Being a psychologist whose profession is to support others, I, like so many therapists, froze with fear after the October 7th massacre in Israel. Overwhelmed by horror at the suffering of those who were brutally murdered and those taken hostage, I remember that right after the holiday of Simhat Torah I doubted whether I would […]
Therapists Post-October 7th and the Courage to Be Human Read More »
I was in my early twenties, already five years into an eating disorder that had consumed much of my young adulthood. My life had become unbearable: intrusive voices narrated my every meal, obsession circled around food and control, and small choices felt freighted with shame. Out of desperation, I finally sat in a doctor’s office
When Women Say They Are in Pain, Believe Them Read More »
The words that follow carry pain—and also seeds of hope. It is about depression and other mental illnesses. It is about the isolation and anguish felt not only by the person with the illness, but by their families as well. And…it is about taking steps to lift these stories out of darkness and shame. It
Opening the Dark Closet of Depression: From Silence to Support Read More »
Benjamin’s Story: “When my teachers asked in Hebrew school what I planned to be when I grew up, I never imagined I’d be struggling with a heroin addiction, stealing from my parents’ peace of mind and pocketbooks, or trading a bunk bed at Camp Young Judea for a bunk bed in a jail cell. I
Spirituality and Community: A Jewish Response to Addiction Read More »
This summer, as I sat on a plane waiting to take off for Tel Aviv, the “Homefront Command” alarm suddenly blared from my phone—a real-time warning of incoming rocket fire. Passengers froze. Some called loved ones; others checked the news. My spouse and I reached out to our daughters. Minutes later, the tension eased and
We Need a Jewish Language for Trauma, Not Only a Clinical One Read More »
Mental health has gone through unbelievable changes in the last 150 years. It would be beyond the scope of this article to enumerate those changes, but suffice it to say that the field has gone from being vague and mysterious to being fairly well-defined and quantitatively assessed. Where before there was no clarity on how
The Emerging Role of the Rabbi in Mental Health Issues Read More »
As two women whose professional and spiritual lives are rooted in public health, medicine, and Torah, we are honored to introduce this powerful issue of the JOFA Journal, dedicated to the many dimensions of women’s health in Jewish life. One of us, Mindy, approaches this work as a public health researcher, committed to understanding the
Toward a Community of Healing Read More »
