Our History
In October 2014 Shana Weiner was a recent law school graduate looking for a job as a staff attorney in the Jewish Domestic Violence Legal Service Center of Philadelphia. After searching and searching, she resigned to the fact that such a program didn’t exist. Still somewhat shocked that there was no existing system to provide legal services to Jewish survivors of domestic abuse in the Jewish community of Greater Philadelphia, Shana was encouraged to submit her idea to the Tribe 12 Fellowship, a local entrepreneurial accelerator program under PresenTense (now UpStart).
By May 2015, with the support of a nonprofit coach and a team of subject-matter experts, what was this little idea grew into a full business plan. A small community pitch here, a warm catch-up with a beloved former professor there, Shana found herself surrounded by my founding board members. In February 2018, Dinah launched with a clear mission: to eradicate domestic abuse in the Jewish community of Greater Philadelphia.
Our Work
Dinah is the only organization in the Greater Philadelphia region providing legal resources to survivors of domestic abuse in the Jewish community of Greater Philadelphia. We seek to eradicate domestic abuse through advocacy, education, and volunteer legal representation.
Our organization provides community education workshops around domestic abuse in the Jewish community, participates in local, state and federal advocacy efforts, provides quality legal consultation to anyone who needs it, connect clients who are seeking Protection from Abuse Orders in the 5-county area (Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery, and Philadelphia) with volunteer legal representation, and more (described below).
Dinah’s focus on the legal space fills a gap in resources in Greater Philadelphia’s Jewish community and we work closely with numerous organizations in the region to empower survivors in our community.
ADVOCACY
- Participation in city convenings, such as those hosted by City Council and the Office of Domestic Violence Strategies
- Signing onto and sharing open letters on policy at the local, state, and federal level
- Participation in public events and demonstrations (tabling at events, marches/walks, etc.)
EDUCATION
- Community Advocate Training (CAT) workshop
- Participation in speaking events/engagements
- Blog posts about issues relating to domestic abuse in the Jewish community
REPRESENTATION
- Volunteer attorney representation for PFAs
- Legal Q&A
- Referrals to other agencies to address all client needs
- Case Management
- Court Accompaniment
Who We Are
Meet the Staff of Dinah
