Mavar is a UK-registered charitable organisation[1] providing professional support to people who have left or want to leave the Haredi Jewish community.[2][3] It provides financial, educational, legal, and emotional support enabling people to find new communities and support networks after Haredi Judaism.
 | |
| Legal status | Non-profit organization |
|---|---|
| Purpose | Support for people leaving Haredi Jewish communities in the UK |
| Location |
|
| Website | http://mavar.org.uk |
Mission
editAccording to the Mavar's website, the organisation offers information, one-to-one support, online resources, and referrals to appropriate agencies and organisations, including lawyers or therapists.[4] Mavar also assigns a personal mentor to guide through the issues such as education, employment, welfare, housing, and legal rights.[5] Mavar is described as a "confidential service that helps people from the Haredi community explore new paths in life", which includes LGBT support.[6][7] Mavar does not campaign or proselytize, and exists to support personal choice.[4]
Structure
editMavar is based around a model established by the New York charity Footsteps.[8] Its services are run by volunteers.[7] It is free of charge, relying on private donations, and is strictly confidential.
Mavar translates from Hebrew as "crossings", and to maintain discretion, it meets people asking for help in quiet, but public, places away from the Haredi community such as a library. Typically, Mavar begins by helping to access English lessons, as many leaving the community cannot write or speak English. Mavar will also help access housing and benefits, according to individual need.[9] Mavar may also be able to link to a host family in some circumstances.[9]
See also
edit- Ex-Haredim
- Faith to Faithless
- Off the derech
- Footsteps, a US-based organisation with a similar mission to support ex-Haredim.
References
edit- ^ Charity Commission - Mavar
- ^ "First Person: Limmud Conference - The sacred and the profane". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 10 January 2015.
An impressive session I spontaneously attended was about Mavar, a new organization in London that helps young Jews who want to leave the Haredi Orthodox world and need to learn to read, write, and speak in English so they can attend college and get jobs.
- ^ Oliver, Charlotte. "Women who escaped misery offer help to Charedi misfits". Jewish Chronicle.
- ^ a b Doherty, Rosa. "The view from the one secular house life after leaving a strictly Orthodox community". Jewish Chronicle. Retrieved 4 August 2018.
- ^ "About Mavar". Archived from the original on 2016-02-11. Retrieved 2014-03-10.
- ^ "My secret life as a gay ultra-Orthodox Jew". BBC News. 10 April 2016. Retrieved 4 August 2018.
- ^ a b Sherwood, Harriet (3 February 2017). "Transgender ultra-Orthodox case reveals painful clash of minority communities". Guardian. Retrieved 4 August 2018.
- ^ Pogrund, Gabriel. "Meet the British Jews who escaped from the Haredi community". The Sunday Times. Retrieved 4 August 2018.
- ^ a b Gordon, Daniel (6 June 2017). "Leaving the Hasidic community". New Humanist. Retrieved 5 August 2018.