FEBRUARY 11 • 2021 | 7
bluntly honest. His answer
was, “Whoever said life was
going to be easy.” We might
not have signed up for it, but
this is what life is, and we have
to make peace with that and
do the hard work.
The third lesson is that Rabbi
Twerski did not function within
the usual conventions of his
Hasidic origins. He stood up
for what is right no matter what
other people thought or said.
The fact that he worked in a
Catholic medical institution
and wrote a book about it, The
Rabbi and the Nuns, attests to this.
So does the fact that he spoke
out about serious mental health
issues that no one else wanted
to talk about, and that many did
not want him to talk about.
COURAGE TO BREAK TABOOS
For me, the most impressive
dimension of who Rabbi
Twerski was is his courage. If
we take a step back and look
at his impact, his courage to
“break the taboos” around
mental issues in the Jewish
community have impacted the
entire fabric of the Jewish and
the Orthodox Jewish commu-
nity and will continue to do so
for decades to come.
It is easy to forget how up
until the 1980s, maybe even the
1990s there was a very strong
stigma around therapy, psychol-
ogists and mental health issues
(not to say it has disappeared
today). Rabbi Dr. Abraham
Twerski, just by the symbolic
message of his distinguished
Hasidic background merged
with being a practicing psychia-
trist dispelled those stigmas. But
that was not enough for him.
He spoke out over the decades
about mental health/social
issues that no one else would
talk about.
From therapy and mental
illness, itself, to addiction
(substance abuse, pornography
and gambling), to domestic
abuse and violence and to the
most difficult of all to bring to
light, sexual abuse, he fearlessly
pushed the Jewish, Orthodox
and ultra-Orthodox commu-
nities to deal with these issues.
The silent victims would no
longer be alone without protec-
tion, and those suffering from
their own struggles would no
longer be without resources.
Rabbi Twerski was not just
an author and a public figure,
he personally got involved in
organizations, attended events
and conferences to help and
encourage people with his
personal warmth and caring.
We now live in a world with
Orthodox therapists and
nonprofits to help those who
are struggling. There are still
obstacles to overcome, there
is still stigma around mental
health issues, there are still
those who are protecting abus-
ers, and there still needs to be
more awareness and resources
devoted to mental health prob-
lems.
Rabbi Twerski was a brave
voice who spoke out despite
criticism, opposition and even
fallout for his family. He left
us a legacy of standing up for
those who cannot stand up
for themselves, it is up to us to
carry on that legacy.
Rabbi Jonathan Feldman is community
educator for Am Yisrael Foundation, an
organization that runs programming for
young olim and expats from all over the
world in Tel Aviv. After attending Cornell
University, he received his Rabbinic ordi-
nation from Yeshiva University and his
Ph.D. in Jewish Studies from New York
University. He has lectured widely as a
guest speaker on Jewish topics.
TEACH LITERACY continued from page 4
Of great significance is the
fact that literacy is vital for
comprehension and the inter-
nalization of values. Modeling
of helping behaviors will
be effective when children
understand the importance
of being supportive of others.
Reading stories with a moral
and that teach a lesson will
only transfer the idea of virtu-
ous behavior, if messages are
understood.
Most schools today provide
human relations programs for
children (HRPC). The goals
of HRPC include furthering
self-esteem, supporting virtues
and avoiding vices, control of
emotions, awareness of human
similarities and respect for
individual differences. Content
of HRPC will clearly go “in
one ear and out the other” if
the lessons are not understood
because of impaired compre-
hension.
To facilitate the early devel-
opment of literacy, the role
of parents can be crucial. It is
the sharing of thoughts and
feelings between parent and
child that evolves into a trust-
ing relationship. The child
knows that parents can be
relied upon for support and to
model desired behaviors. As a
result, mentors such as teach-
ers, clergy, pediatricians and
other community members
may also come to be trusted as
they transmit values and the
development of higher levels
of literacy through learning.
There are practical pro-
grams that can be instituted
to promote early learning
and literacy in children. Both
physically and psychologically
non-abusive parenting edu-
cation can be incorporated
into prenatal classes. Universal
preschool is a must. Ongoing
quality education is a require-
ment as a child matures. Such
needed initiatives have been
known for decades. Their
institution clearly has the
potential to result in a more
productive and peaceful soci-
ety. Unfortunately, with the
present economic downturn,
new vitally needed programs
may be especially difficult to
establish.
Dr. Katzman of Farmington Hills is
a retired pediatrician who has been
focusing on understanding and pro-
moting initiatives that are most helpful
in optimizing the psychosocial and
academic development of children.
RABBI TWERSKI SPOKE OUT
OVER THE DECADES ABOUT
MENTAL HEALTH/SOCIAL ISSUES
THAT NO ONE ELSE WOULD
TALK ABOUT.