United against violence

TO mark the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women last Thursday, a sea of orange could be spotted marching around Caulfield Park as representatives from numerous Jewish organisations came together to raise awareness and remember those who have brutally murdered by loved ones this year.

Program Manager of Healthy Communities at Jewish Care Victoria Cassie Barrett, who runs the organisation’s family violence primary prevention and early intervention work, read out the names of each of the women who had been murdered this year by intimate partners, siblings, sons and friends, along with details of how each were violently killed, including Holocaust survivor Judy Bednar.

The hidden impact of domestic violence was also discussed, Barrett recognising the children that bear the physical, mental and emotional scars of family violence well into adulthood.

After a moment of reflection, Jewish Care’s Rabbi Ralph Genende and National Council of Jewish Women of Australia (NCJWA) federal president Melinda Jones were among those to address the attendees

Organisations taking part included Jewish Care, NCJWA, Australasian Union of Jewish Students, Jewish Community Council of Victoria, Australasian Zionist Youth Council, Rabbinical Council of Victoria, Impact, Pathways Melbourne, Progressive Judaism Victoria, Unchain My Heart, Maccabi Victoria and The AJN. Caulfield MP David Southwick, St Kilda Shule’s Rabbi Yaakov Glasman and Caulfield Shule’s Rabbi Daniel Rabin, were also there to show their support.

“It was wonderful to see so many of our community leaders represented – our partner organisations, rabbis, local and state government, and so on – but even more wonderful to see people from the community join us; not connected to any organisation, but still taking time out of their day to lend their support,” said Barrett, who added that she hopes the community won’t have to walk again next year.

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