Marking Domestic Violence Awareness Month
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Marking Domestic Violence Awareness Month

From left: Steven J. Glass, president of the board of the Jewish Family Service of MetroWest NJ and Rachel Coalition event co-chair Ronnie Senior, both of West Orange; event co-chairs Debbie Stein of Denville and Lynn Gruber of Short Hills; and JFS CEO Diane K. Squadron, PsyD. (Photos courtesy JFS Rachel Coalition)
From left: Steven J. Glass, president of the board of the Jewish Family Service of MetroWest NJ and Rachel Coalition event co-chair Ronnie Senior, both of West Orange; event co-chairs Debbie Stein of Denville and Lynn Gruber of Short Hills; and JFS CEO Diane K. Squadron, PsyD. (Photos courtesy JFS Rachel Coalition)

During October, which was Domestic Violence Awareness Month, the Rachel Coalition, a division of the Jewish Family Service of MetroWest NJ, taught about domestic violence. This year, it organized several events to raise awareness of the issue and to assist victims.

The Rachel Coalition helps hundreds of victims of domestic violence each year. Professionals provide guidance and support through counseling and legal services as they work to improve the lives of those most affected by abuse – the victims, their children, and their families.

From left: Joanne Weinbach of West Orange and Palm Beach Gardens, Rebecca Gold of Mountain Lakes, and Carol Marcus of Bloomingdale.

On October 9, the Rachel Coalition hosted its annual community education event to raise awareness about domestic violence. The group showed a documentary, “This is Where I Learned Not to Sleep,” and a panel discussion followed featuring retired police officer Lt. Mark Wynn, a domestic abuse survivor; filmmaker Kirsten Kelly, and Marianne McCrone and Tara Halpern from JFS/Rachel Coalition.

On October 15, an online financial empowerment workshop educated and empowered survivors to understand financial abuse and take control of their finances.

Sessions that train court advocate volunteers also began this month.  Volunteers offer crisis counseling and information about safety and resources to victims of domestic violence. The group of volunteers assists hundreds of victims annually. The training will be offered again in the spring. For information, email Sherri Goldman at sgoldman@jfsmetrowest.org.

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