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This past Sunday on October 22, a crowd of over 650 people gathered at Young Israel of Beachwood for an event titled “Better Together”. The goal of the evening was to bring together the Cleveland community to raise awareness and support people struggling with mental health challenges. Better Together was co-sponsored by two trailblazing organizations in the field of mental health; Naaleh, which provides mental health referrals and support, and Yesh Tikvah, which provides financial assistance for mental health services.

The evening’s program was opened by Dr. Meir Pollack, chairman of the board of Yesh Tikvah. Dr. Pollack described the growing need for help and support for mental illness in the community. He expressed heartfelt gratitude for the ongoing generous efforts of local supporters who make the work of Yesh Tikvah possible, before introducing the keynote speaker, Rabbi Ephraim Eliyahu Shapiro of North Miami Beach, Florida.

From the moment Rabbi Shapiro took the stage, the audience was enraptured, hanging on to every word of his impassioned presentation. Rabbi Shapiro addressed two groups of people in the audience, those who are experiencing a mental health struggle and those who want to reach out and offer help to the former. In addressing those suffering with a mental health illness, he urged people to get professional help. There is much help, support, and hope available, he said, and those with mental illness must find the courage to seize these opportunities, and think positively about overcoming their challenges. He also encouraged them to take one small step at a time to self healing and treatment. Whether it be telling a friend or a spouse, or making that first phone call, small steps make a big difference. On a communal scope, Rabbi Shapiro called upon every attendee to open their eyes to those around them who are suffering in silence. He compared the silent suffering of mental illness to those who experienced the ninth plague of Egypt, makkas choshech. The experience of choshech, he explained, meant utter isolation in the pitch-darkness, with no ability to draw consolation or comfort from others, which rendered it more severe than many of the earlier makkos that led to greater loss of animal and human life. Similarly, for those who suffer in silence, the anguish is in the solitude of isolation, and the pain of mental illness is compounded by the inability to receive help, support, and acceptance. “People can handle a lot of things,” Rabbi Shapiro thundered into the pin-drop silence, “But no one can handle the pain of being alone!” He urged each attendee to do what they can to reach out to people they know who are struggling and show your care and concern. For people suffering in silence, the knowledge that someone recognizes their crises, cares about them, and understands what they are going through is a powerful lifeline that cannot be underestimated.

The program was closed by Dr. Shlomo Koyfman, chairman of the board of Naaleh. In describing the work of Naaleh, Dr. Koyfman shared some eye-opening statistics about how frequently mental health challenges occur. “To anyone who is sitting in this room and does not know what I am referring to, then either the person to the right or the left of you does.” Dr. Koyfman described, in heartbreaking detail, the pain that surrounds a family dealing with mental illness, be it postpartum depression, anxiety, bipolar, addiction or other ailments. “Until you have seen someone that you care deeply about, be it a close friend, a family member, a patient or a neighbor experience this suffering, you don’t get it.” Dr. Koyfman – a radiation oncologist at Cleveland Clinic – pointed out that unlike other difficulties that family face like a cancer diagnosis, which often draws the incredible emotional and financial support of the community, families struggling with mental illness too often suffer in silence, pretending that nothing is wrong to the outside world. He explained that mental illness is commonly misunderstood, and those suffering often feel judged, at fault, looked down upon, guilty, ashamed and alone rather than loved, accepted and supported. In an impassioned plea for understanding and acceptance from the community, Dr. Koyfman decried the stigma attached to mental illness. The reality, he explained, is that just like diabetes and heart disease, mental illness is a disease that needs to be taken care of, its just dopamine and serotonin imbalances, rather than insulin or angiotensin. And he concluded his remarks emphasizing how treatable many mental illnesses are. “Between advanced therapy techniques, medications and all of the modern scientific advances in mental health, there is so much to be done to help people have healthy wonderful lives,” he said. And similar to other disease, including cancer, early detection and early intervention is the key to better outcomes. The sooner people dealing with these issues seek out help and get high quality help, the better the outcomes and the less detrimental impact it will exert on their lives. He explained how Naaleh, under its director Rabbi Chaim Helman, is a lifeline to call to find a professional that can help.

After these powerful presentations, the overflow crowd enjoyed an exquisite buffet catered by Kantina of Cleveland. Positive feedback flooded both organizations on the night of the event and the days following. Participants reported feeling moved, uplifted, and educated by the program. As one community member wrote in an email the following day, “Bringing awareness about the seriousness of mental health and all it encompasses is so important, and it is truly remarkable that you achieved this at such a huge capacity.” The immediate effects were obvious; the event inspired both individuals and organizations to work more closely together for the greater good.

Better Together was about bringing mental illness to the forefront of our communal consciousness, educating individuals to understand and accept the reality of mental illness, and empowering us all to become a part of the solution. The event turnout, as well as the dramatic after-effects, have proven that this endeavor was a success, and that our community is, indeed, growing, learning, and becoming Better Together.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)