Original Article Published On The Camp Ramah In New England

Many people come each summer to see Tikvah in action—prospective parents, funders, educators, former staff members and friends who want to share a talent or skill. This summer, we have been blessed with three visitors who came to teach.

Chef Paula Shoyer comes each year to share cooking and baking skills at kishronia, a skill-building workshop for older campers. Despite working hard all day long, Paula always has some extra energy for members of voc ed, our vocational training program. Members of our program bake hundreds of cookies, cupcakes, cakes and other treats in our voc ed bakery. Thanks to Paula, we can now add scones to our repertoire!

Local educator, author and storyteller, Amy Meltzer, soon to be presented with the Covenant Award, was kind enough to join Tikvah during our medura, our weekly Thursday night campfire. Campers had read her book, A Mezuzah on the Door, earlier in the summer. What a treat to have her read aloud, present and sign a copy of The Shabbat Princess for our campers.

Former camper, Sierra Weiss, shared her love of dance and inclusion through a several day dance workshop some of our peer mentors. Sivan Rose Elefson, a dance and movement psychotherapist, worked with our group throughout the week and taught us a dance which we presented for the entire camp at Tikvah Shabbat, We LOVE the red Dance4Empowerment shirts.

We LOVE having visitors in Tikvah, and it is always fun to learn from so many different teachers. Thanks for sharing your time and talents!

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On Sunday August 9th at approximately 4 pm, a group of Camp Ramah in New England Niv 14 campers landed in New York after six amazing weeks on Ramah Israel Seminar. As these young men and women were enroute to their homes and were beginning to think ahead to Seminar Day in Palmer on Tuesday August 11th, one very special member of the Seminar group spoke with Tikvah Director, Howard Blas. Alexa Chalup, a longtime member of the Camp Ramah in New England community, returned from Seminar, as planned, after 3 weeks and soon after drove with her parents to Camp Ramah in New England to begin working in camp as part of the Tikvah Vocational Education program. Alexa is an amazing Ramah success story! She spent many years in a typical edah at Camp Ramah in New England, where she made many close friends. Alexa then spent time as part of both a typical edah and amitzim in the Tikvah Program. Alexa has many talents and a great sense of humor. She is also a young adult with Down Syndrome. Alexa can’t wait to see her (very tired!) Seminar friends when they come to camp in two days and when they join her on staff next summer. Hopefully, her boss in the voc ed bakery where she is an extraordinary cupcake baker will give her some time off to spend time with her friends on Seminar day!

Howard: How come you wanted to go on Ramah Israel Seminar?

Alexa: Because people, mainly Chipkin (former Ramah New England inclusion specialist, Elizabeth Chipkin, who currently serves as the Ramah Israel Seminar inclusion specialist) asked me to go because my friends were in Israel and wanted me to be there with them!

Howard: How do you know those friends?

Alexa: Weissman, Garelick, your daughter, Hannah, Veronica, Sole…we were all campers together here!

Howard: What was your favorite part of Israel?

Alexa: Climbing Masada! We had to climb up there were rocks and lots of dirt. We had to get up early. It was dark out. It was not pretty! We had to wake up at 2 am and get on the bus I am serious! I passed out on the bus I was so tired!

Howard: What was your favorite part of Masada?

Alexa: We saw sunrise on Masada!

Howard: Did you have any other favorite places?

Alexa: Jerusalem! I liked getting kosher candy at Machane Yehudah. And eating at the kosher McDonalds. I got Diet Coke, chicken nuggets and French fries.

Howard: Were there any other favorite parts of the trip?

Alexa: I stayed up all night on the last night Thursday night it was the last day with my friends, then we went back to the hotel with my family.

Howard: Tell me about your visit to Lotem (a JNF project which has an accessible nature trail and other accessible nature activities)

Alexa: It was nice and pretty. We did a perfume thing where we crushed it in a bowl and put the perfume on. My dad works with Lotem so they had a meeting in my house in New York a few months ago.

Howard: What was Shabbat like on Seminar?

Alexa: It was good actually! We took a long walk to the kotel. Up lots of stairs. It was a long walk back! It was hard to find my room because it was dark!

Howard: Did you buy any souvenirs for yourself?

Alexa: Candy! Lots and lots gummy bears. Sour watermelon worms, soda. I also bought a wedding ring for my wedding!

Howard: Were there any other memorable parts?

Alexa: the party boat it was horrible! I hate boats. I was sick of it. There was dancing.

The hike to the waterfall. Especially the walk down. It was hard to walk down. It was so pretty but we had to wear boots and hike through cow poop! And the dig it was downstairs and really dark. Then we got ice cream with crunchies!

Howard: What was it like when it was time to leave?

Alexa: I was happy I got snacks and groceries with my family after the trip. But I was sad to leave my friends. It was horrible! I left Bialik, my group. When I left, I made three announcements: I miss 3 Hannahs (on the group); I miss the guys in Bialik; If you wanna sleep over my home in Long Island, my cell is 516.

Howard: Anything else you want to say? What are you doing after camp?

Alexa: I am really happy about Seminar day. It was really hard coming back to camp since I miss all my friends who were on Seminar. But I like voc ed—I like to bake. I am a really good voc ed baker! After camp, I am going away with my family on a cruise to Greece and Italy. It is a graduation gift. I graduated and had prom. Next year I am going to college!

The expansion of opportunities to include teens with disabilities on Ramah Israel Seminar is being supported by a generous grant from the New York Teen Initiative, which is jointly funded by UJA-Federation of New York and the Jim Joseph Foundation. The Jewish Education Project serves as lead operator of the Initiative.

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Original Article Published On The Chabad.ORG

There are some topics people are happy to discuss with their friends and fellow congregants at kiddush after Shabbat services (and unfortunately, at times, even during services). Popular topics include local sports teams, the weather, the stock market, recent developments at local schools and politics. People might share reactions to the rabbi’s sermon, or express concern about a member of the community mentioned during the communal Mi Sheberach, the prayer for healing.

One topic that tends to be off limits is mental illness. We don’t generally discuss mental illness openly, and we often choose not to recite the Mi Sheberach for people dealing with issues of depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, substance abuse, eating disorders, schizophrenia and other mental health issues. Some Jewish communities, mental health professionals and clergy members are working hard to change that. Mental illness and substance abuse do exist in all parts of the Jewish community.

In a poignant editorial in the New York Jewish Week, “Telling the Truth about Mental Illness,” Ruth Roth tells the story about dealing with her son’s first suicide attempt.1

He made it through that episode alive and with minimal impairment to his body. Once out of the hospital he appeared to be the same Jonathan he always was: kind, loving, caring, bright, engaging, witty. He begged us not to tell anyone what happened—not that he needed to. Of course we would keep this a secret, for so many reasons. We didn’t want to have our son labeled “crazy”; we didn’t want him to endure any comments or knowing glances from well-meaning people. We were private people who never revealed our innermost issues to anyone outside our family. And we certainly didn’t want our son to feel exposed.

Without realizing it, by keeping this secret, we validated Jonathan’s feeling of shame. Not only would he have to battle his illness, he would bear the burden of shame about it as well. From this point on, our family would have to present an outside face to the world that did not represent our inner reality. We didn’t comprehend the gargantuan weight we would assume with this decision.

Would we have acted the same way had Jonathan been diagnosed with cancer, gastrointestinal illness, severe cardiac illness, or diabetes? Absolutely not—we would never have hidden any of those illnesses. Ask me now and I will tell you that I wish I had shouted it from the rooftop, done anything, taken out an ad in The New York Times: “My son has a devastating mental illness. Can someone, anyone, offer me some advice to save his life?”

Sadly, five months later, Jonathan committed suicide.

Roth continues, “Having lived with the pain of isolation for the previous five months, we decided to be open about Jonathan’s taking his own life. This way, our friends could comfort us appropriately. More important, we would no longer have to bear the burden of living with a lie. It was the right decision for us.”

Dr. Esther Altmann, a New York-based clinical psychologist, says: “Mental illness is known as machalat hanefesh, illness of the soul. It doesn’t reflect our understanding of the brain, but it captures the essence of what it means to struggle with mental illness for the person or the family. It reminds us that psychological suffering happens to each of us at some junctures—just as we experience machalat haguf—illness of the body.”

Altmann shared the following data on mental illness in any given year in the United States:

  • Approximately one in five adults—20 percent—experiences some form of mental illness.
  • Approximately 4 percent experience a serious mental illness that substantially interferes with or limits their functioning in one or more major life activities.
  • 1 percent of adults live with schizophrenia.
  • 2.6 percent of adults live with bipolar disorder.
  • 7 percent of adults have had at least one major depressive episode in the past year.
  • 6 percent of the adult population reported heavy drinking.
  • Suicide is now the leading cause of death for young people ages 15–24.

The numbers and stories are alarming, in the general population and in the Jewish community. Articles in the Jewish press, presentations and conversations at Jewish conferences, programs at synagogues and at communal gatherings are starting to raise awareness and offer hope.

In August 2013, Times of Israel blogger Diane Weber Bederman wrote openly about her mental illness in a revealing piece, “Mental Illness and the Jews”:2

I write about mental illness because I have one. I am a third generation mental-health survivor. I am named for my paternal grandmother, Devorah, and she had depression, as did my father. I was diagnosed in my late 40s with chronic recurrent depression. That means that there are times when everything is “tickety-boo” and others that are very dark. I was diagnosed when I was suicidal.

Stephen Fried, author (with Patrick Kennedy) of the New York Times bestseller, A Common Struggle: A Personal Journey Through the Past and Future of Mental Illness and Addiction, suggests ways to make the issue more central in the Jewish world. Fried wrote a provocative article called, “Jews Must Take Mental Illness Out of the Shadows.” In it, he asks,

What messages do we send to our congregations every day about mental illness and addiction? Do we, for example, believe in prayers for healing diseases of the brain the same way we do for all other diseases? Do we believe in mourning deaths from the tragic outcomes of these illnesses—suicides, overdoses—the same way we do for all other diseases? Do we regularly include these diseases in the “health” and “wellness” that we pray for and wish for others? Do our rabbis and community members offer hospital or home medical visits for these illnesses?

Regarding the Mi Sheberach prayer, Fried suggests, “Imagine the incredible power of hearing a congregation ask, as prayers do, for compassion, for restoration, for strength, for healing of the soul and healing of the body—and knowing that they are talking about you and your illness, too.”

Synagogues can bring these topics into the open by creating opportunities for awareness, discussion and networking. Mental health support networks are an essential way to keep families feeling less isolated and ostracized. Possible supports might include discussions and committees to organize help for those with postpartum depression and anxiety, suicide prevention training, mental health first aid treatment, a briut hanefesh (spiritual health) support group, mental health awareness Shabbatons, sessions for teens on body image and eating disorders, and more.

Dr. Andres Martin, Professor of Psychiatry at Yale University, sees an important role for rabbis and Jewish communal professionals. He stresses that forging alliances with culturally competent and informed providers can be a huge help not only for those in need of support, but also for rabbis and leaders. Martin further suggests, “It behooves rabbis and other community leaders, who are held in such esteem and respect, to become familiar with common mental health issues, challenges and illnesses. Depression, anxiety and substance abuse are very common, and early identification and treatment can be key to long-term recovery.”

There are several initiatives and training programs geared specifically to clergy and those working with teenagers. Most curricula combine clinical knowledge and Jewish texts to help identify and build resources to support the psychological issues that leaders are likely to encounter in communal settings.

Additionally, there are programs working with youth groups to address the topic of mental health in children and teenagers, raising awareness around issues of mental health and working to end the stigma of mental illness.

While the issue of mental health and mental illness is still in the background in much of the Jewish community, there are reasons for hope as the topic comes to the forefront in conferences, community forums and rabbinic training programs. As the Jewish community continues to tackle this complex issue, lives will be enhanced and hopefully even saved.

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The Original Article Published on The New York Jewish Week

As more Jewish camps across the country expand their programs to welcome campers of all abilities, a new online resource has been created in a partnership between the Foundation For Jewish Camp and the Ramah Camping Movement. The “Inclusion Training Guide for Jewish Summer Camps” is a comprehensive guide that camps are able to download and use for staff training.

It contains overviews of different types of disabilities, philosophies of inclusion and practical strategies for working with campers of all abilities. It also includes sample programs of how to teach inclusion to a whole camp — making every camper aware that disabilities can be both visible and invisible and helping to make camp culture more sensitive to differences among campers.

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