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By: Yossi Stern

We live in a world of unprecedented danger, where both adults and children are faced�with challenges that can have potentially devastating consequences. Years of denial�and decades of pretending that these issues have not managed to infiltrate our lives�have only exacerbated these problems, creating what seems like an unstoppable�epidemic of crises that have touched virtually every segment of the Jewish community.

Amudim was founded a little over a year go on the triple tenets of kindness, compassion�and dignity and as a concerted effort to confidentially address these issues in the�Jewish community. Understanding that trauma results from crisis and affects not just�the victim but also everyone around them, Amudim has evolved to offer support and�guidance to individuals and families who have been impacted by abuse, neglect and�addiction, as well as being actively involved in autopsy prevention and burial�coordination worldwide.

Rabbi Zvi Gluck, director of Amudim, has long been known for his involvement in�causes of all kinds, using his energy, passion and persistence to solve complex�problems and identify long term solutions that will result in growth and productivity.�Amudim operates under the guidance of Rav Elya Brudny shlita and employs a full staff�of experienced and talented individuals including case workers Moshe Frankel, Rabbi�Avraham Klatzco and Sara Kagan, who field the many calls that come in daily, and�director of special projects Rabbi Avraham Feldman. Board members Mendy Klein,�Moshe Wolfson, Adam Westreich and Adam Sokol are all heavily involved in the�workings at Amudim whose impressive advisory board includes Rabbi Ronnie�Greenwald, Barry Horowitz LCSW, Dr. Shloime Zimmerman and Dr. David Pelcovitz.

220 people including private practice clinicians, rabbis, educators, therapists, clinical�directors, social workers, philanthropists and heads of major organizations gathered in�Newark last winter for a groundbreaking conference hosted by Amudim to discuss risk,�trauma and abuse in the Jewish community. Participants spent a significant part of the�two day event devising effective strategies to deal with these issues, brainstorming in�groups to identify concrete goals that could be implemented both in the long and the�short term and a $1 million fund designated to provide therapy to Orthodox Jewish�abuse victims in the tri-state area was announced at the conference. The event also�featured divrei Torah by Rabbi YY Jacobson, Rabbi Zecharia Wallerstein and Rabbi�Brudny, each of whom spoke about the importance of addressing these sensitive issues�within the frum community.

Amudim typically handles 50 cases at any given time and fields approximately ten to�twelve new calls each week. Calls run the gamut, ranging from families who discover�that their children are involved with drugs, to dealing with at risk kids, to resolving abuse�issues that can date back dozens of years and suddenly surface without warning, often�with disastrous results.

In an effort to continue providing support services to the many people who seek their�assistance, Amudim is raffling off a two year lease for a Chrysler Town and Country�minivan or $5,000 to be used towards any lease through Plaza Auto Leasing. Funds�raised by this campaign will be used to defray the cost of therapy for those who cannot�afford treatment, with the raffle drawing to take place on the last day of Chanukah,

Monday December 14th.

For more information visit Amudim online at www.amudim.org or call 646-517-0222