The Jewish Link had the good fortune of a visit from Rabbi Israel Ettinger, executive director of Shalvat Chayim, an organization that oversees group homes for “those who have never been at home with themselves.” It is similar to Ohel and originally instituted in 1978. Its developers realized the need to serve soldiers who were hospitalized for post-traumatic stress disorder as a result of the Yom Kippur War. Their goal was to provide a homelike atmosphere instead of mental hospitals for the patients. Over the years the needs of Shalvat Chayim recipients and their services were expanded to encompass warm, therapeutic environments for young people suffering from schizophrenia and drug addiction and other destructive behaviors.
Schizophrenia generally manifests itself in the late teens or early 20s. Young men and women who are about to be adults find themselves no longer able to participate in activities that they were always accustomed to and their behaviors become bizarre and in many cases impossible to handle. Families become in states of flux and in many cases have nowhere to turn. The care needed is overwhelming and the burden on the entire family becomes terribly stressful.
Rabbi Ettinger related stories of the many families from the States who heard about Shalvat Chayim and brought their children to Israel in order to give them the chance to rehabilitate themselves through their amazing services. In Israel, Ezer Mizion, which is Israel’s largest medical support organization, places patients from mental hospitals under the Shalvat Chayim umbrella. He related a story of a young man who had received semicha from Yeshiva University and had received his CPA degree when suddenly he manifested signs of schizophrenia and, as they say, “hit skid row.” After 20 years of trying many different treatments in the US he left for Israel. He pitched a tent and lived by the Yam in Tel Aviv. Rabbi Yossi Edery, director and the son of the original director of Shalvat Chayim, drove to the spot where the young man was and offered him a ride. He brought him to their assisted living home in Har Nof. After years of treatment and medication that stabilized him, the “not so young” man is now functioning well with the proper medication and therapy, which took years to perfect and he now practicing accounting once again in America.
For those who know families that are traumatized by the nightmare of mental illness, or drug or other types of addiction, spreading the word that there is an organization such as Shalvat Chayim is very important. Infrequently can one find such resources, and in the United States we in the frum community have a difficult time when faced with such painful decisions. An organization that bends over backwards to accept those who have been rejected by society for so many years deserves our utmost support. The tragic stories of residents in their homes can be any member of our families. To see some of these stories go to the website at http://shalvathaim.org. Rabbi Ettinger can be reached at [email protected] or in the United States at 845-641-1137.
By Nina Glick
