judaism

(image: Jami charity)

This weekend is the Jami Mental Health Shabbat 2025. This is an initiative very close to my heart as I was a volunteer with this project from its inception in 2017-2018, helping to get the shabbat into communities. The Shabbat grew from an idea to be more open about mental health across Jewish communities in the UK, with Rabbi Daniel Epstein at the healm (and the brilliant team at Jami), to a nationwide yearly initiative in synagogues, schools and homes. It raises awareness of mental illness and distress, encouraging conversations and breaking down the stigma in our communities by placing this discussion at the heart of them, through lived experience and Rabbis speaking about it in their pulpit.

The Shabbat has other initiatives including hosting a shabbat meal and asking guests to donate to Jami instead of a gift, a toolkit with resources to use, Challah makes and an open mic night on Sunday 3rd at the Head Room Cafe for the whole community.

As Jami say, “Jami Mental Health Shabbat coincides with Parashat Bo. On this Shabbat we read about the plague of darkness, which can be likened to the experiences of many living with mental illness and distress. The parasha also talks about how the Israelites, full of hope, could see through the darkness into the light. This special Shabbat is an opportunity for us to encourage conversations on mental health, raise awareness of mental illness and distress and share ideas on how to support ourselves and others within our community. “

Over the years, my Dad and I have given our talk about our lived experience of bipolar for this shabbat and in communities to hundreds of people including Bushey United and Chigwell United Synagogues, Belsize Square Synagogue and Edgware Yeshurun Synagogue. We also have spoken at Limmud Conference in Birmingham to share our story and had a question and answer session. This wasn’t easy for me with my anxiety as you can imagine!

This year, for personal reasons we are taking a break from speaking our mental health story, but we both support this shabbat and amazing charity. You can also read our story in my book ‘Bring me to Light: Embracing my Bipolar and Social Anxiety’

If you’d like to take part in the shabbat this year, please go to www.jamiuk.org/jmhs .

Let’s keep raising awareness of mental illness and distress and shine our light to the world. No one should ever feel alone in their community due to mental ill health.

Love,

Eleanor

jewish1

This post is being dedicated to my friend Helen Brown who wanted to know how being an Orthodox Jewish woman works and is compatible with having a mental illness. How supportive were the Jewish community when I was ill and what does Judaism mean to me?

So:

Let me start by saying that I was born into Judaism and raised Jewish, in a Modern Orthodox, United Synagogue Household- meaning I keep Kosher, rest on the Sabbath and observe all the festivals, learn and pray when I can. I also practise ‘tzniut’- dressing modestly and endeavour to live my life with the positive values of the Torah (Old Testament) bridging modern society . I have a great love for and appreciation of Judaism and I have found that it has kept me going through many difficult times.

Prayer in particular has had a very important resonance in my story. When I was ill in hospital with a bipolar episode two years ago, my friend brought me a tehillim prayer book- the Book of Psalms. Another friend brought me a book of strengthening hopeful quotes from Rabbi Nachman. Every day, I prayed to God to release me from my illness, to give me strength and to give me a full and complete recovery. I prayed that the Doctors and nurses would support and help me, and they did. I found freedom through my religion, even if I couldn’t always understand why this particular test was in my life. My friends also lit candles on the Sabbath with a prayer that I would get better and prayed for me.

The support from the Jewish community during this time was incredible. Rabbis visited me with warm chicken soup, cakes, wisdom, advice and prayers. Friends and family rallied round to visit and bring me food, soft toys, cards and themselves. The kindness was immense and never will be forgotten.

However, there is still a stigma against mental illness in the Jewish community, as there is in most other communities. When I first became ill at 16, I was ridiculed my many who did not understand the meaning of a bipolar manic episode. To this day, I believe there is a woeful misunderstanding and knowledge of psychosis- delusions or hallucinations. There is also a stigma when looking for a marriage partner, if using a matchmaker. I was taught by many to keep quiet about my illness and I still do not readily give the information unless it will help someone else.

Not everyone understands medication or psychotherapy and I am on a mission to educate everyone so the stigma can fall. I am a Modern Orthodox Jewish woman. This means I love God and want to live by His laws, whilst enjoying the modern world of theatre, books, cinema and culture too.

I believe that I was ill for a reason, whether its brain chemistry, a test or both. What I do know is that the community now is changing- there is much more support and kindness.

We only have to look at the new Jami (Jewish Association of Mental Illness) Head Room Café (a social enterprise cafe raising money for the charity) to see that. The funding and support Jami is getting and its new prominence.

There is still more to do, but we as Jews (and non Jews) have a duty to support anyone who is ill- whether its in the mind or the body.