The Young Israel of Teaneck (YIOT) has announced that Rabbi Dr. Alex Mondrow will return to the YIOT as part of the Dr. Bertram J., z”l, and Ann Newman Adult Education Program on Sunday, Nov. 6 at 8 p.m. His topic, “Depression and Suicide,” follows his previous presentation on “Understanding Anxiety in Our Children and in Ourselves.”
“Depression and suicide touch the lives of so many individuals throughout the world and within our community,” shared Rabbi Beni Krohn, rabbi of the Young Israel of Teaneck. “Dr. Mondrow’s sophisticated and thorough, yet easy-to-grasp presentations, provide the tools we all need to support our loved ones, our friends, and ourselves.”
The goal of the presentation is to provide an understanding of how depression and suicidality manifest in individuals. “This will hopefully empower individuals who are struggling themselves to see that there is hope for recovery and to provide us all with the tools we need to support others,” continued Rabbi Krohn. “On the one hand, people often underestimate how all-encompassing the experience of depression can be for someone struggling with it. At the same time, the average person can become so overwhelmed by the topic of suicide that we don’t realize that there is real help available.”
According to Dr. Daniel Lowe, YIOT adult education chair, “Remaining silent when there are so many cholim suffering really becomes a ‘Lo Taamod al Dam Re’echa’ issue. The impetus for bringing Rabbi Dr. Mondrow is to help rally our community to be better equipped to identify and help those in need. Rabbi Dr. Mondrow’s presentation will not be an academic lecture, but one which is more practical, designed to further demystify depression and suicide.”
Depression and suicide are serious mental health conditions. According to the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 45,979 people died by suicide in the United States in 2020 and 4.7 percent of adults 18 and over regularly feel depressed.
Rabbi Dr. Mondrow maintains a private psychology practice in Jerusalem and Teaneck. He also serves as the mental health advisor at Yeshiva University’s Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary (RIETS), where he trains students in pastoral skills and emotional intelligence. He is also head psychologist for NCSY Summer. He lectures widely in Israel and the U.S. on topics related to Torah, psychology and the intersection of the two.
The Young Israel of Teaneck is located at 868 Perry Lane. The lecture is free and open to the community.
