JWI’s programs and philanthropy ensure that women and girls exist in the peaceful homes and relationships to which they’re entitled; that they understand the link between emotional and financial independence and their personal safety; and that the devastation of domestic abuse is never obscured by a community’s denial or pride. Every woman, every family, deserves every opportunity to enjoy a safe and self-sufficient life.
Learn more at www.jwi.org, or call 800.343.2823.
Jewish Women International 
Hi,
I found your organization on Facebook. I am a producer/director/editor and I am working on a video that you might find interesting on agunot. The documentary is called “Women Unchained” and in it we look to find solutions to the agunah problem and discuss women’s issues that are tied in which include domestic abuse, and impact on children. I also directed, edited and wrote “Hungry to Be Heard” which was executive produced by the OU. “Hungry” looks at eating disorders in the Orthodox Jewish community and is an educational piece for parents to teach them to look for the warning signs and how to get treatment. There was a premiere of the film last Saturday night in Manhattan to a standing room only audience. The film is geared toward the orthodox community but the information is really for anyone. The orthodox community needed to have this information given to them in a manner that was not offensive to their values. There are no pictures of scantily clad models for example. It was difficult as a film maker to be able to convey the seriousness of the disease without really being able to show it, but the goal was to get people to sit down and watch it and not dismiss it because they would be afraid of what they might be exposed to. So far, we have met with great success and viewings are being set up for various organizations and professional organizations around New York and in Israel. There is a clip of the film attached to my Facebook profile. If you would like to see it please contact me through Facebook or at leetsbwp@gmail.com
Hi
I read Lori Weinstein’s Op-Ed: The intersection of mental illness and gun violence must be addressed. I am a psychoanalyst and counter terrorist expert on Islamic Suicide Bombing. I completely agree with Lori and in my book THE BANALITY OF SUICIDE TERRORISM, Potomac 2010 I developed a theory explaining that the underlying template is murder-suicide routinely found in domestic violence for political violence’s suicide attack.
My book is going to be brought out in Hebrew. One of the leading authorities on the Bedouins read it and said it completely fit with the cultural norms of that sector. Yet people and counter terrorist experts are very reluctant to face the phenomena for a series of reasons.
All of crime can be looked through a psychopathological lens. The perpetrators have a delusional obsession targeting the victim. It is crucial that domestic violence be addressed as the central issue of the debate concerning gun control. The family functions as a microcosm of society. The need to hate and the need to have an enemy is learned behavior in the home by age three.
Breivik, the Unabomber, Chou, and now Lanza were all diagnosed with a malignant form of Aspergers. Terrorists bond to violence and have highly autistic behavior in a malignant sense. We need to do very early screen even before preschool. I know that many are reluctant to give a child a diagnosis of a personality disorder as I am also but the earliest we find the problem, we can really begin to treat its roots. These perpetrators did not develop mirror neurons necessary for empathy. This attachment occurs between the mother and the infant early in life. See my blog at The Times of Israel — Putting a Band Aid on Gun Control.
Lori’s OpEd high the nail on the head — mental illness lies at its core. People are terrified to deal with this kind of terror precisely because it is terrorizing. We must be brave and not turn away from the obvious.
Thank you Lori for tackling this important issue.
Nancy Kobrin, PhD
Tel Aviv