Lena Levin is pioneering a new work based in Jerusalem working alongside those who are marginalised & abused in Israel. With Social Services sending them people they don't have a solution for, Paul Calvert went to find out more.

Lena Levin

Lena: We have a new project which is named Machaseh in Hebrew, in English it means refuge. We took this name from Psalm 90 "the Lord is our refuge and our dwelling place". I believe God is our refuge and everybody who is in need and is suffering from abuse and violence in any situation, (either in the home or in the street), because of their faith, God is providing refuge.

We try to provide a helpful network to support people in difficult situations especially people in Israel who may be struggling in some way, whether a believer or new immigrant or someone who has no visa or no work and people who aren't managing with the social department. We are also working with social services. They are sending us people for whom they don't have a solution.

We are trying to do something new and different; because we have a team, we can help whole families, the complete unit, so we try to help the wife, the husband and the children.

We're also giving counselling for men. Our main aim is definitely reconciliation; so when we have a possibility to save the family, to help the men and women to come back together after the time of crisis or destruction, we try to use any possibility.

Paul: Are there many women who are abused in Israel?

Lena: We have government statistics; there are about 200,000 women and 600,000 children who are witnesses of violence in the home, but it's only numbers from the social services so I know its much more women who suffer but in silence.

Paul: That's quite a high number isn't it?

Lena: It's a huge number! But many women who come to our place they never complain to the Social Workers.

We are mainly serving the believing community; women from the Messianic society from the Christian society so they are trying very much to avoid the Social Services because it's a very big problem for the family especially the children who can be taken out of the family because of danger for their health. So it can be a very big problem for many families.

Paul: You say you are serving the believers. Is abuse quite a big thing in the Christian family here in Israel?

Lena: I think it's not only in Israel; violence against women is the biggest world wide problem and it occurs in any society, believers and non believers, all cultures, all religions and all nations. The main root of violence in the home is inequality between men and women. Just their attitude to women that they are second class and in the Christian society sometimes it comes out from the opinion that women should submit to the husband; that it's the only thing she should do. Sometimes people will use the Bible to support their own wrong opinions. If we will read the book of Ephesians chapter 5 v 25-27 we can read for example a statement for men. "Men should love and respect his wife, if he doesn't then God won't hear his prayers". Sometimes people forget parts of the Bible even though they're not less important than other scriptures.

Paul: What sort of stories do you have to deal with?

Lena: All kinds of stories and all kinds of situations, for example the story of a woman who was battered, with 3 children, she escaped to a shelter; when she left the shelter she was so broken and so traumatised that she couldn't learn and she couldn't work, she couldn't do anything, she was in a caravan, then she was on the street because she had no money to pay for her rent. The children had been taken to the dormitory school and when we met with her 2 years ago she was in a very depressive situation; Social Workers wouldn't allow her to take care of her children, this was additional guilt and shame for her so we started therapy and counselling for her. Then we found sponsors supporting our work from Switzerland, we made a kind of contract with the Social Services, I signed it, that we promised to pay her rent and bills for 2 years. The Social Workers changed the decision of the court and her children came back to her! Now she is living with all three children and she got an apartment from the government and this year we spent time reconciling her with her children, restoring her life as a mother. Next year we are planning to help her to learn something, and then we believe she will be able to stand on her own two feet.

Paul: Why would anyone want to stay with an abusive husband?