Mental Health
Mental illness and addiction are not uniquely Jewish problems, and neither are they ones that bypass the Jewish community. As a community we must be armed with the tools of knowledge and relevance to give these challenges uniquely Jewish approaches.
We hope to provide families, clergy and educators with the information they need to be sensitive to and aware of the needs of mentally ill and addicted members of our community. We know that addiction is a biological, physical, mental and spiritual disease - a disease that affects not just individuals, but their families and communities as well. It is a disease that can be successfully treated with proper information and help.
Even though addiction affects many congregations, conversations about alcohol and other drug use, misuse, and addiction are rare and uncomfortable. An informed Rabbi, supported by committed and trained congregational members, can serve by offering hope to those who suffer through the care of a recovery support team, or Tzevet T’shuvah, which can also provide help to those who want to prevent problems though awareness, education and early intervention strategies.
The Jewish Congregational Project of the Rush Center of the Johnson Institute seeks to help synagogues establish Tzivtei Tshuvah, or Recovery Teams. The Rush Center has been doing this work with ministers and churches for the past 15 years, and in 2006, established the Jewish Congregational Project to bring its mission and expertise to Rabbis and synagogues.
To find out more about the work of the Rush Center, contact:
Mindy Agler, M.Ed., LMHC
Consultant to the Jewish Congregational Project of the Rush Center
Providing Quality Education about Addiction and Recovery to Rabbis and Their Synagogues
T: 954.360.1234 (confidential voicemail)
What You Can Do
Ways to address Addiction and Recovery in your Synagogue
- Obtain at least a basic understanding of addiction and how to respond to addicts and their families, Paul Menitoff, former Executive VP of CCAR
- Understand the disease concept of addiction
- Understand the ways in which addiction affects the whole person
- In counseling sessions, ask the questions: “What part does alcohol play in your family life? What part do drugs play in your family life?”
- Offer an educational discussion group for people who love someone with an addiction problem and develop list of members willing to offer support
- Conduct prevention activities for your youth
- Offer a discussion on “What Makes a Successful Parent” to educate parents how to talk to their kids about addiction
- Have discussions about specific ways to build a relationship with G-d
- Initiate a weekly meditation/discussion group that focuses on spiritual themes
- Be familiar with the 12-Steps and be open to hearing someone’s 5th Step: “Admitted to G-d, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs”
- Talk about addiction from the pulpit
- Hold a Recovery Shabbat once a year, perhaps on Shabbat Tshuvah, or on the Shabbat in Pesach
- Include addicts and people in recovery in the misheberach prayer
- Contact the Rush Center for information on how to develop a צוות תשובה Tzevet T'shuvah or Recovery Team in your synagogue
Resources For Congregations
R'fuat HaNefesh | Resilience of the Soul | Litapayach Tikvah | Reform Jewish Nurses Network | JACS | Recovery Month | Al-anon/Al-Teen | Reform Judaism Magazine
Caring for the Soul R'fuat HaNefesh, which is part of an initiative throughout the Reform Movement to raise awareness of mental health issues, is intended to break the silence surrounding mental illness in our communities. Aiming for more than simple awareness, we hope that sections on prayer, meditation, and sample sermons will inspire proactive measures to welcome and address those in the community who are affected by mental illness.
Resilience of the Soul is a guide to creating programs of resiliency for youth & families, that embrace values of Healing, Health & Wholeness with the goal being to construct safe and caring communities in our congregations to foster the healthy physical, emotional and spiritual development of our youth.
Litapayach Tikvah is another valuable resource that is offered through the Department of Jewish Family Concerns. It focuses on creating programs that support families that are coping with eating disorders. It also contains, personal anecdotes, prayers and blessings.
Rabbi Edythe Mencher, Associate Director of the Department of Jewish Family Concerns, was recently interviewed by Aron-Hirt Manheimer, Editor of Reform 
Judaism, and Joy Weinberg, Managing editor. The subject of their conversation is one that many of us could relate to as we seek to help our loved ones who are ill, addicted, aged or suffering in the many ways one can suffer. Compassion is the Best Medicine, has been published in Reform Judaism magazine's fall 2007 issue. For more information on this and related subjects, please visit our:
Also, take a look at the following articles from Reform Judaism magazine:
The Reform Jewish Nurses Network was created as part of the continuing development of the Caring Community program, Kehilat Chesed, and in response to the evolving interest in the creation of congregation based programs that focus on wellness and health. There are a few things that you should know in order to create a congregational nurse program in your community. We know that in attempting to address the needs of the community, it may be difficult to discern a starting point. With this in mind, we have compiled some program guidelines and ideas, and the answers to some frequently asked questions for you.
JACS,a program of the Jewish Health, Healing and Recovery Network of the Jewish Board of Family and Children's Services, is a resource center that is dedicated to assisting Jewish alcoholics, chemically dependent persons and their families, friends and associates to explore recovery. JACS is a voluntary mutual-help group for Jews in recovery from Alcohol and other chemical abuse. Through this program, recovering Jews and their families connect with one another, explore their Jewish roots, and discover resources within Judaism to enhance their recovery.
Recovery Month provides a platform to celebrate people in recovery and those who serve them. Each September, thousands of treatment programs around the country celebrate their successes and share them with their neighbors, friends, and colleagues in an effort to educate the public about treatment, how it works, for whom, and why. Visit the Recovery Month website to order materials and to share the events supporting recovery that are taking place in your community!
Al-anon is a 12 step based group for family members of alcoholics who are trying to cope with their loved one's illness. It a place where you can refer members of your congregation, who are coping with a loved one's addiction. To find out if Al-anon is right for you, answer these questions.
