Women must speak out against abuse

Anonymous

I hope that the more people are aware of this notion, the more goodness and kindness there can be.

It brings me to another serious matter – woman abuse. Let me make it perfectly clear from the outset, that while I’m writing this as a Jewish person, I know full well that what I have to say is in no way confined to Jewish people. It is global, and it knows no colour nor creed.

I know how much of it is going on in religious homes (not all of them), where the women are too afraid to make their voices heard, and the men are seen as “menschen”, but in the meantime, they are so abusive, no-one would believe it!

My question is whether it is written anywhere that a man who dons a kippa, tzitzit, and davens (prays) three times a day, keeping Shabbat with ayshers chayil (women of valour), being Shomrei Shabbat, kosher, and all else, has the right to behave bullishly, cruelly, and heartlessly, and even worse, not see anything wrong with what he is doing?

I re-iterate that I am not referring to all – or only – religious homes.

Our community, whether religious or secular, needs to take notice, action, and put an end to the scourge of abusive behaviour. How, I don’t know. Perhaps women need to stand up and talk, yes, talk – not lashon hara (negative gossip) – but the facts.

Enough is enough!