Month: December 2018

Latest posts by Anonymous Female (see all)

One year ago, I was covered with bruises and cuts that never seemed to heal. One year ago, I was living off of one hundred calories maximum per day. One year ago, I was weak, cold, tired, sore, and sad every moment of every day. One year ago, I decided to finally start to turn Read More …

Author’s Note: I’m a single girl in my mid-twenties struggling with mental illness. I’ve struggled with mental illness nearly all my life. I’ve also struggled socially and academically. Learning didn’t come easily to me and neither did socializing. This is a letter I wrote to my family and community about how I worked so very Read More …

Shoshana Schwartz is a therapeutic horseback riding instructor and addictions counselor at Retorno. She is the author of four books and a regular contributor to Mishpacha magazine.
Shoshana Schwartz
Latest posts by Shoshana Schwartz (see all)

It’s 10 a.m. on Shabbos morning, and the congregation at Ohel Yitzchak (fictitious name) stands as the ark is opened. It is time to take out the Torahs. Voices join together in song, and approximately 30 congregants (mostly men and a few teenage boys) discreetly slip out the back door.   The sizable breakaway group Read More …

Tzivia Appleman graduated from the HANC High School class of 2017. She spent the following year studying in Israel at MMY and is currently in its Shana Bet program. Afterwards, she will be attending NYU. Tzivia is from Plainview, New York and is the former Regional President of New York NCSY. She's a passionate Jew who loves to write and take down the stigma!
Tzivia Appleman
Latest posts by Tzivia Appleman (see all)

The following is a piece from the Refuat Hanefesh column “Struggling Together: Mental Health in The Torah”. In this column, Tzivia Appleman draws on her time studying in Israel, as well as her passion for enhancing society’s mental health views, to propose ways we can understand the emotional state and struggles of the characters and leaders of Read More …