For more than eighty years, Jewish Women International of Canada has been steadfast in its mission to improve and enrich the lives of women and their families.  At JWIC, our goal is to educate, raise awareness, and transform the way society looks at violence against women.  Active hands-on involvement in our community has allowed us to develop and guide social change, and by opening our arms to encompass the broader community, we are able to share our vision with the rest of society.

In Canada, JWIC operates Alternative Short Term Emergency Housing (ASTEH) and Alpha House in Montreal, Toronto, Winnipeg and Vancouver. These shelters are a safe-haven for women and children escaping domestic abuse. While living in the shelter, the women receive clinical therapy and support in a culturally sensitive environment. 

Currently in development is a national program to be launched on university campuses to teach young men and women what constitutes sexual assault. In addition, JWIC is partnering with University of Toronto School of Social Work and Jewish Family and Child Service of Toronto to develop the first Needs Assessment that will investigate the extent of woman abuse in Jewish families in Toronto.

The women of JWIC have a proud history of commitment to social change in their respective communities. In the mid 1980's, improving the lives of women and their families was identified as the core issue of JWIC, specifically the issue of domestic violence. At that time, our research indicated that abuse was occurring in Jewish homes in the same incidence as in the rest of the population.

In 1986, JWIC published "Protect Yourself, Stop the Violence Against You".  This brochure is endorsed by the Ontario and Manitoba Medical Associations and contains clear, concise, information outlining what constitutes abuse, its signs and a checklist of what needs to be done to leave this violent situation.  Protect Yourself, Stop the Violence Against You is available in English, French, Spanish, Hebrew and Russian.  To date, over 200,000 of these brochures have been distributed free of charge by JWIC to shelters, social workers, emergency facilities and family physicians.  To order, please contact info@jwicanada.com or call us toll free at 1-866-333-5942 locally in Toronto at 416-630-9313.

JWIC has been a proud supporter of the Residential Treatment Centre in Jerusalem for over 60 years.  The treatment centre is a sanctuary for children; a place for them to heal away from the trauma of abusive homes and a place to grow into healthy young adults.  The succes rate of the RTC is the highest of any institution of its kind with an overwhleming success rate of 60%.