DISCLAIMER: Because many people have been asking to my face, or behind my back, I want to make it abundantly clear that I was not sexually abused (to my knowledge) in this lifetime. My reasons for writing this book do not stem from that place. I say this to “clear” my family (or people in my life) from having a חשש (accusation, concern or doubt) placed on them.

-----------------------------------------------

A quick search on sexual abuse in the frum community returns an abundance of organizations, resources, books, and podcasts—each produced by courageous trailblazers, many of them survivors who put the community's need for transparency before their own privacy. It has largely all been said.

So this book I am composing isn't about saying something new. It's about doing something that hasn't been done.

Black Shadows: A Prism on Sexual Abuse in the Frum Community consolidates the voices, perspectives, and expertise of great community leaders and brave survivors into one comprehensive space. But it's much more than a resource library. Like a prism, turning this topic even slightly reveals entirely different dimensions—hidden layers and far-reaching impacts most people have never considered. This isn't a linear subject. Its complexities are infinite, quietly shaping lives in ways we rarely recognize. The goal of this book is not just education, but a genuinely expanded awareness of its true scope—like it has never been brought together before.

After extensive research, no single book covers the many different rays of this prism. This one will.

Borrowing terms from geometry: every opinion in this book is a right angle, but together they form a polyhedron.

Every person interviewed shares a common denominator—and a completely different angle.

I have begun approaching a list of highly credentialed individuals, each representing a distinct standpoint on this topic. Every participant, leader and survivor alike, will be interviewed by me, then handed their chapter for approval before publication. Each will sign a consent form.

• Leaders (pioneers) will appear by name and their credentials, with one opening quote from their interview.

• Survivors will appear under pseudonyms with changed details (if they so choose) paired with a self-chosen piece of art or poetry to express their story. 

The book will carry haskamos from reputable members of the broader Jewish community. 

This book will include many voices, each standing on different points of the religious spectrum. Even if they don't agree with one another in certain arenas, they will come together for the sake of the mission and the book's greater goal. 

In regards to financing, writing this book means stepping away from regular income—a real financial risk with no guaranteed timeline. I'm moving forward anyway, and I'm asking for support. I am having the audacity to ask for your faith and help to make this book come into fruition. I will be devoting all my time to the making of this book, and although I don't know how long it will take, I predict it will be about a year, hopefully less. That being said, all monthly sponsorships will terminate as soon as I finish the project. 

• Donations can be given directly on this page (not tax deductible). Monthly contributions are preferred over lump sums. If you want a tax-deductible receipt, I have a recognized organization (that aligns with this mission) that can give you one. Be in touch with me

• Organizational partnerships/collaborations with full co-recognition. I am in search of organizations (that has funding) that would want to collaborate on this initiative, with obvious recognition of partnership. 

• Sponsorships/Dedications available (with dedications published at the front of the book or even on the cover). Sponsorship levels are written below.

• Grants- I am a grant writer and I am writing LOI'S to a list of Foundations that are interested in this topic.  Again, I have an organization (that aligns with this mission) and can give a foundation an official receipt.  

• I will apply for an interest-free gemach loan as a last resort. But I am hoping the community will help me make this possible. 

All donations and sponsorships can be submitted on this IsraelGives page, but you will not receive a tax-deductible receipt. If you want a proper receipt, do not give on this site and please be in touch with me at blackshadowsbook@gmail.com. Please do not send me BIT or Paybox. 

As I embark on this journey, that has no practical logic attached to it in regards to my stage in life, and certainly does not provide financial security backing, I approach it with a נעשה ונשמע attitude. I am doing, and everything else will have to fall into place later.

I ask Hashem to guide me through this process with sensitivity, patience, clarity, humility, empathy, סייתה דשמייה ,השגחה פרטית and guts. Please Hashem, give me the tools, the capacity, the tact, the strength and the stamina to walk through this with one goal in mind: bringing together many voices on this topic in order to bring more sensitivity in our communities. As I take my very first steps, please Hashem, hold my hand and help me navigate this difficult topic with Your help and guidance. Help the words that end up on paper accurately reflect the voices of the people sharing their perspectives and stories. 

One note on the name: Black Shadows was a name that just came to me. The Hebrew word for shadow—צל—carries a gematria of 120, echoing the blessing עד מאה ועשרים: may you live a full life. That is the hope behind every page of this book. Every single person deserves a full happy life.