I didn’t sleep through the night for a month after October 7th. I woke up at 4am, frustrated because I needed the rest, but something wouldn’t let me rest. Like many Jews, I learned about the massacre from a police officer who stands guard at a local synagogue. As chag (the holiday) carried on, people […]
Dear Jew in the City, Let’s say a teenager wasn’t able to express his real thoughts growing up, because his parents actively silenced him, gave him the message his opinion wasn’t wanted or didn’t meet his emotional needs in a significant way? In order to heal, he’s supposed to go through different stages of emotions. One […]
Dear Jew in the City, Honoring your parents is a Torah commandment that Jews of all backgrounds seem to know well. Jewish guilt is an often joked about stereotype and parents can sometimes become experts in guilting their children to abide by their wishes under the aforementioned commandment. In all seriousness though, part of a […]
While Hasidic Jews are often depicted in the media as being emotionally unstable, Gelly Asovski, one of the first Yiddish speaking Hasidic female therapists in Monsey, is trying to bring more mental healthiness to her community. Born and raised in Monsey – and raising her own family there as well – Asovski was not too […]
Dear Jew in the City- Judaism says we are supposed to be compassionate, but I feel overwhelmed by all of the world-wide tragedies lately. Is there room to sit out emotionally or do I have to be engaged in grieving with the rest of the world? Thanks, Teri Dear Teri, Thanks for your question. Being […]
Unfortunately, Orthodox Jews have notoriously been portrayed as dissenters of Western medicine and modern mental health services. TV shows and the media often share a narrative that these communities are cut off from the modern world entirely, but a new study has shown that’s actually not the case. When going through low grade anxiety and […]
