A seminar exploring “The Secret of Substance Abuse in the Jewish Community” will take place Dec. 2-4 at Congregation Kol Am, 59 Broad St., Freehold.
Funding has been provided by the Jewish Federation in the Heart of New Jersey. The event is open to interested members of all faiths.
There is no charge to attend, but pre-registration for any of the services or workshops is recommended. Call 732-792-8000 and a $10 check will reserve a seat, and will be returned upon arrival.
The program includes the following services, presentations and workshops:
• Dec. 2, 7:30 p.m., Kabbalat Sabbath service on the Theme of Recovery and 12 Steps. The speaker will be Jane Fox, a recovering addict. The guest cantor will be Evette Katlin.
• Dec. 3, 7:30 p.m., Musical Havdalah service with Cantor Jerry Blum. The speaker will be Dr. Audrey Freshman of Adelphi University, discussing “The History of Addiction in the Jewish Community.”
• Dec. 4, 1-4 p.m., workshops about “The Chronic Disease of Addiction: Why Are So Many Affected?” presented by Connie Greene of the RWJ Barnabas Health/Institute for Prevention, and “Connecting Torah to Recovery and the 12 Steps” presented by Rabbi Ellie Shemtov of Congregation Kol Am.
“Our goal is to raise awareness of the disease of addiction in the Jewish community and to demonstrate how Judaism and Jewish texts offer wisdom that can facilitate healing and treatment,” Shemtov said.
“Many Jews would say alcohol and drugs are not a ‘Jewish problem,’ but rabbinic texts are replete with warnings about the dangers of alcohol. I have to wonder if the rabbis would have been so vocal on the subject if the problem did not exist in their communities,” Shemtov said.