JWI’s Russia Project Takes Root
By Lesley Weiss

Project Kolot (Women’s Voices) entered an exciting new phase in May, when the Jewish communities of Tula and Voronezh sponsored conferences that brought together police, city officials, the legal community, clergy, women’s groups, human rights organizations, and academia to address the problem of domestic violence in their cities.

Project Kolot—also known as the Russia Project—has two purposes: To engage the religious community in addressing domestic violence in Russia and to build a citywide network to sustain the project once the grant is completed. A partnership of JWI; Project Kesher; the Russian Jewish Congress; and NCSJ: Advocates on Behalf of Jews in Russia, Ukraine, the Baltic States and Eurasia, the project is funded by the U.S. Department of State.

More than 100 people attended “Preventing Home Violence,” held at the Voronezh Parliamentary Center. Speakers included the Oblast (region) Duma deputy chairman in charge of social issues, and representatives from the Department of Interior, the Russian Association of Crisis Centers, the Association of Justices, and the Federal Court.

“This conference was the first public discussion of a social issue between the local government, police, and the Jewish community and the first-ever public formal discussion of domestic violence in the region of Voronezh,” says Rita Drozdinskaya, director of the Jewish Community Center of Voronezh and a leader in Kolot.

The Tula conference, “Ways of Preventing Domestic Violence,” was held at the Hesed (charity) Center and attracted more than 50 attendees, including representatives from religious groups. The director of the Committee on Women, Family, and Demography of the Tula administration was the keynote speaker. The police reported on their collaboration with the project, and a member of the Lawyers’ Association of the Tula Region spoke about legal assistance to domestic-violence victims. Local clergy—including Tula’s rabbi, a Russian Orthodox priest, and representatives from the Church of Seventh-Day Adventists—discussed religion’s role in helping victims of violence. Other sessions focused on elderly abuse and conflict resolution in the family.

“We are particularly proud of our new working relationship with representatives of the Tula police,” says Faina Sanevich, Kolot leader and director of the Hesed Center. “They continue to turn to us for assistance in dealing with family violence.”

As NCSJ’s director of Community Services and Cultural Affairs, I traveled to Tula and Voronezh in June. I observed that the project not only raised awareness about the problem of violence in the family but provided the Jewish community an opportunity to build working relationships with local authorities and organizations. In opening up these relationships, the Jewish community is seen as the leader in efforts to address domestic violence for the whole community.

In the next phase of the project, JWI’s new books, Embracing Justice: A Resource Guide for Rabbis on Domestic Abuse and Healing & Wholeness: A Resource Guide on Domestic Abuse in the Jewish Community, will be translated and adapted for use in Russia.

Lesley Weiss is director of Community Services and Cultural Affairs for NCSJ: Advocates on Behalf of Jews in Russia, Ukraine, the Baltic States and Eurasia.