Orly House to open for vulnerable Jewish youth

A PATHWAYs Melbourne leader has spoken out about resistance within parts of the Jewish community to acknowledging child abuse, as the organisation prepares to open Orly House for vulnerable Jewish youth.

Youth and Family Programs Manager Dassi Erlich described a telling exchange with a rabbi while seeking support for the new crisis accommodation facility.

“One rabbi, every time I said the word abuse, he said dysfunctional, and I said the word abuse, and he said dysfunctional, and I said, No, there’s abuse. There’s actual abuse going on in this community,” Erlich said.

She said there remained “almost a disbelief that we have homelessness among our youth, that there is abuse, to the extent that abuse in the general society also happens in our community”.

Despite some resistance, the project has received broad rabbinical support, with rabbis from across the community affixing mezuzahs to the house.

Orly House will be staffed and operated by the Lighthouse Foundation, with Pathways providing cultural oversight.

Susan Barton Founder of the Lighthouse Foundation said the home represents “a deeply meaningful partnership” reflecting their shared commitment to culturally informed, therapeutic care.

In preparation, Lighthouse’s care team undertook cultural training at the Jewish Museum, which Barton said was “excellent and profoundly worthwhile”, grounding the team in Jewish history, practices and values.

Lighthouse Foundation has employed a Jewish-specific project coordinator and is seeking funding for a trained Jewish therapeutic worker.

Barton said they are supporting a young girl who will be homeless from late January.

“Her wish is to be the very first young person welcomed into Orly House. She longs to live in a Jewish community where she can feel connected … in a way she has never experienced before,” Barton said. “With the support of one compassionate funder, we can ensure she moves into Orly House before the end of the year.”