"Rachel"
Rachel, a 27-year-old religious woman from Philadelphia with 3 small children was married to a clergyman who not only physically abused her, but also sexually abused one of their children. She felt that because of her husband’s prominence in the community, there was no place she could get help in her community. She confided in a friend who referred her to our 24-Hour Family Abuse Hotline. JFSA immediately arranged for her to be flown to Cleveland where we placed her in emergency housing. She remained in Cleveland for two weeks during which time JFSA worked closely with agencies and authorities in Philadelphia to have her husband arrested and have a restraining order put in place. We next arranged for Rachel to receive pastoral counseling in addition to our services. She was able to return safely to Philadelphia where she established her own apartment and ultimately divorced. She has since moved to another city where she has begun a support group for women who are victims of abuse.