CHANA “Voices” Hosts Event for Jewish Abuse Survivors and Advocates

CHANA, an agency of The Associated that supports Jewish abuse victims of all ages, hopes to give a voice to the voiceless with its upcoming event.

One of two major fundraisers that the organization holds each year, VOICES: Empowering Conversations Addressing Domestic Violence Together sees CHANA hosting speakers who will discuss their experiences with domestic violence and their advocacy work for victims.

Oct. 12 marks the fifth time this VOICES event will be held, and the second year that it will be held in person after the pandemic made the event a virtual one in 2020 and 2021. It is always held in October to coincide with Domestic Violence Awareness Month.

“The funds raised from VOICES go towards supporting all of CHANA’s services,” said Dayna Leder, CHANA’s operations manager. “We provide counseling, do [abuse] prevention and education and shelter victims.”

The event is one of the many ways that CHANA sheds light on abuse, platforming and supporting survivors of abuse in the Jewish community. The organization was created to provide aid to Jewish survivors of partner abuse in the same vein as larger national organizations such as House of Ruth. Since then, it has expanded its mission to include people who have experienced childhood abuse and elder abuse.

Leder added that in planning this year’s event, CHANA made an effort to shine a light on male abuse victims, whose stories often go untold. Studies compiled by The National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, an advocacy group that works to promote legislation that supports abuse victims and holds abusers accountable, estimate that one in nine men in the U.S. experience violence, sexual assault or stalking from a partner. In Maryland specifically, 28.8% of men experience one or multiple of these forms of abuse.

One of the speakers, JC Glick, is a former lieutenant colonel in the Army who has gone on 11 combat tours. He has experienced violence not only on the battlefield but in his own home as a survivor of child abuse. Previously, he gave TEDx talks about these experiences and has published several books about leadership development and the philosophy he developed while serving in the military.

“I will tell you that there was a time when I wouldn’t talk about much of my struggles because that’s not what we do — that’s not what men do,” Glick said in a video recorded in advance of the VOICES event, posted on CHANA’s social media. “I don’t really view myself as a victim, I view myself as a survivor. And those experiences don’t define who I am.”

The event’s other speaker is his wife, Jennifer Glick, a survivor advocate with Sexual Violence Response at Columbia University Irving Medical Center in New York. A former prosecutor, she has used her legal experience to advocate for domestic and sexual abuse survivors, including survivors of sexual abuse in the prison system.

Leder hopes that VOICES will give attendees a greater understanding of domestic violence, how it affects people and what they can do to support survivors in their community. She describes it as a “powerful evening” that she hopes will inspire conversations.

“We hope that there’s a greater understanding of what [CHANA] does for the community,” Leder said. “It’s important to have these conversations about topics that are a little bit difficult to talk about, so people know that they’re not taboo to discuss. And we want to let people know we’re here as a community resource.”

If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, call CHANA’s office line at 410-234-0030 or the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 800-799-7233 to reach 24/7, free and confidential support and crisis resources.