Stories

Ellie
Latest posts by Ellie (see all)

Where Therapy Is Sometimes I hate therapy and what it brings up for me. I hate facing my failures, challenges, and the force of my own emotions. It’s the place where I am most raw and vulnerable, hurt and so wanting. Where I want to cry and let go but am too locked up sometimes Read More …

Nachum Goldstein
Nachum Goldstein
Nachum Goldstein, 23, is a student at Yeshivat Har Etzion. In addition to his Yeshiva studies, Nachum is pursuing a B.Ed. (with an emphasis on Talmud and Jewish thought) from Herzog College and hopes to enter the field of Chinuch. Nachum lives in Alon Shvut with his wife, Moriah.
Nachum Goldstein
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For as long as I can remember, I’ve tried to stay out of trouble. I was always a good boy in school, and as much as I could, I tried (and still try) to do the right thing. I even have memories of being nervous when someone else got in trouble during a class in Read More …

Batya
Batya will be starting college this fall after taking a gap year to learn in Israel. She has struggled with her mental health for many years, and hopes to help others throughout her recovery journey and beyond. She is planning on majoring in psychology, and eventually become a therapist.
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Do you know why I’m this sad? So angry, and tired with life? Why I’m abusive towards myself in ways I would never even contemplate being to another person, let alone people I care about? Why I think I’m worthless?     It’s because…. that’s what I felt I was being told for years. When Read More …

anonymous
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When I mourn the Beis HaMikdash (The Temple), I find myself mourning my own losses. I know that our world is one big destruction since the churban (destruction of The Temple), and while I struggle to connect to the loss of the Beis HaMikdash, I appreciate the time when I can connect with my own pain. May Hashem Read More …

Hannah Finkelshteyn
Hannah Finkelshteyn
Hannah lives in East Brunswick, NJ, with her parents and two cats. After the summer, she will begin studying Visual Arts at Mason Gross School of the Arts within Rutgers University. Hannah has been diagnosed with Generalized Anxiety Disorder since eleventh grade and ADHD Inattentive Type since about a year ago, and she hopes that her writing will help others see that they’re not so alone.
Hannah Finkelshteyn
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Poetry has, for a while, been one of my healthier coping mechanisms. Many an anxious spiral or panic attack have been, at least somewhat, calmed down by writing down some of my feelings in prose. The following poem was written shortly after my rejection from Princeton. Throughout high school, I had very high expectations of Read More …

Esther
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Today is the 17th of Tammuz, and I feel guilty for not being able to fast. Most days we, as Jews, are asked to serve Hashem with Simcha (happiness), to utilize the tremendous bounty around us to enhance our lives. In some ways, this can be more challenging, living in the physical world and enjoying Read More …

Shelli Sussman
Shelli Sussman
Shelli lives with her husband and three children in Teaneck, NJ. She has been in the field of Jewish education for many years and hopes that through this article she can help remove the stigma surrounding mental health and make more resources available for support.
Shelli Sussman
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I recently had a doctor’s appointment with a new doctor who seemed to be in a rush and did not look at my medical history before walking into my exam room. After the introductory banter and exam, he saw some of my scars from when I had self-harmed in the past. The doctor looked at me Read More …