On Jan. 31, a free, community-wide event titled Breaking the Stigma: Substance Abuse and Behavioural Conditions in the Jewish Community was held at Beth Tzedec Congregation. Hosted by a number of Jewish organizations in the city, the evening was dedicated to promoting understanding of substance abuse and behavioural (i.e: gambling, shopping, Internet) issues generally and in a Jewish context, and to challenging the stigma around addictions.
Featuring a panel discussion comprised of both clinicians and individuals with personal ties to the issues, the evening was a follow-up to the organizers’ inaugural Breaking the Stigma event, held at Shaarei Shomayim Congregation last winter. Last year’s panel focused on understanding depression and suicide in the Jewish community.
This year’s Breaking the Stigma panel was moderated by Dr. Molyn Leszcz, Psychiatrist-in-Chief at Mount Sinai Hospital.
The presenters were: Ori Goldstein, director of development at at Jewish Addiction Community Services (JACS), who provided a personal perspective on living with, and recovering from, addictions; Dr. Jan Malat of the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) and Mount Sinai Hospital; Dr. Bruce Ballon of CAMH and Mount Sinai Hospital; David Kaufman, director of outreach and education at JACS and Phyllis Bensoussan, who provided a personal perspective on having a family member struggling with an addiction.
The event concluded with a lively Q&A session.
The event sponsors were Beth Avraham Yoseph of Toronto, Beth Tzedec Congregtation, Camp Ramah in Canada, Holy Blossom Temple, JACS, Jewish Family & Child, Mount Sinai Hospital, Shaarei Shomayim Congregation and the UJA Federation of Greater Toronto.
