Product Description
This is an extraordinary journey into the stories, minds, and hearts of adult Jewish survivors of sexual abuse and incest. Rachel Lev, a therapist and an incest survivor herself, blends her own experiences with those of other survivors, and reflects upon their personal relationships to the Jewish community—a community that can either encourage denial or be a place of healing. Shine the Light emphasizes healing, which Lev believes can come about through self-expression, creativity, and, above all, feeling connected, not isolated. The book offers the rare opportunity for the survivors to speak for themselves through first-hand accounts, poetry, and evocative artwork, some reproduced in color.
The twenty-two contributing authors and artists identify themselves along the spectrum from "just Jewish" to "Hasidic" and represent a wide range of professions and ethnic backgrounds. In these accounts we meet, for example, Elizabeth, who overcame a disabling fear of people brought on by years of sexual abuse; Hadass G., who found drawing to be part of her healing process; Hillary, who, as a result of chronic stress-related illnesses, was forced to face her history of abuse; and Jerome, a survivor of maternal sexual abuse who struggles with issues of trust.
Certainly sexual abuse occurs within all religious and cultural groups, but Lev explains the particular difficulties for the Jewish community to acknowledge the problem, given its long history of victimization and its need for positive self-images. The author, however, reveals Judaism to be rich in resources for healing as she explores Jewish law, tradition, and rituals that include the thoughts of rabbis, lay leaders, and survivors. The book concludes with appendices of information for survivors seeking help and for family, friends, professionals, and religious communities who wish to reach out to them.
Taking an innovative and sensitive approach to what has long been an unspeakable ordeal to so many, Shine the Light builds a sense of community. It tells survivors that they are not alone and helps everyone from family to therapists to religious leaders in understanding their role in the healing process.
About the Author
Rachel Lev has been a psychotherapist for over twenty-five years. She has counseled individuals, couples, families, and groups within a variety of settings, including private practice. The majority of her clinical work has been with adult survivors of childhood loss or trauma.
