May 2023
May 2023
May is Mental Health Awareness Month. It is also AAPI Heritage Month, National Clean Air Month, and the month for recognizing various other groups and causes. As Cantor Korn discusses in his cover article, May is notably Jewish American Heritage Month – a connection I find most interesting.
Many of us probably think of mental health as a newer phenomenon. We knew vaguely of its existence, but it wasn’t something that was discussed, much less understood. In ancient times, mental illness was believed to be caused by supernatural forces or demonic possession. People have locked others away in asylums from as early as the 17th century. Today there are more avenues to get treatment and more people seeking help, but a strong stigma still exists against those with a mental illness.
If you look at Jewish texts, it is clear that some of our most important figures struggled with mental illness. In “A Prayer for the Healing of Mental Illness,” Rabbi Elliot Kukla mentions
Jacob, King Saul, Miriam, Hannah, and Naomi, all of whom “lived with dark moods, hopelessness, isolation, and terror, but survived and led our people.” Finding stories of mental illness in the Tanach (Torah, Prophets, and Writings), stories where that person wasn’t the villain, but was a leader of the Jewish people, struck a deep chord with me. In his prayer, Rabbi Kukla interprets the descriptions of dark moods and hopelessness as a depiction of mental illness. Our language around mental illness has changed drastically over time, and those terms were often used as euphemisms for more severe emotions than those words may make us think of now. Whether or not you read these stories this way, each person struggles differently, and you can see how this interpretation arose.
If our ancient texts can depict people with mental illness in a positive light, why is that so difficult to find in more modern times? There are a host of films such as “The Shining,” “Psycho,” and “Fatal Attraction” where the antagonist has a mental illness which is usually portrayed very inaccurately. The media often uses words like “crazy,” “deranged,” and “insane” when describing someone with a mental illness. They often make the disease the person’s defining characteristic and describe violence as being common and normal. People tend to repeat what they hear and see, even if they don’t intend to be hurtful. When you’re constantly being bombarded by a way of seeing a certain group, it’s all too easy to internalize it, to develop a bias.
This May, let us recognize both Jewish American Heritage Month and Mental Health Awareness Month. Let us remember our ancestors, the struggles they faced, and how they made lasting contributions to our people. Let us fight stigma wherever we encounter it, creating a safe space for all those who struggle with mental illness.
Please check Shavua Tov for special upcoming events in honor of Mental Health Awareness Month.
Rina Kirsch, Mental Health and Wellness Committee Member