Shema Koli is a confidential telephone Helpline for those who have been affected by or have experienced abuse. It was initiated in 2013 in response to a request from the group of Rabbis and Dayonim who announced the establishment of the first-ever service to assist victims of abuse in the Jewish Community.

We chose this name, meaning in Hebrew “Hear My Voice” to tell users that their voice, which may have been silenced until now, can at last be heard. The name also stresses the fact that Shema Koli will listen and validate the concerns of anyone who calls whatever their experience has been.

Shema Koli is a free service, and our telephone number is a local UK number which is usually included in free minutes from landlines and mobiles.

Our callers include victims, younger and older women and men, parents, siblings, spouses and other relatives. We receive calls from individuals who are concerned about their own behaviour, now or in the past. We also get calls from teachers, Rabbis and professionals who are looking for advice and guidance.

Calls come from all over the UK, Europe and Israel. Most callers ring from London (North & North West), Manchester, Gateshead, and some from other parts of the UK and Mainland Europe – including Antwerp and Zurich. Calls come from anywhere in the English-speaking world – even Australia.

All forms of abuse inevitably include emotional abuse - cruelty, control, blame, harsh criticism - all of which can lead to fear and guilt. In religious homes, it may involve spiritual abuse where religious practice is used as a weapon. Our callers may have experienced sexual abuse or physical abuse; children may have suffered neglect, and spouses report domestic abuse and violence. Others may call us as with mental health disorders that have developed in relation to their abuse.

Telephone support is at the core of our service but we also offer the opportunity to explore callers’ issues in more detail in further calls or signposting to face-to-face meetings with other professionals. Where appropriate, and if requested, callers can be referred for therapy or to other organisations or support services more suited to their issues.

The operators are all observant Jewish men and women, qualified mental health professionals, mainly counsellors and psychotherapists with experience of working on helplines and with victims of abuse. The operators remain anonymous and use a pseudonym to protect the confidentiality of the call. The operators are fully trained and continuously supervised by experienced mental health professionals both individually and in group supervision.

A central principle of Shema Koli is that callers should be able to share their concerns anonymously. Operators inform them at the beginning of the call that they should not give their name and will be encouraged to remain anonymous. They also will not be told the name of the operator in order to preserve the anonymity for caller and operator. Under specific circumstances where a caller informs the helpline of child sexual abuse, they will be encouraged to consider reporting the abuse. The same would apply to any other criminal activity.

We have found that the need for reporting is not common as calls to Shema Koli are anonymous and most people wish to explore their experiences of abuse long before they take any further action. We take guidance from the Rabbinic Board and liaise with the statutory services with whom we have established trusted working relationships. We also have access to legal advice to provide Shema Koli with the necessary support to balance our professional and legal responsibilities with cultural and religious sensitivities.

The Shema Koli helpline is not an emergency service. In an emergency, people can contact their GP, the local Social Services, Crimestoppers or Police or even visit the Accident and Emergency unit of their local hospital.

In almost 100% of calls, we get positive feedback about the callers’ sense of relief, and their experience of being listened to and validated.

“The Caller is ever so grateful to Shema Koli. If Shema Koli was founded just to help her it has justified its existence.”

- Rabbi S M Winegarten, Founder of Shema Koli and Head of Rabbinical Board

“I am enormously grateful; you have really helped me and I feel so much better; you are what your name is, Shema Koli, you heard my voice.”

- Anonymous caller