Project Spotlight: Fellowship-Supported Bat Melech Women’s Shelter

The Fellowship  |  March 10, 2020

Women matter in Israel.

Unlike their counterparts throughout the rest of the Middle East, women in Israel enjoy vast legal protections and hold prominent positions in the government, military, and business. Still, they are not immune to a tragic global reality — women and girls are more vulnerable to abuse, neglect, and poverty.

For example, about ten percent of all Israeli women suffer physical violence at the hands of their spouses. Because women matter to The Fellowship, we have a robust array of programs that have for years been helping to alleviate the abuse, homelessness, and other types of crises suffered by Israeli women. One program is the Fellowship-supported Bat Melech.

Bat Melech is the only shelter in Israel specifically for women from the Haredi sector. For these women suffering from abuse in their marriages, both physical and mental, asking for help takes bravery. Just admitting there is a problem can be difficult. They worry that by asking for help, others in their religious community will think negatively about their families.

Yet there is hope.

At the Fellowship-supported Bat Melech, they join a loving community. They are provided kosher meals, job training or help with schoolwork, legal advice, and emotional support.

Bat Melech offers these women a safe place to help them on their way to a new life free of fear and full of hope.

Learn how you can help Jewish women and their children today.