500 Show Up to Save Neshamos From Suicide

Photos: Shimi Kutner/COLlive

“The Alter Rebbe taught: The mitzvah of ahavat yisrael extends to anyone born into the people of Israel, even if you have never met him. How much more so does it extend to every member – man or woman of the Jewish community where you live, who belongs to your own community.”
(Hayom Yom, 3 Adar I)

Last week, on Sunday February 23rd, Crown Heights community members filled Razag hall for a day of suicide prevention training. 150 participants took part in the 3 accredited training sessions during the day and a further 350 attended the general session that took place later that evening.

The 500 community members that showed up clearly demonstrated that the Ahavas Yisrael as elucidated by the Alter Rebbe above is palpable in our community.

Rabbi Yarden Blumstein, a Chabad Shliach in Michigan, founder of UMatter, and certified LivingWorks trainer facilitated three 3-hour certified suicide prevention training sessions.

Each session gave the 45 participants clear direction on how to ask someone if they are feeling suicidal, how to continue the conversation, know if they are in danger, and what further action to take.

One participant shared that she found that “the steps for suicide prevention were extremely clear and doable” and that it was an “empowering experience” to be equipped with tools to effectively help someone in need.

A shlucha who attended the training echoed the same sentiment and said that he is “no longer afraid to approach someone to check in and ask if they are ok.”

Another participant relayed that she felt “Rabbi Blumstein did a brilliant job in encapsulating this enormously complex issue and enabling attendees to feel confident in having the skills to identify and help those that may be in need of preventative measures.”

She also added that she believes “it is imperative for every person in our community to feel confident in their ability to ask another whether they are contemplating suicide. We may think that this is too big of a question for us to ask, however asking it can only serve to benefit the person in need.”

That night the Razag Ballroom was filled once again as community members came together to learn what we as a community can do to combat the alarming rise in suicide rates. Renowned author and speaker Rabbi Shais Taub opened the evening by commending all those that attended and stating that “by showing up you’ve accomplished something already.”

Rabbi Taub spoke about the power a simple ‘hello’ can have on an individual and implored that we all stay connected to the people in our lives despite how busy life can get. He also commended Neshamos for putting together a community event of this stature for such an important issue and then introduced Neshamos founder, Dr. Eli Rosen.

Dr. Rosen stated that the core mission of Neshamos is “opening the dialogue”, giving those who are struggling, isolated and lonely a space to share and be validated as well as ensuring that their words are heard by educators, Rabbis and community members so that together we can all actualize the change that is needed to heal our community. He invited the crowd to show as much ‘caring’ as they can “on every level to every human being, particularly those within the community” and concluded his speech with a rallying cry of “we can do it!”.

Prior to the event, Neshamos released the inaugural episode of their podcast hosted by Moishe Chanin (linked below). The podcast’s first guest Herschel Stevens then addressed the crowd. Herschel shared his journey towards self acceptance as a survivor of abuse and several suicide attempts. His words were raw and real, he explained his motivation in sharing his personal pain and triumphs is that people know it is safe to talk. He wants everyone to know that it is safe to talk and talking helps, not only to therapists but also to our personal communities. At many points in his life he pulled through because a kind friend, supportive family member, understanding rabbi or loving teacher reached out and were there for him.

Rabbi Blumstein closed the evening with a powerful address. He spoke about his work with teens and the community at large and how he has seen first hand the impact of being there for someone in their time of need. He concluded by asking every member of the audience to ponder and reflect “what is one step you can take to make your relationships more meaningful, or how can you show your care for one person struggling in your life?”.

In Sanhedrin 4:5 the Mishnah teaches us that anyone who saves the life of a single Jew, it is as if he has saved an entire world. In her diary Anne Frank writes “how wonderful it is that nobody needs to wait a single moment before starting to improve the world”. Every single day we are presented with countless opportunities to make a real difference in somebody’s life, to connect, to smile, to save a life, to make a better world.

Organizers thanked Hershel Stevens, Rabbi Yarden Blumstein, Rabbi Shais Taub, Dr. Rosen, Moishe Chanin PCC, Meir and Chaviva P New and the entire Neshamos team for making this event happen.

Community event full replay:

Thank you to Rochel Stone, Shaina Butler, Musya Kuravsky for volunteering their time and energy to ensure the event ran smoothly.

Thank you Mica Soffer and COLlive.com for taking this message so far and for publicizing it powerfully.

With our day sessions sold out, over 300 attendees at our night session and close to 2,500 tune-ins to our live stream, our community showed up in a big way. Thank you to everyone who showed up. Thank you for showing that you care. Together, we are making a difference.

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Neshamos Podcast: Stories of Hope and Healing – Episode 1: