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continued from page 20

pitalized longer, particularly those
from Orthodox communities.
Curious about this unsettling pat-
tern, Mintz began questioning his
patients. He discovered they were
often fearful of damaging their family’s
reputation by opening up or felt peo-
ple outside of the Jewish faith could
not comprehend their struggles.
Mintz also witnessed people in
his personal life facing challenges.
His close friend, Nathan Gilson,
approached him several years ago,
saddened by a friend who commit-
ted suicide with no apparent warn-
ing signs. He urged Mintz to utilize
his psychiatry background to help
Jewish people talk more openly
about mental illness.
As Mintz settled in to his residen-
cy program at the Hennepin County
Medical Center in Minneapolis, he
set to work on developing a support-
ive network geared toward Jewish
people.
Rather than an in-person group,
Mintz decided to create a safe
space online where people could
remain anonymous, yet still receive
support. With the help of his wife,
Avital Mintz, they launched Refuat
Hanefesh (www.refuathanefesh.org)
in August 2016, based in St. Louis
Park, Minn.
Refuat Hanefesh means “healing of
the soul.” Mintz selected the name to
emphasize that in Jewish tradition,
the prayer for healing is dedicated to
both the body and soul.
After generating a strong fol-
lowing within its first year, Refuat
Hanefesh became a nonprofit in
2017. Mintz hired a team of experts
across the country, including social
workers, psychologists, psychiatrists
and rabbis to help the organization
flourish. His friend, Nathan Gilson,
now acts as vice chair and treasurer.
While Refuat Hanefesh is geared
toward the Jewish community, the

site welcomes everyone. The website
offers a bounty of resources, plus
insightful blog posts featuring sto-
ries of mental illness, typically with a
Jewish spin.
Live conversations also take place
monthly, featuring mental health
professionals who interact with
users on the site and respond to
questions in real time.
In Mintz’s view, a key aspect of
Refuat Hanefesh is its virtual sup-
port room, where people create a
username to freely express them-
selves in a comfortable forum.
“The goal is not merely to get
questions answered, but to build a
community of support and to help
people realize they are not alone,”
says Mintz, who notes online users
span at least six continents.
In the upcoming months, Mintz
and his team are adding more mod-
erators and focusing on linking the
support room with social media
platforms.
While more development is under
way for Refuat Hanefesh, Mintz has
received overwhelmingly positive
responses so far.
“We constantly get feedback on
blog posts and live conversations
that we are saving lives,” Mintz says.
People have also shared their ini-
tial hesitancy to seek treatment until
discovering Refuat Hanefesh, along
with an increase in discussions
about mental illness at Shabbat din-
ner tables everywhere.
While the organization has led
to a positive shift regarding men-
tal illness, Mintz knows there are
still Jews who are hesitant to come
forward and ask for help across all
denominations.
“The status quo does not need to
continue — the stigma can and will
end in our generation,” says Mintz.
“It is up to each of us to take action
and make that happen.” •