The Jewish Domestic Abuse Collaborative(JDAC), formed in April of 2004, serves the Greater Twin Cities area of Minneapolis and St. Paul. JDAC grew out of efforts that began in 1999, when The St Paul National Council of Jewish Women(NCJW)initiated Shalom Outreach Services (SOS), a phone line for Jewish victims of domestic abuse. This phone line helped Jewish organizations and leaders see the urgent need for a more coordinated effort to address the problem which in turn led to the formation of the Twin Cities Domestic Task Force in July 2001. In the Spring of 2002, JDAC, the St. Paul chapter of NCJW, with the support of the United Jewish Fund and Council of St. Paul and the Minneapolis Federation,produced a community wide survey endorsed by congregations and communal agencies in the Twin Cities’ Jewish Community. The survey, randomly disseminated to 2,800 households, confirmed that 15-20% of Jewish women in the Twin Cities experience domestic abuse. The incidence of abuse is consistent with that of the non-Jewish community and in other Jewish communities nation-wide. Of those in need of help, 82% of respondents felt that additional programs, specifically for Jewish women, would be helpful.

JDAC’s mission is to provide education, raise awareness about domestic abuse in the Jewish community, coordinate affordable services and assure safe environments for Jewish individuals and families to seek and receive needed services in the Greater Twin Cities’ area. Jewish Family Service of St. Paul serves as the supervising and fiscal agent for JDAC.

JDAC Coordinator, Jill Ruzicka, was hired in April 2004 to identify existing resources and unmet needs, raise additional funds and spearhead educational programs about domestic abuse in the Jewish Community. Ms. Ruzicka has extensive background in the domestic abuse field. Her experience includes starting the children’s program at Harriet Tubman Women’s Shelter, initiating a program in the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office assisting families and children during a felony prosecution for child abuse, and establishing a domestic violence victim/witness liaison program in the Minneapolis City Attorney’s Office. She also served as the Director of Minnesota’s Battered Women’s Program. For more information about JDAC contact Jill Ruzicka, JDAC Coordinator jruzicka@jfssp.org or call(651) 698-0767.