Sins of Omission: The Jewish Community's Reaction to Domestic Violence Book

The title of this book is so long and specific that belaboring what it's about seems a bit unnecessary. I studied the religious precepts of Judaism very cursorily when I was younger, as a part of a graduation project. I have a very passing familiarity with some Hebrew phrases, though not enough to use any of them conversationally [besides "l'chaim" after I've already tied a few on >.>:]. This book opens with a very prosaic and educational introduction to the Jewish diaspora as discussed in the treatise. The bulk of the book discusses the dichotomy between the ways that Jewish law abhor domestic abuse and the way that Jewish culture emphasizes shalom bayit, often to the detriment of abuse victims. Kaufman deals primarily in interviews with Rabbis or rabbinical students and female self-proclaimed abuse victims, though she nods several times to the missing population of male victims. All of her interviews come from people who volunteered to speak with her based on a couple of newspaper ads and fliers placed up and down the tri-state area [centering around New York:] over the course of two weeks. This sample bias aside, Kaufman covers her material academically and with the important spark of humanity in studies like this. Her quotes and stories from victims and rabbis come across as anecdotal without being heavy-handed, and no one [besides abuse perpetrators, obviously:] plays the bad guy. The closest one comes to blaming any of the story-tellers is the section in which Rabbis defend that 'wife beating is not a Jewish problem' or 'not a thing done in Israel'. The book is tender, thorough, and open-ended - this is a problem, here are some ideas of solutions. What more can we do? The last two chapters are dedicated to proposed solutions, plus a national index of resource information for victims and advocates.