Community Events

Join Women of Reform Judaism for the latest offering from the WRJ says STOP Initiative. In this webinar, you will have the opportunity to learn from Dr. Alissa R. Ackerman & Dr. Guila Benchimol, developers of the URJ’s 'Building a Very Narrow Bridge' Restorative Justice Project. This program will focus on listening & responding within the gender-based assault context. You will be provided with foundational information about the importance of proper language, having proactive conversations, & normalizing the discussion around gender-based harm. Come away with tools on how to handle disclosures of harm & survivor agency. Thank you to our co-sponsors ACC, CCAR, HUC-JIR, MRJ, & URJ.

About the Speakers

Dr. Alissa R. Ackerman

Dr. Alissa R. Ackerman is the co-founder & owner of Ampersands Restorative Justice. She is a “pracademic” & “survivor scholar” in that she incorporates her academic training, practitioner, & personal experiences with sexual violence in her work. She authored or edited 8 books & served as co-editor on a special edition of the Journal of Sexual Abuse in 2018. She co-authored Healing from Sexual Violence: The Case for Vicarious Restorative Justice, with Dr. Jill Levenson in 2019 & her most recent co-edited volume, Survivor Criminology: A Radical Act of Hope, was released in 2022.

Dr. Guila Benchimol

Dr. Guila Benchimol is an educator, consultant, researcher, & victim advocate whose work focuses on gender, abuse, & power. She holds a PhD in Sociological Criminology from the University of Guelph. Guila was one of the key advisors who guided the launch of the SRE Network in 2018, where she continues to serve as the Senior Advisor on Research and Learning. She is the Director of Faith-Based & Community Accountability at Ampersands Restorative Justice. She sits on the board of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests & is a research associate at the Center for the Study of Social & Legal Responses to Violence.