Avraham, who battled drug addiction for 10 years, says that a Montreal crisis treatment center convinced him that his life was not defined by his dependency.
Rabbi Meir and Frumi Kessler provide a sense of community for Jewish addicts and those in recovery through a combination of Shabbat dinners, weekly meetings and a halfway house.
For recovering addicts, the four cups of the Passover Seder can represent enslavement instead of freedom. A Sober Seder run by a Chabad House in Los Angeles will give them the opportunity to celebrate the holiday without the fear of relapse.
For almost 20 years, Chabad Project Pride-Centre Lifeline has been helping area residents suffering from all types of addiction. It focuses on personal relationships and the root causes of unwanted behavior.
Chabad rabbis are targeting an overlooked population that they say is hungry for spiritual uplift: addicts who are Jewish. Chabad's "Jewish recovery" movement is gaining momentum.
“I am really looking forward to the Sober Seder,” states Carter. This is her first year attending, and she hopes to gain a “deeper understanding of Passover, especially as it relates to our struggles with addiction.”
I knew about Chabad's work. I knew they do great things. It's one thing to hear about people being helped, but it's quite another to see them first hand.
East London rabbi Aryeh Sufrin founded Drugsline, devoted to educating youths about the dangers of drugs and helping people of any faith who have become addicted. Nearly killed by terrorists, this rabbi dedicated himself to helping drug addicts, including Muslims.
In recognition of his groundbreaking work tackling substance and alcohol abuse, the founder of Drugsline received an MBE, becoming a Member of the Order of the British Empire.
This Russian-born, wandering Jewess went from one end of the Soviet Union to another, from Asia to Western Europe, and finally to the not-so-welcoming arms of North Africa. Now in her eighties, Mrs. Pinson is still very much spry, effusive, and well-dressed in clothing with European flair...