Ending The Silence Temple Beth El starts a program aimed at ending youth suicide. JILL DAVIDSON SKLAR STAFF WRITER ver 20 years ago, Michael Syme confided something terrible to his brother: he wanted to end his own life. But to his brother, Rabbi Daniel Syme ofTemple Beth El, this was a statement not to be believed, much less acted upon. After all, Michael was under the care of a psychiatrist who said everything was going well. Rabbi Syme lis- tened to his brother but, in the end, did nothing. But Michael did commit sui- cide. And, for Daniel, knowing what he knew and not acting on that knowledge will follow him like a shadow for the rest of his days. "It is a silence for which I will never forgive myself," Rabbi Syme said. The day his brother died, Rab- bi Syme swore he would do what he could to change that scenario for other people. He promised to someday help people to break the silence and go for help. Although he achieved his goal 0 of establishing a task force and clearinghouse for in- formation at the national level in the Reform move- ment, Rabbi Syme is about to begin a local pro- gram to prevent youth suicide that will be more hands on. "I am officially declar- ing war on youth suicide Peter Yarrow: Reach For Hope. in Detroit," he said. Targeting teens and going for help when someone ex- adults, the "Reach For Hope" pro- presses suicidal thoughts. gram will begin this Saturday More high school students as night with a concert featuring Pe- well as a group of adults have ter Yarrow of the folk group Pe- started the next session of the ter, Paul & Mary. It is free and class. For the high schoolers, the open to the public. class has become popular. In February, an all-day session "I would have required it, but on teen suicide and its prevention they have all elected to take it," will be offered at no charge to the said Joyce Seglin, congregational public. educator for Temple Beth El. "I A group of 30 teen-agers in the had to turn some kids away and temple's high school have com- put them into the next scheduled pleted a six-week course on "When class." Living Hurts." The course, an elec- Those who have finished the tive, highlighted the signs of sui- first class will receive a certificate cide and gave practical tips on at the community kick-off this weekend; others who complete the program in the future will re- ceive certification as well. Those who save a life through interven- tion will receive fur- ther recognition. Although the teen portion of the program is open only to those who attend Temple Beth El's religious school, the adult pro- gram is open to the community at a nomi- nal cost. In addition, the tem- ple is looking to health professionals from its membership to be part of a crisis intervention team. The team of doctors, psy- chologists and social workers would be available to a family or an individual in a time of need. "We are attempting to set up a corps of people who can help wipe out teen suicide," Ms. Seglin said. While other congregations have held symposiums for youth and adults on the subject, this will be a continuing program that will eventually find its way from the high school level to middle school and the primary grades. In an ef- fort to prevent suicide, Beth El's religious school teachers will in- dude in their curriculum lessons on life's trials and coping tech- niques, thus reinforcing the les- son each year as the child grows. Also, it will differ from the na- tional program, distributed through the Union of American Hebrew Congregations, which Rabbi Syme helped to start. On that level, UAHC acted as a clear- inghouse of informational videos and teaching kits for Reform tem- ples to use on the subject ofyouth suicide. Already, word is spreading about Beth El's developing pro- gram. Rabbi Syme hopes that one day the youth suicide prevention pro- gram will serve as a model for oth- er synagogues and organizations in the Jewish community and in the rest of the community. "First, we'll do it at Temple Beth El. Then, if anyone wants the program, we would be happy to share," he said. "There is no ownership interest in something like this." 0 Peter Yarmw will perform at Temple Beth El to kick off the "Reach For Hope" rogram 7:30 p.m., Saturday, Jan. 1 1. In addition, lie will perform with the youth choirs for the community's children and their fatnilies at 12:45 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 12. Savings Galore! 25-40% Off U) Discover the Difference LLJ Harvard Row Mall 21750 West 11 Mile Road Southfield, MI THE DETROIT JEW U) 810-358-5540 Showroom Hours: Monday-Friday 11-5 • Saturday 11-3 • or by appointment Monday - Wednesday 10-6 Thursday 10-8 Friday 10-5 American Fireplace Distributors 3160 Haggerty Rd. • West Bloomfield • 48323 • 810-624-7300 Steve Brown SALES, SERVICE & INSTALLATION 10662 Northend Oak Park , Michigan Tel. (810) 547-6777 Fax (810) 547-6678 =NEM VISA