58 | SEPTEMBER 26 • 2019 THEJEWISHNEWS.COM
“W
hen my mother
was ill and died
last year, our
congregation dropped off more
kugels than we knew what to
do with. But when Laura died
from the overdose, not one per-
son came over after the shivah
to see how I was doing. No one
asked if I wanted to talk about
it … my congregation, my
friends, even my rabbi did what
needed to be done, but treated
my daughter’
s death as if it
were deliberate … as if I was to
blame. But we did everything
we could — counseling, three
different trips to rehab, clearing
every pill out of the house —
and Laura tried so hard, too.
But nobody wanted to hear
about it — then or now.” —
Leah G., after her daughter’
s
death by a drug overdose
Many families and friends
suffer when they discover that
a loved one is using drugs
(including alcohol). They are
unsure where to go or what
to do as they watch their
loved one’
s life, and their own,
begin to spin out of control.
Unfortunately, Leah G.’
s story
and her struggle to find any
support within her Jewish com-
munity is becoming less unique
throughout our country.
In 2016, Marla Kaufman
gathered a few friends in her
Orange County, Calif., back-
yard to share her concerns
about the paucity of services,
resources and supports she dis-
covered when her own family
realized 10 years earlier that
their son was suffering from
addiction. They knew they
couldn’
t be the only Jewish
family in their area facing the
problem. Yet the “Jews aren’
t
addicts” belief was there, caus-
ing families to feel stigma and
shame.
With their local Jewish
Federation and Family Services,
Marla and her family formed
the Jewish Substance Abuse
Task Force, collaborating
across Jewish denominations to
spread awareness, knowledge
and resources throughout their
area. She had the vision that
addiction would become what
she termed “a kugel illness” —
something for which a family
could expect the support of
their Jewish community.
In October 2018, finan-
cial support from the Jewish
Federation allowed Jewish
Family Service of Metro
Detroit to partner with the
T
ri-Community Coalition of
Berkley, Huntington Woods,
and Oak Park in bringing
Kaufman to the commu-
nity. Her Jewish Addiction
Awareness Network (JAAN)
workshop titled “It Happens
Here: Addiction and Mental
Health Issues in the Jewish
Community” is designed to
help Jewish clergy, lay and
community leaders grow in
understanding the experience
of families who love someone
going through addiction, treat-
ment and the process of recov-
Addiction in a Family —
Is it Kugel-Worthy?
MAUREEN LYN BERNARD SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH NEWS
Jews in the D
ISTOCK
continued on page 60
27th Annual Celebration
Jewish Senior Life’s Eight Over Eighty
recognizes eight distinguished leaders
in our community, all over the age of 80,
who have demonstrated a lifetime of
dedication to the Jewish value of
Tikkun Olam - Repairing the World.
CALL FOR NOMINATIONS
SAVE THE DATE
27th Annual
Eight Over Eighty Fundraiser
Sunday, May 17, 2020
11:30am at Adat Shalom Synagogue
Without your generous support, Jewish Senior Life
could not continue to provide quality services and
programs that are so vital to the lives of the older
adults and their families we serve.
FOR NOMINATION FORMS
jslmi.org/eight-over-eighty-event
or contact Beth Tryon at
248-592-5026 TTY #711
Btryon@jslmi.org
Nominations will be accepted
through December 2, 2019
over