Eden was under the auspices of the Brooklyn DA’s office, and here) which shows that it was later under the auspices of NYLAG.
According to the Shalom Task Force website,
Kim Susser is the managing director of their legal department (“Sarah’s Voice”).
Susser has helped Footsteps, (the despicable organization that helps take Yidden away from Yiddishkeit) create a guide for people leaving Yiddishkeit on how to win custody and take their children with them. See the guide here.
(The last page acknowledges Susser. See also page 36/34 which acknowledges Shalom Task Force.)
At the end of 2020, senior staff at STF joined forces with Footsteps to offer a three-part “lunch and learn” CLE (continued legal education) classes.
Of note, were some of the people on the panel of the class:
Chani Getter, Senior Director of organizational development at Footsteps, a former chassidishe woman who leads an alternate lifestyle and is presently an ordained interfaith-based minister.
Deborah Feldman, who penned the original Unorthodox book and Netflix movie (not to be confused with the more recent, “My Unorthodox Life”) (see https://www.amazon.com/Unorthodox/dp/3442715342/, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deborah_Feldman, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unorthodox:_The_Scandalous_Rejection_ of_My_Hasidic_Roots, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unorthodox_(miniseries))
Dr. Shoshana Frydman, executive director of Shalom Task Force
Erin Bistricer, Senior Attorney of Sarah’s Voice. Sarah’s Voice is the legal department of Shalom Task Force.
Kim Susser, who is the managing director of Sarah’s Voice, Shalom Task
Force.
Julie Kay, ESQ, Senior Legal Strategist, Footsteps.
Videos of Parts 2 and 3 of that class can be found here (The speakers from part 1 were unwilling to release the video of that part. This was the part which had Dr. Shoshannah Frydman speak.)
The class was orchestrated by the collaboration of a number of groups including The Rockland Bar Association, The NY Office of Victim Services, The Center for Safety & Change (a non-religious group
which collaborates with STF, see below), VCS , Footsteps, and Shalom Task Force, and was funded by a grant from the US Department of Justice, Office of Violence Against Women.
In a private memo to the DOJ, the organizers of the class stated as follows (see
Project Narrative.pdf):
"The third major training will be new. It will address the community norms and legal issues that confront mothers leaving husbands in separatist sects of Orthodox Judaism, i.e., Haredim (Orthodox Jews who believe in separation from secular society). Mothers in these communities are rarely awarded custody, often have difficulty securing visitation, and may experience resistance from their children to visits. A Rockland organization, Footsteps, addresses these issues, providing excellent training and a manual for parents seeking divorce. It is important that judges and referees, attorneys, custody evaluators, advocates and child protective services understand the risks to victimized parents in the Orthodox communities and how they might best provide support."And (see Progress report #7.pdf, pg 10 ):
"This reporting period, the Center held its third and final scheduled annual training under the JFF grant, which consisted explored the complexity of custody disputes in the orthodox/ultra-orthodox community. Rockland County, Kings County, and Orange County are the three counties in New York State with large communities of ultra-orthodox/orthodox Jews. Our training was widely advertised and we captured interest throughout New York State. The training started with cultural competence in the first part. Next we discussed the Beth Din – the rabbinical court. Lastly we explored custody issues in the secular family/supreme Court in New York State. Each presentation also addressed issues of domestic violence and how it presents in this insular community. Feedback for this training was overwhelmingly positive and participants indicated new-found understanding of this religious community. In addition, participants expressed that we should continue to dialogue and explore the challenges discussed during the training.
We leveraged the excitement from the training and connected with organizations in New York City, notably Shalom Task Force and Footsteps, to better coordinate services for the ultra-orthodox/orthodox community. By enhancing our collaborations with organizations specifically tasked with working with the ultra-orthodox/orthodox community, we will be able to enhance our ability to reach victims/survivors."
Dr. Shoshanna Frydman, executive director of Shalom Task Force worked on projects with Jewish Women International (JWI), a Reform group.
See Domestic Violence in the Jewish Community: Raising Awareness and Understanding.
JWI’s website is here. See also their clergy, which includes women, and https://www.jwi.org/about. See also https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jewish_Women_International.
Frydman also spoke at an additional conference with JWI.
See also
Kim Susser also represented Chavie Weisberger in Weisberger v. Weisberger. She was able to successfully fight for her client who left the fold of Yiddishkeit and wanted to have custody of her children. See this NY Times article here or here, which lists Susser and Footsteps as legal counsel. (Weisberger herself is a senior member of Footsteps and advocates for teaching gender education in Yeshivas, (see full class)). See also
According to the Mary Byron Project, Project Eden under NYLAG (New York Legal Assistance Group) under Kim Susser, currently of Shalom Task Force, created additional partnership with Footsteps.
The JWI study cited above was sponsored by the Schusterman Foundation, which supports justice for George Floyd, and also funds Footsteps.