For the first time in its history, Act To End Violence Against Women (ATEVAW), a non-profit organization that serves women victims of domestic abuse, appointed a man to sit as chair of the board.

Mark Anshan, a lawyer with more than 25 years experience helping government agencies, non-profit and for-profit organizations, said having a man serving in this role sends a message to the community that this is more than a women’s issue.

“This particular subject is a societal issue. It is not an issue that only women should be concerned about. We should all be concerned about it and involved in it. Since, I think, in some sectors of our society and life it is somewhat male-dominated in terms of policy making and influencing outcomes, it is important for men to step up and get involved in issues that are causing severe heartache and problems within our community,” Anshan said.

Penny Krowitz, executive director of ATEVAW, which works mostly, but not exclusively, with Jewish women and operates a kosher women’s shelter, said that although this is a noteworthy development, Anshan’s appointment didn’t raise many eyebrows within the organization.

“We all recognize that men need to be involved, walking with women and working with women, to solve this issue,” Krowitz said.

“One of the huge skills that Mark brings to the table, in addition to his vast community involvement  – currently he’s on boards of other organizations – he has also worked in government on policy. He has a number of connections to government, and understands how government works. In the coming months we hope to meet with different ministers and different people in government whose roles will have, or could have, an impact on the issue of violence – the minister of justice, the minister of health.”

Krowitz added that she is confident Anshan will help ATEVAW advocate for women who are victims of domestic violence and educate people who have influence in the government to better understand what it is like for people who are struggling to break free from a life of violence.

“There’s a cost to society when it comes to violence against women. I think the government is becoming sensitive to it. There is a huge cost to society in terms of welfare agencies and social services and health care,” said Anshan, who served as director and treasurer for the Micah Homes Non-Profit Housing Corporation owned by Holy Blossom Temple, during the planning and construction of a housing project for disadvantaged single-parent families.

He said educating the community about violence against women and removing the stigma associated with it is essential to solving the issue.

“Think of other social issues that have occurred over decades or generations, for example, homosexuality. There was a time when that was taboo and no one talked about it. People who were gay felt they were living in an unsafe environment and couldn’t come forward. Now that has changed dramatically,” he said.

“It’s the same thing here. When people feel like they have a safe environment and a safe society, they can come forward and seek help and deal with their issues, and the greater community is accepting that this needs to be dealt with. That probably goes a long way to solving the problem earlier on, with early intervention, so women aren’t physically or psychologically hurt for a longer period of time. The sooner you can help them, the sooner they can get on with their lives.”

Krowitz said although leadership roles within the group are now open to men, the focus of its work is still solely on women. “I don’t deny that men are abused. That is a fact and we know that, but our expertise and our work is with women.”

Anshan said his goal is a society that doesn’t need this kind of a service. “If we could ultimately solve the big problem that we’re dealing with, organizations like this shouldn’t have to exist. Governments shouldn’t have to expend resources to bring in new policies, new legislation, for this very serious problem. So until you get there, we have to do all we can to get to that point, which means advocacy, education and helping on an individual basis.”