COVID Response- Public Health and Mental Health December 11, 2020 Agudah Convention’s Mental Health Professionals Track Draws Record Number of Participants December 11, 2020 COVID isn’t the only area in which we lack immunity. While issues of mental health have lurked in the shadows for years with many afraid of seeking help for fear of being stigmatized, our community has come a long way in the recent past when it comes to facing those particular problems head on. Since 2016, the annual convention of Agudath Israel of America has featured a dedicated track for mental health professionals, providing them with an opportunity to be guided by daas Torah on the halachic and hashkafic aspects of the many thorny issues that arise in the course of their work. The virtual platform of this year’s convention eliminated all geographic limitations, opening up the dedicated mental health track to a larger number of participants and presenters than ever before. More than 250 mental health professionals from across the United States, Canada, Europe and Israel took part in the program which had sessions running from 2 to 11 PM on Thursday, with a break for the participants to take part in the convention’s keynote address. The program opened with back-to-back question and answer sessions, that had Rav Yitzchok Berkovits, Rosh Kollel of the Jerusalem Kollel and Rosh Yeshiva of Yeshiva Aish HaTorah, addressing inquiries regarding dating, marriage and shalom bayis, followed by Rav Sholom Kametesky, Rosh Yeshiva of Talmudical Yeshiva of Philadelphia, fielding queries on yiddishkeit and mental health with a focuschinuch on and parenting. Rabbi Dovid Schustal, Rosh HaYeshiva, Beth Medrash Govoha, and the Kossover Rebbe, Rabbi Shraga Feivish Hager, offereddivrei chizuk to participants whose work touches on very delicate issues and can often be emotionally draining. A post-keynote panel discussion specifically gave students and newer clinicians an opportunity to hear from experienced therapists who areshomrei Torah u’mitzvos. The session was addressed by licensed clinical social workers Rabbi Moshe Rotberg and Mrs. Shaindy Bondi who spoke about the challenges and rewards of being a therapist. Dr. Chaim Neuhoff worked closely with a committee of mental health professionals to organize the convention’s dedicated track. He noted that the sensitive issues that arise within the Torah community are extremely nuanced, with clinicians needing to find resolutions that balance multiple sensitivities. “Many of those in the mental health field find themselves in an extremely lonely profession and bringing so many of them who struggle with the same cultural and religious issues together, even remotely, is both validating and encouraging,” said Dr. Neuhoff. “Being able to speak with Rabbanim who are so knowledgeable about the intricacies of our field and can address them comfortably is helpful and rewarding.” Having a mental health professionals’ track at the annual Agudah convention is just one of many initiatives of the Agudah’s Torah Projects Commission, which is also involved in online programming for those in the field. Future sessions are being planned for those employed in other professions, said Rabbi Eliyahu Simcha Bamberger, a coordinator with Agudah’s Torah Projects Commission. “Baruch Hashem, we have so many talented professionals in our community and while they may be fully trained in their field of choice, many occasions arise where they need guidance from our gedolim on particular issues that crop up,” noted Rabbi Bamberger. “We have seen and heard how the convention’s mental health professionals’ track has been extremely helpful to those in that field and look forward to continuing to work with them to help them in their efforts serving Klal Yisroel.” Rabbi Sholom Rabbi Shraga Kamenetsky Rabbi Yitzchok Hager, Kossover Berkovits Rebbe Rabbi Dovid Schustal Agudath Israel Partners with UTF to Host COVID 2.0: Maintaining Your Sanity December 11, 2020 Maintaining Your Sanity: Agudath Israel’s webinar with the United Task Force. Top left, clockwise: Dr. Yitzchok Schindler, CEO Pesach Tikvah; Rabbi Ami Bazov, Coordinator of Education Affairs for Agudath Israel of America; Rabbi Boruch B. Bender, President of Achiezer; Dr David Pelcovitz, Azrieli Graduate School. COVID-19 has been at the focus of our lives for the past six months. Our lives have taken on a “new normal” that would have been impossible to believe in February of this year. Understanding the need for additional guidance, Agudath Israel partnered with United Task Force, in conjunction with the many Jewish agencies of the Task Force, to host a virtual event focusing on “Maintaining your Sanity” immediately after the yomim tovim, at this most challenging time when parents are adjusting to the new school year. The event was chaired by Boruch B. Bender, president of Achiezer, who offered introductory remarks. The program covered a series of topics together with a discussion for parents by a panel of professionals, namely, Dr. David Pelcovitz, Azrieli Graduate School, and Dr. Yitzchok Shindler, CEO Pesach Tikvah. There was a fascinating Q&A with the panelists after the program. Agudath Israel looks forward to hosting more of these events. COVID 2.0: Maintaining Your Sanity – a Special Webinar December 11, 2020 Seems like your sanity is slipping away under the pressures of life during COVID-19? You’re not the only one, and Agudas Yisroel, in conjunction with the United Task Force, Achiezer, and Pesach Tikvah is pleased to invite the public to a special discussion on Wednesday evening, October 14, at 8:45 pm EDT. The event, titled “COVID 2.0: Maintaining Your Sanity,” will feature Dr. David Pelcovitz, Azrieli Graduate School, and Dr. Yitzchok Shindler, CEO Pesach Tikvah. The evening will also include remarks by Boruch B. Bender, president of Achiezer, and Dr. Joel Rosenshein, a senior member of the United Task Force. Questions from the audience will be address by the panelists after the lecture. Please submit your questions to [email protected]. Questions will be treated with confidentiality. “We have heard from so many people about the pressures they’re facing,” said Rabbi Labish Becker, Agudah’s executive director. “These times call for new strategies for dealing with everything that is piling up, and we hope that people will come away with practical direction to help them cope.” Login on Wednesday night, 8:45 pm, at https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83708862667. Agudath Israel to Partner with RELIEF to Host a Back to School Event December 11, 2020 This Sunday, August 30th at 8:00 PM EDT, Agudath Israel, in conjunction with Torah Anytime and the Flatbush Community Fund, will partner with RELIEF to host a virtual event for the upcoming back to school period. The event will feature Rabbi Elya Brudny, Rosh Yeshiva Mir Brooklyn and Chaver Moetzes Gedolei Hatorah, and Dr. Shmuel Mandelman, and will discuss the process of reintegrating ourselves into this new and different school session. The event will also a feature a Q&A session moderated by Duvie Kessner, Director of Operations at RELIEF. Watch or listen live atwww.torahanytime.com/agudahlive or by calling 718.298.2077 ext. 52, or, in Lakewood, join at Yeshiva Ketana Hall, 120 2nd Street. To submit questions for the Q&A portion, email [email protected]. Meeting our Community’s Needs: During the Pandemic and Beyond December 11, 2020 Photo Credits: Tuzemka/Shutterstock.com By Esty Mendelowitz The current reality has tested each of us in unprecedented ways. But for those in our community who were already dealing with personal challenges prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the level of difficulty has been compounded exponentially. In keeping with its mission of strengthening Torah life, advocating for the community, and serving each individual, Agudath Israel of America, represented by Executive Director Rabbi Labish Becker, recently participated in a meeting of The United Task Force to discuss the needs of the Jewish community during this difficult time. The United Task Force, or UTF, is comprised of a wide variety of mental health and other community-based organizations that serve the Orthodox Jewish community in the metropolitan area and beyond. The organization is an umbrella group that pools our community’s finest resources to make them available to the most vulnerable of our population, including individuals grappling with mental health challenges, addiction, domestic violence or relationship issues, as well as our cherished Holocaust survivors. Representatives of each of UTF’s member agencies meet five times per year to network, compare notes, and brainstorm about the best ways to help their constituents. Agudath Israel feels privileged to be part of United Task Force and Rabbi Becker is a founding executive committee member of the UTF. Although the most recent meeting could not be held in person due to COVID-19 restrictions, it took place via Zoom videoconferencing, and what emerged from the meeting was nothing short of remarkable. While each agency was challenged by the pandemic on a personal level and limited in the assistance they could provide, they each stepped up with superhuman efforts to assist those who needed them most during this troubled time. These unsung heroes were truly the front-line workers amidst an unprecedented crisis. Their brief reports, from the trenches, offered a heartbreaking glimpse into how our community, particularly the most vulnerable populations, have suffered throughout the pandemic. Each agency shared how they were able to help during the pandemic and the lessons they learned. “At the beginning of the pandemic, people suffered from loneliness and uncertainty,” said Dr. Faye Zakheim, Ph.D. LCSW, chair of the UTF. “As the days turned into weeks, and then months, however, many had trouble regulating their feelings and have turned to unhealthy coping mechanisms.” While many of the member agencies pivoted to serve their clients remotely, they reported being deluged with calls for assistance.