ELI

In Ethiopia

In ELI's most recent newsletter, you read about Dr. Zimrin's visit to Ethiopia last January. Dr. Hanita Zimrin and Barbara Reichel, another ELI Senior Social Worker, were sponsored by "Save the Children, Norway" to travel to Ethiopia in order to begin educating Ethiopian Social workers about child abuse. Dr. Zimrin was so well received by the professional community in Ethiopia that she was asked to return in order to continue to help Ethiopia to contend with the issue of child welfare, this time with Dr. Stephen Donshik, Director of the Israel Office of UJA Federation of New York.

In September, sponsored once again by "Save the Children, Norway", Hanita returned to Ethiopia in order to begin teaching Social Workers and Welfare workers how to operate a non-governmental organization (NGO). Hanita lectured on how to structure and ngo, how to include and manage voluteers, and how an NGO can collaborate and maximize its relationship with the government.

ELI has been extremely successful in helping thousands of abused children and their families all over Israel. This success is due in part to Dr. Zimrin's creativity and perseverance in collaborating with all levels of government, ranging from the national to the municipal levels. ELI also serves as a model for non profits in that it has been able to build a great deal of trust and a mutually beneficial relationships with law enforcement

professionals and the legal community in Israel towards the ultimate goal of providing the best care possible for children at risk and their families.

Dr. Zimrin's trip, a huge success, further enhances ELI's international reputation as a leader, not only in the field of abuse treatment and prevention but also in non-profit governance and management.

Thank you!

On behalf of ELI and all of the children and families we serve, I would like to say thank you to all who have supported ELI so far this year. Below you'll find a list of some on ELI's supporters this year. I would to say thank you to these institutions and families and to all of the people who support ELI.

Naomi & Nehemiah Cohen Foundation	25,000

Harry & Jeanette Weinberg Foundation	50,000

Amcha for Tsedakah	4,949

Righteous Persons Foundation	35,000

CIBC World Markets	14,000

Zanvyl & Isabelle Krieger Fund	10,000

Charles Ratzerdorfer	5,000

Seattle Federation	7,500

Delaware Federation	4,000

Women's Division of Chicago Federation	8,000

Joseph Meyerhoff Foundation	2,500

Harvey & Lyn P. Meyerhoff Foundation	5,000

Frisch Foundation	3,000

Burton E. Belzer Foundation	10,000

Aaron & Marie Blackman Foundation	8,000

Harry Kramer Memorial Fund	5,000

San Jose Federation	5,000

Gimprich Family Foundation	15,000

Carol Auerbach	10,000

Estelle Friedman Gervis Family Foundation	2,468

NYC - UJAFED, Bonim Atid	75,000

Rochlin Foundation	10,000

Jewish Federation of the Greater East bay	45,000

Dr. Hanita Zimrin will be

visiting the U.S. in November

Dr. Hanita Zimrin will be visiting the U.S. in November. She'll be back once again in February. To schedule a visit or a parlor meeting with Dr. Zimrin in your city, please call Michael Hersch, 215-923-2940, or email him at mhersch@comcast.net.

From the Shelf to the

Internet: ELI develops Worlds

most comprehensive on line

resource on Treatment and

Prevention of Child Abuse

The subject of child abuse gets addressed in a variety of disciplines. Anyone, (including students, professional social workers and psychologists) who wants to gain comprehensive knowledge of the subject has to spend a great deal of time investigating resources at several different libraries. Some material on the subject can be found in the Psychology department, while other facets can only be found in a school of social work, a law school, a school of education, medical schools and the list goes on.

ELI, committed to contending with the issue of Child Abuse, is the first organization in the world to concentrate this knowledge under one roof. ELI has created a library devoted exclusively to the issue of Child Abuse which is designed to serve the public, professionals, students, politicians, attorneys and the community at large: As of today there are 6000 titles relating to the subject matter. The titles are comprised of legal referendum, literature, newspaper clippings, declarations and visual materials. ELI is now reorganizing the library in order to make it accessible on line.

Abused children have learned from their experiences that any contact with human beings is painful and frustrating, which causes them to lose basic trust in others. During therapy it is important to give abused children an alternate, repairing experience. However, abused children don't let therapists approach them, physically or emotionally and so the lesson needs to be taught another way.

Pets are similar to people in that they are living creatures with whom children can interact. They express emotions, and serve as a source of comfort and love. But at the same time, a pet is not a human being, and as such, they are less threatening to an abused child. As a result, a pet can become a bridge that enables a child gradually to trust a therapist to help the child heal. Chumi, (Brownie) is a brown dog,

just one of several animals that are specially trained to work with abused children. In 2004 and 2005, ELI's pet therapy program was sponsored by The Estelle Friedman Gervis Family Foundation.

Shoshana Dances it!

Children who arrive at ELI's shelter in Tel Aviv carry with them a heavy burden of traumatic experience and endless distress. Often, this burden is translated into emotional pathology as well as behavioral problems.

Shoshana is a sad example. At the age of 4, orphaned from her two parents, she started a pattern of nightmares, being sent from one family member to another, from one foster family to another, emotionally rejected, physically hurt, and sexually abused. Shoshana arrived at ELI's shelter with a huge emotional hunger on one hand, and inability to trust people in order to feed this hunger on the other. At this point, all of her problems surfaced. She kicked, hit, and bit other children, refused to accept any authority, and needed medical treatment and medication in order to calm down.

In the therapy room, she started to express herself through movement. She discovered her body as a tool and not as a source of suffering and pain. The therapist, sensitive to the new language that Shoshana was exploring, encouraged her to use her body to express herself. Shoshana accepted the therapist's guidance and started doing it outside the therapy room as well. One of the caregivers in the shelter, who is a professional dancer, enrolled Shoshana in a school for dance, and ELI paid the tuition. In the last six months, Shoshana has been participating regularly in the dance school programs. Shoshana discovered a new language. She discovered that her body had become a source of joy and pleasure and above all she discovered that she could use her body to build her self esteem and self image.

From a rejected child, acting out of rage toward her environment, she became a social star, the center of every event, and a model for her peers.

Michelangelo once said, "I saw the Angel in the marble and I carved until I set him free." In the same spirit, in every child, there is the potential to heal. We therapists need to find it, to reveal it, and to help the child to see it as well.

Check out ELI's New Website

ELI is proud to announce the launch of its new Website. Still at www.ELIUSA.org, ELI's new, updated website will highlight recent accomplishments, new programs and be a better resource for answering all of your questions about ELI. Look for the new site later this fall.

w w w. E L I U S A . o r g




ELI, the Israel Association for child Protection, works tirelessly to and terror in the home, stop the vicious cycle of violence, and give voice to the silent This newsletter is published by the American Friends of ELI, the Israel Association for Child Protection. From Our President. I considered my election as President of the American Friends of ELI this past spring an honor and a challenge. The last six months have confirmed both expectations. I have been gratified by the expression of good wishes and support that have come from many of you around the country. In addition, we are all grateful for the continued, and increased, support that ELI has been receiving. We now have over 30 private and family foundations, 7 Jewish federations, and hundreds of individuals that have funded special projects and general operations in recent years. At the same time ELI has been faced with new challenges and opportunities: Dr. Zimrin's experiences in Ethiopia, which you will read about in this issue, have further enhanced ELI's international reputation. The intensity of the emotional reaction to the Gaza withdrawal, on both sides of the issue, has caused extensive trauma to children in Israel - largely unreported in the media. ELI was at the forefront both in anticipating and preparing for this trauma, as well as in treating children and families who were affected. The Mobile Therapy Unit, first funded by the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia and supported by a major grant from the Zanvyl & Isabelle Krieger Foundation and two challenge grants from the Harry & Jeanette Weinberg Foundation, has been utilized far beyond it original expectations. It's unique design and implementation has also attracted international commendation. In short, while much has been done there is much more to do. Your continued support will help us meet present and future challenges. From Hanita Dear Friends, ELI, The Israel Association for Child Protection is one of a kind in that we focus on the issue of child abuse only, however, within this boundary we address every single aspect of the issue. In the newsletters that you receive, we try to convey to you, our friends, a little bit of the work we do in the different arenas. ELI provides therapy to thousands of abused children and their families, maintains a hotline, an emergency shelter, a comprehensive library and conducts scores of other activities including pet therapy, training, prevention programs etc. ELI even works internationally. Each of the departments is saturated with projects and while we try to make these newsletters as informative as possible, we haven't begun to scratch the surface in terms of sharing all of ELI's work with you. In these difficult times of increased violence and more reported instances of abuse on the one hand, and shrinking resources on the other, we are proud to be succeeding and developing and extending our services, and for this I am grateful to you, ELI's tried and true.