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