JSAS, originally Migdal Emunah, was set up as the only Jewish charity in the UK offering an ISVA-led support service to help children, women and men who experienced intimate abuse. (ISVA is short for Independent Sexual Violence Advisor).

JSAS took a trauma-informed, person-centred approach to each client, led by qualified and accredited ISVAs, and working closely with a team of counsellors and therapists who offered a range of approaches including EMDR and IEMT.

All our services were offered free of charge to our clients, through funding from government, grants and trusts, and individual donations.

JSAS was founded by Yehudis Goldsobel as Migdal Emunah in February 2013 (registered charity number 1150835) providing at that time the only Jewish support service for children, women and men who had experienced sexual abuse.

Migdal Emunah was set up to provide a variety of practical and emotional support services for anyone affected by the trauma of sexual abuse. Alongside this central focus, it engaged in raising awareness of sexual abuse and challenging the myths and taboos surrounding abuse.

The charity also provided education for the Jewish community in the UK, as well as professionals from other communities across the UK.

Yehudis worked tirelessly to ensure clients could be offered a range of services including access to advice, advocacy and support. Supported by a team of skilled and dedicated ISVAs based in both London and Manchester, clients were able to achieve positive outcomes.

After almost a decade at the helm, Yehudis handed over the leadership of Migdal Emunah to Erica Marks. New ISVAs joined our team, we strengthened relationships with other Jewish communal organisations, and we won awards for our work in protecting and safeguarding children.

In 2024, after consulting widely across the community, we changed our name to JSAS (Jewish Sexual Abuse Support).

JSAS/Migdal Emunah provided impartial and professional services for clients from across all denominations of the Jewish community. Not just access to an ISVA, but also to highly trained and accredited trauma counsellors and therapists, sex therapist, family therapists, children’s therapists. Our counsellors and therapists offered individual, couples, family, or group support to understand trauma and help reduce the harm caused by sexual abuse.

In addition, clients had access to rabbinical advice, legal advice and psychologists.

We also signposted helpful support activities where appropriate, such as yoga, martial arts, exercise, healthy eating, educational reading, and social activities. Through all of these things, we helped clients to have a healthier understanding of their bodies, and the provision of social support helped them to manage their life and feel less isolated.

Throughout, we worked to build strong partnerships with statutory services, as well as other voluntary agencies, to provide the best services we could for our clients.

JSAS update – In October 2025, all client services ceased, due to loss of funding.