Out from Mental Illness and Addiction Stigma and Into the Sun

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Delivered this Shabbat in anticipation of former Congressman Patrick Kennedy’s upcoming talk at RS about mental health/addiction parity and de-stigmatization.    At some point during my adolescent years, my father came home with a package and presented it to my sister and me.  It was a box of 1000 red pencils, each adorned with the words, “Just say no.” With the image of a skull and crossbones right beside the slogan, on each one.  Never known for his subtlety, my father’s loving gift reflected the oversimplified messages he was hearing in the 1980’s, about how to keep your children safe.

By the time my red pencils ran out, scientists, educators, therapists and advocates began to discover more about struggles involving substance abuse and beyond.  What does it mean to understand the role of the genetic component to addiction?  Co-occurring disorders?  Or that the stigma of addiction and of mental illness which can strip away respect, dignity and compassion?

Consider the complexities of genetics, co-occurring disorders and stigma, on top of the challenges of peer pressure and temptations to escape, and the presumably well-meaning Just Say No slogan can become an obstacle.  The “just” makes abstinence sound simple.  Originally a response to a question a young child asked of Nancy Reagan, Just Say No, makes avoidance sound easy.

If you fail to Just Say No, because perhaps you have a disease that appears to the rest of us as a choice, we blame you you for having a character deficiency.  We assume your disorder is a result of your own wrongdoing, you are choosing a harmful path, you aren’t trying hard enough, we don’t want those choices to touch us, so we isolate you.  You know we are going to isolate you, so you hide your vulnerabilities and those of your family. Perhaps so much so that you delay getting care.  (Assuming you can afford care.)  And the cycle of stigma continues.

In a nation where the suicide rate is double the homicide rate, we need to remove obstacles to mental health care. And societal stigma does not bring people to treatment.Continue reading

Hearing Patrick Kennedy April 12: Mental Health, Addiction and Compassion in Our Community

common_struggle_cover     In former congressperson Patrick Kennedy’s Memoir, A Common Struggle: A Personal Journey through the Past and Future of Mental Illness and Addiction, he describes a scene that took place just after he revealed his struggles to the New York Times.  There he was at a family occasion, surrounded bu relatives who were not happy about his public truth-telling.  Yet, there were some exceptions.  His cousin, Maria (Shriver) showed compassion to Patrick and said she thought was he was doing was fantastic.
     Maria showed support, she chose to bear witness rather than look the other way, and she offered her presence.  I have come to believe that this is what the Misheberach, our blessing for healing, is about.  More than it is a plea to God for healing power, perhaps the Misheberach is a plea to each other for the healing power we can provide others when we show support, choose to bear witness, and offer presence.

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Finding Access to Each Other: Jewish Disability Inclusion

Did you see or hear Stevie Wonder present an award at the Grammy broadcast last week?  He opens the envelope.  Then with everyone on the edge of their seats to hear the winner of that category, he turns his opened envelope towards the audience, to show us all the braille, as he chants with a smile, “You can’t read it; you can’t read braille, ah-nah-nah-nah-nah-nah!”  And he takes another second to relish the moment when, he could access information, that the seeing-audience, could not.  Stevie Wonder follows with the statement: “We need to make every single thing accessible to every single person with a disability.”

Does Stevie Wonder know that February was Jewish Disability Inclusion Awareness month?  Perhaps not.  Last month, designed to bring more awareness to disability inclusion in the Jewish community serves as a nice excuse to shed light on some challenges and opportunities we see in our spiritual life here at Rodeph Shalom.Continue reading

Shema: Free Speech & The Citizen’s Freedom to Hear

LDB-100Our portion of the week, parashat New Hampshire, has gotten me thinking about democracy and free speech. When the campaign results were in on Tues. evening, I watched all of the primary speeches, victory and defeat. Maybe I’m just shmaltzy, but I’m a patriot, and I was moved by most of the candidates’ devotion to serving our country.  Whether I agreed with their policies, I paid particular attention to the candidates who spoke about the way they listened to their constituents, heard the stories and experiences of every day Americans.

I’m not naïve; the New Hampshire primary also brings out the cynic in me. I am disillusioned by a society that claims to be a democracy, but continues to give a disproportionate voice to campaign funders, and to early season primary states.  That the first two are also overwhelmingly white states, only compounds the problem.  How is this nation to bring democracy to its citizens if it cannot hear their voices?

A midrash from Jewish tradition offers us an image, teaching: we were born with 2 ears and 1 mouth, in order to strive to do twice as much listening as we do talking.  It’s a strange lesson for such an extroverted tradition.  Yet the message is clear: listen.  Shma.  Listen.

And there are some in our American tradition who urge the same.

This semester, my alma mater Brandeis University, is celebrating the 100th anniversary of the appointment of Louis D. Brandeis to the United States Supreme Court.  Continue reading

No Shame, Just Support: Heart Health with RS Women

getheartchecked-infographic     Are you one of those people who loves lists?  To-do lists that live on temporary post-it notes, or bucket lists that endure in your mind?
     Many parts of the Torah involve lists: lists of names in the generations of the Israelite family, lists of materials and measurements in the instructions for the design of the tabernacle, and in this week’s Torah portion, more lists.  Parashat Mishpatim lists many laws that the Israelites need to keep in order to establish an ethical, healthy civilization.
     As I age, I find my trips to the doctor and the articles that catch my eye involve more and more lists about keeping healthy.  Lists of what to do: more steps, more sleep, more arch-support, more weight-bearing exercise, more meditation, more iron, more vegetables.  Lists of what to avoid: smoking, sugar, saturated fat.  Then there are the lists that change with the research of the day: soy? fish? complex carbs? I’m lucky–I am one of those people who appreciates lists.
     But even for us list-lovers, healthy living can be an overwhelming task. I find there are two helpful motivators in my own healthy living, both of which are rooted in Jewish wisdom.
1) Life is sacred.  God gave this body and this life to me and it is my sacred obligation — my mitzvah — to care for it.  This does not mean I need to avoid the pleasure and celebration that comes with chocolate and other delights.  But the sanctity of life does help to drive my sense of moderation.  The highest mitzvah in Judaism is Pekuach nefesh, translated as, to save a life.  But have you ever noticed, that translation is not precise?  The Hebrew for life is chai, as in, l’chaim.  But nefesh means soul.  To save our life is to save our soul.  While other faith traditions may focus on saving the soul in the afterlife, in Judaism, we focus on saving the soul–the life– in the here and now.
2) We are not alone.  The connection of community offers support in many challenges, including the challenge of healthy living.  When I learn about a new approach in yoga or a new healthy recipe, it’s a fun way to remember I am not alone in my efforts.  This is not to say we judge each other.  If I have been looking forward to celebrating with a doughnut, I do not want to have to do so in private.  And if you smoke, the community is not here to judge you.  We are just here to say, when you try to quit, we are behind you.  No shame, just support.
     Next week, Sun., Feb 7 at 10:30am (and yoga at 9:30am) RS Women will offer an important way for our community to deepen our understanding of women’s heart health.  Thank you to Betsy Fiebach for leading this event, to Ellen Simons and the RS Women for sponsoring and to channel 3 medical reporter Stephanie Stahl for moderating!  If you are a woman or if you know a woman, please join us in our effort to bear witness to the fact that life is sacred and that we are not alone.

Striving for Global Religious Pluralism

“I am a Muslim and I am so honored to be here in this sanctuary.  This would never happen in my country– visiting the home of an other religion. I will bring these lessons back to my country.”  These were the words of one of our guests at our Friday night service.  It was our honor to welcome the Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative on Religious Pluralism and Democracy to RS this Shabbat!  20 outstanding undergraduate student leaders from universities in Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, Philippines and Myanmar, led by the Dialogue Institute at Temple University and the International Center of Contemporary Education, are exploring U.S. history and society with a special focus on religious pluralism and interfaith dialogue.  Funded by the U.S. State Department, the program strives to send student leaders back to their countries with a vision of and a strategy for pluralism.

Rabbi Maderer’s Benediction at Mayoral Inauguration

mayor blessing looking downDelivered by Rabbi Jill Maderer, Inauguration of Mayor and City Council, The Academy of Music, 1/4/16.  

Today, we who call God many different names, and we who choose not to call to God at all, we Jewish, Christian, Muslim, Hindu and Buddhist, Philadelphians of diverse neighborhoods, races, sexual orientations and languages – today, we do not take for granted this peaceful transfer of power we call democracy.  Grateful for the past leaders who have renewed our city, and for the incoming leaders who are dedicated to the promise of our city’s future, we rejoice in a Philadelphia whose murals open our hearts, whose culture stimulates our minds, whose food delights our palate, whose diversity inspires our souls and whose history deepens our roots.

This week, the Jewish community read in our sacred text the story of Moses’ call to leadership. Tending the flock in the wilderness, Moses notices the bush that burns, but is not consumed.  When Moses sees that he is standing on holy ground, God charges him to lead the Israelites, saying: “Now go, I am sending you.”  Humble yet courageous, strong yet compassionate, sensitive yet visionary, Moses heeds the call.  He cares for and empowers the poor, uplifts the degraded, and sees dignity in the eyes of every human being.

Holy One of Blessing, as we go forth from this investiture, we ask your blessing on Mayor Kenny, Council President Clarke, our Councilpersons, city commissioners, sheriff, register of wills and members of the judiciary.  As they dedicate themselves to lead our city, to solve our common problems and to lift up all Philadelphians, God we ask you to:

Fortify and inspire our leaders with humility and courage, strength and compassion, sensitivity and vision, that they may care for and empower the poor, uplift the degraded, and see dignity in the eyes of every human being.

Ignite within our leaders fires – fires for justice and for mercy – ignite within them fires that burn, but are not consumed, that their actions may bear witness to the holy ground on which we all stand.

Amen.