20 | NOVEMBER 28 • 2019 

Hundreds of individuals 

living in isolation from addiction, 

grief and mental illness fi
 nd a path 

forward at Friendship House.

TWENTY-FIVE YEARS
Get involved, go to friendshipcircle.org/foreverfriendship

I

n the early 1990s, a young man by 
the name of Daniel Sobel, who was 
struggling with mental illness and 
addiction, was introduced to a local 
rabbi. After searching for help, Daniel’
s 
parents found hope and a lifelong 
friendship for their son through Rabbi 
Yitschak Meir Kagan. Daniel would lose 
his battle with addiction, but his legacy 
would become the Friendship House, 
a community support center based in 
West Bloomfield, the inaugural program 
of The Friendship Circle.
“When my wife, Carole, and I lost our 
son to addiction, we knew we had to do 
something to honor his memory,” says 
Sam Sobel, Daniel’
s father. “Working 
with Lubavitch, we wanted to open a 
center where young adults who were 
struggling, felt distressed or alienated 
could find support and friendship.”
With a dedication to honor their 
son and help others facing similar 
struggles, Sam and Carole Sobel 
funded the opening of the Daniel B. 
Sobel Friendship House in 1994 on the 
Lubavitch Jewish Community Campus 
in West Bloomfield. Friendship Circle 
director Rabbi Levi Shemtov led the 
program for many years. Rabbi Yisrael 
Pinson was hired to establish a stron-
ger program, followed by Rabbi Benny 
Greenwald, director 
of the Daniel B. 
Sobel Friendship House. 
“Sadly, everyone knows someone 
or has a friend who knows someone 
who struggles with addiction or mental 
illness,” says Greenwald. “The Sobels’
 
vision to create a space for those indi-
viduals to come has become this beau-
tiful place where we are all partners in 
creating our own infinite life.”
Since its founding, the Friendship 

House has become a support system 
and an extension of home to hundreds 
of individuals along their journey. The 
house is a hub for weekly recovery and 
support meetings as well as weekly 
Shabbat dinners, Jewish holiday pro-
grams and social events. 
Friendship House connects people 
struggling with mental illness to others 
who’
ve faced similar challenges. “We’
re 
able to offer programs that integrate 
the 12 steps of recovery into Jewish 
faith,” Greenwald said. “Here, everyone 
has a friend.”
As individuals become involved with 
the Friendship House, they also begin 
giving back through mentorship and 
sponsorship, as well as through the 
community programs offered through 
the Friendship House. Each week, 
friends of the Friendship House prepare 
and deliver 30-40 Shabbat dinners for 
patients in the hospital, individuals in 
rehab and those who are homebound.
“A large part of recovery is giving 
back,” Greenwald says. “Our Shabbat 
dinner program serves hundreds of 
meals each month and is fully run by 
volunteers and friends. We want every-
one to know that wherever you are in 
your struggle, you can be a part of, and 
give back to, the community.”
Friendship House has become a pillar 
in the Jewish and rehabilitation commu-
nities. Everyone is welcome and finding 
the same hope Daniel Sobel found so 
many years ago. Throughout his time at 
Friendship House, Greenwald has seen 
the miracles that happen when people 
find a place of acceptance and hope. 
Within these walls, they are celebrated 
for their hard work and appreciated for 
their struggle. 

Friendship House: 
Acceptance, 
Community 
& Hope

“Sadly, everyone knows 
someone or has a friend 
who knows someone who 
struggles with addiction or 
mental illness.” 
— RABBI BENNY GREENWALD, 
director 
of the Daniel B. Sobel 
Friendship House

