Queens, NY – NYPD and the Medical Examiner’s office responded today to 67th Place in Queens, for a female that overdosed and died.
The kind hearted 28-year-old former student of Bais Rivka of Crown Heights, slipped into a drug abusing lifestyle many years ago and today passed away from a drug overdose.
The Medical Examiner office reached out to Chesed Shel Emes who picked up the Nifter and made all arrangements for the funeral which was held today.
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bd’e
may her family have a nechoma.
oyyyyyyyyy!!!!!!!!!
tatte – genug shoin
Its so sad that the great people in Chesed Shel Emes have to be busy all the time with such tragic stories. Yibola hamoves lonetzach, Amen!
When will we wake up and admit that there is a problem, B”H not as significant as in the goyish world, but enough that we should be doing something about it. OD’s on drugs are not the only type of overdose. One can & does become addicted to alcohol and it is no less deadly. WAKE UP watch what your kinderlich are doing.Be nosy Be Concerned. Be a PARENT just like your Mamma & Tate were to you!
She was my sister. I have addictions of my own, they run in familys. I fight the battle with the bottle. Hatzolah has taken me to the hospital many times for alchoal poisoining. I have been sober for a week now but it is a tough battle and you need support…at least I do. Or I will wind up right next to my sister.
I became choked up with emotion when I read this piece of terrible news.
I have no words, just lots of thoughts…
Where are the Rabbis from the big concert Ban on this issue?
who?
what a sweet girl she was, baruch dayin emes
BDE, how dare you utter those words. There is no one out there that is hopeless and her being a frum girl makes it even worse.
maybe klal yisrael needs to look into what is going on…….. all the nos all the bands against the kids are causing them to look and see what these nos really are all about.that being a modern shomer shabbos yid is okay nothing wrong you do not have to be what some think is the right way.
BDE – that is just not true. if, in fact, the girl was from a dysfunctional family, where was the community when she was younger in calling ACS and having her removed from such “way past” dysfunctionality that she had no choice but to turn to drugs?
Truly a heartache May she have the Menuche she didn’t have in this world
Besiros tovos
Am I mistaken, or have we had an increase in duch deaths during the past year. I think there were at least 2 previous such incidents posted here. I’m certain that there are others than are kept quiet. Why do our youth turn to drugs, and what can be done to prevent it?
I know of a guy who is in the hospital right now and is BH doing better. he alomost died from the same thing.
R”L – how tragic!! May HKB”H Grant the family the true nechama!
Aren’t most of these overdoses accidental or due to more potent drugs then the user expected? Nebach. And if she was from a dysfunctional family we can dismiss it? That makes you feel better? It can’t happen to normal people from functional families? It can’t happen to me or my children because we are normal? I can dismiss this because,hey, she was dysfunctional? Nebach on her. Nebach on her family,and Nebach on us.
who was this girl that must have felt she couldnt tolerate life without a ‘high’????
You so called frum people are massive hypocrites! What’s with the Loshen Horah and judging? Perhaps if you would spend a day in someone like Gitty Grunwald’s shoes you would not be so quick to pass judgeemnt. Doesn’t the torah teach you people anything???? This is why people like myself ran away from your whole closed world. Ignorance and judgement are not what G-d asks of us and I suggest you all take a good look at your community and the way you judge each other. Of course kids are turning to drugs….it’s their only escape.
i think we have to smile to each other more, and give kind words, instead of what we are doing
this is not far fetched , there was 2 suicide attempts in Bais Yaacov Miami this year. so this Crisis is widespread
I would rather the community loses its malcontents and dysfunctionals like 9.29 AM, Gitty Grunwald and this family. We just can’t save the world or make room for every bit of flotsam and jetsam that comes our way. They drag the rest of us down and are a strain on resources that we just don’t have.
Such is life in galus.
She was a great neshoma that got nebach involved with the wrong crowd…This is what happens when a lone voice Like Rabbi Nuchem Rosenberg wants to bring awarness to whats happening.What does he get in return? A KOL KORA AGAINST HIM. its a shame ,thsi will cost klal yisroel more Karboniss,its mamash retzicha,,Dont these rabbis get it? What wrong with them?
“vehaya machanecha kadosh” sometimes means that we just can’t make room for everyone out there.
You don’t even want to know what else ‘Chesed Shel Emes’ sees almost daily……..
Dysfuncional and Hopeless, Should we bring back the gas chambers that Nazi Germany closed down to help in ridding the Jewish world of your so called undesireables? In all the time that these boards have been around, I have never seen such words and hatred like what you are saying here. Shame on you. The words Mi Camcha Yisroel do not apply to you.
No, we need to get them help – but get them out of our midst. We need to be more selective about attracting baalei tshuva who can’t integrate into society. And in some cases, we need to let the bad apples frei out. They can’t hack it, we can’t force them to and then they come back to haunt us.
Why in the world are the Rabbis responsible? You and your kids don’t listen to them anyway, so how could they help?
Which Rabbi do you think has to open a drug rehab center?
If you are so concerned about the problems of society today, DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT!!!! Open an organization to help kids at risk. Private organizations that do not belong to a specific kehilla are the most successful. So all you blooggers who are so smart and know EVERYTHING, gather together and help instead of pointing fingers. And if you think that it is really not your concern because it cannot happen to your child, you need an eye opener ASAP.
Why is everyone pointing fingers at others? Point it at yourself! It is because of our avairos that we are in this golus where such terrible things are happening every day.
Many bloggers here feel that they are ABOVE the law, and I mean the laws of the TORAH. Sorry to burst your bubble. You, who are so busy bashing anyone and everyone will also be held responsible. Kol Yisroel Araivim Ze.
that is such a sick ,cold , un imaginibal thing to write after such a tradegy. shame on u ..may u wake up n do tshuva.
to anon 9:25 r u the 1 that used to eat chulent every shabbos @2nd ave Deli (non kosher & open shabbos) cus he said if the head is a little crazy the stomach doesn’t have 2 suffer I guess if u still read & comment this blog you didn’t really run away but U don’t tell us what hashem wants from us he wants us 2observe torah & mizvot and nuchem rosenberg sould say the Real names of All real molesters & stop blaming rabonim
Which Rabbi do you think has to open a drug rehab center?
Rabbi Fetter Shmiel. Uncle Sam. We pay taxes for this you know. Sometimes we just have to turn people over to the secular world so that we are not dragged down.
This is a tragic story but it is bringing out the worst (weirdest) comments – just remember, most commenters dont necessarily represent the readership. Many more (myself included usually) read and dont comment, the people with more time on their hands comment – keep that in mind when reading and it will temper the mishugas
Now in the 9 days, let’s have some compassion, hold our tongues a bit, and pray for the emes’e geulah
There is a drug rehab center in California run by dedicated Lubavitcher Shluchim. They have a constant flow of frum kids from New York. Many from very “respectable” families.
Dysfunctional:
Not even a tear. Not even a krechts or regret.
It’s because of trash like you that K’lal Yisroel has to endure this type of tragedy. You, who masquerade as a frum Yid, yet will scorn these delicate n’shamos, who need the most acceptance.
Instead of hugs and love, you offered her rejection.
When this n’shama was born, her family received all the good wishes that you received. A kiddish was made in shul. They drank l’chaim and everyone extended their mazal tovs for the good news. She was cute and she was a joy.
So what happened?
Hashem is the third partner in every child. If you have complaints, direct them elsewhere.
Kol Yisroel Areivin Ze L’ze, but just look at yourself and your rotten outlook at the world.
Chazal have already spoken about the likes of you and it isn’t pretty.
The only sane comment here is the one that asked why her family was not reported to family services.
The father was nisht fin inzerer. There was no kiddush.
A well meaning but overly open community welcomed the family and tried to do what it could. Another sibling mamash turned against the community. Even the Rebbe of that community went out of his way to make the girl feel special.
But she was just beyond help.
To: “Dysfuncional and Hopeless” your first few comments is fresh air after somany narisheh & krumeh comments, u r 1st/only that “redt tzu der zach”.
what;s this girl’s name – i’m 28 and was in bais rivka too – is she my classmate?
Most of you have missed the point. The schools must have as part of their curriculum organized sports, art, music and the like so that EVERY child can find his niche and feel comfortable with whatever they like so that they don’t need to turn to the outside. Let’s make the inside more palatable and less Assur.
There is a frum drug rehab in Flatbush run by FEGS in Flatbush for teenage boys.
Anonymous 11.19 – as little sympathy as I have for this family and the remaining dysfunctional members, I would never go so low as to post her name! Come on! That is stam trolling!
The rabbi’s are responsible!!! Becuase If they weren’t against everything else and trying to shelter and rule our lives these children would feel more implied to reach out for help.. They feel If they go to the rabunim they will just shun them out and then where will they be
BDE.. now she finally has piece
Thank you, Redt. It is not as if I want it to be this way, but we are in galus and there just are some people we can’t help, but they can sure drag us down. There is a limit to mesirus nefesh, and ahavas Yisroel sometimes means protecting those who can be helped from those who are beyond help.
If a brocho from a great tzaddik like the Lubavitcher Rebbe could not help this girl (assuming the dysfunctional family did not make up the story), then the help she needed was either not available or in the hands of law enforcement and social services and past what the community could do for her.
Addiction is a disease. Not always a curable one.
Does it matter what type of family she was from? NO
Does it matter how “frum” she was? No
Do drugs harm and kill frum or not frum? Yes
Do they discriminate? NO
Do we discriminate frum vs non frum???
Is her family mourning and in pain? YES
May hashem comfort the family!
Nebach nebach. What a charming person she was. Society killed her off. Wake up people, and stop being a shtik drek.
to dysfunctional and hopeless-
HOW DARE YOU????? you have some CHUTZPAH saying such lahon hara on a public forum!!! a day before we mourn the destruction of the bais hamikdash!!!! you should be ashamed..and ask mechilah of the family!!!
besides- you say they wer dysfunctional and hopeless? did you try to help them??? before you pass such judgement?? or do you just slander them to try to quiet you r concience for not doing anything??
geuss what i also grew up in a dysfunctional home and Baruch hasem with alot of siyata dishmaya and zechus avos i am very ok now….but my biggest taina against the frum community is ayeka???? where are you??? you can help!!! when i was a young child i always wandered why isn’t anyone coming to rescue me??? sure all the neighbors were quick to judge and talk lashon hara but did anyone do anything? don’t say hashomer achi anochi? am i my brothers keeper? yes!! you are!!! kal yisrael areivim ze lazeh!!!
as for you -you should dance on your roof top and thank Hashem every day for putting you into a normal family!! and continue to daven that they don’t become dysfunctional because that is up to Hasem!! so before you judge others worry about your own family!! don’t make room for hasme to judge you!! Nothing is in your habds except the choice of speaking lashon hara!!!!
may we merit to see mashiach bekarov!!!
Oh. please. Society did no such thing. She was sick with an incurable illness that has social ramifications and society just could not save her although she could have harmed others.
And yes, we must discriminate. HAMAVDIL bein kodesh lechol, bein Yisroel leamim……..
If your kid became a druggie because in a moment of weakness or because of teenage rebellion she found a girl like this, you’d be singing a different tune.
it only matters how frum she was and what her family was like because people are comparing this to cases that are very different. if anything it is the hopeless ones like this that ensnare the ones who are really just going through a bad time.
you turned out OK because you did not seek out anyone like this girl and her family. you knew you had problems. and if in the end you turned out OK SOMEONE was there for you. Maybe not the whole community because people have their own responsibilities and dont have training or know what to do – but SOMEONE was there for you.
I will be the SOMEONE who calls Family Services if I am ever confronted with something like this. I won’t try to save them and end up in the bloote myself.
to dysfunctional and hopeless-
don’t make room for Hashem to judge you !!! NOTHING IS IN YOUR HANDS!!! if Hashem wants your family can chas veshalom easily become dysfuntional in one split second!!!
such sinas chinam i haven’t heard in a long time!!! we try to act to people with middas harachamim so that Hashem will treat us with midas harachamim….why are you choosing to treat this innocent neshama with middas hadin??? may Hashem continue to treat you with middas harachamim regardless of your sharp and disgusting words!!!
AND MAY THIS GIRL HAVE AN ALIYAH AND MAY SHE FIND PEACE IN GAN EDEN!
so did you call family service for her family? did you call any organizations? did you try to send them money maybe that would help them…or become a big brother/big sister to one of the kids…and try to give them love? of course it’s easier not to get involved..but usually the hardest option is the right option…..
what about the lashon hara you wrote on this site?
Because my concern is for the potential damage these people do to others. They can’t control themselves and the disease makes them very manipulative. I love animals, but I wouldnt have gone out to play with that bear in monsey. i would have shot it if i had a gun, because it could have eaten an innocent kid the way one did in the Beis Feige bungalow years ago. And sadly this girl was like a wounded wild animal. A danger to herself and others.
Yes, I agree. Let her have peace in Gan Eden. But we can honestly say that no matter what we would have done that is the only place, other than an institution, where she would have found peace.
Nothing is in my hands? I have bechira chofshis the last time i checked.
dysfunctional and hopeless-
you’re obviously not the type of person that accepts mussar… you don’t think there is anything wrong with writing negative information about a girl who is now in the olam haemes where she will be judged by Hakadosh Baruch who and not by you!! and writing lashon hara about an entire family!!! many people on this site know who she is. shame on you ! try to read eicha on tisha be’av and maybe it will wake up something inside of you! i hope it will…don’t fast in vain…try to have a meaningful fast by realizing that the reason we are fasting is because of sinas chinam and lashon hara!
(p.s. had you helped her when she was a young child struggling in her dysfunctinal family, maybe she would never have turned to drugs) its one thing if you dont want to help. but to not help and talk lashon hara and pass judgement that’s a new low.
being born into a dysfuntional family is not bechira!! Hashem chooses the family that will be best for our neshama.
To Dysfuncional and Hopeless:
A brocho to you a day before 9 AV, the father of all churbas:
May your child never need the help this girl needed.
frum drug rehab in Flatbush run by FEGS in Flatbush for teenage boys.
Last I heard (from one of the FEGS staffers), they were taking in minorities there to fill the place too, either because the frum kids weren’t coming or for government funding purposes.
hellllo? who is this? she was from chabad? I doubt it. No one is talking about this at all in CH. She lives in Queens??
Boruch Dayan Emes.
Oy may her family realize that they are not the cause of her involvement. May her soul rise easily.
May others learn from her passing and use it to guide themselves to help others and themselves. Amen.
BDE
I cant take this stuff anymore… we are losing our kids to DRUGS
These stories use to be heard only in the Goyishe world
dysfunctional and hopeless- I have never heard any speak so honestly! Finally!!
All this kiruv is doing lots of damage to the frum community. I dont know if its because people are becoming baalei tshuva for the wrong reasons or what, but the outcome is their kids almost always rebel, and bring other frum from birth kids down with them.
It’s not right and it’s not fair. I feel sorry for this family but everyone here has to stop making her out to be a pure innocent neshama. she overdosed on drugs. thats not so innocent to me.
I don’t understand what all the bad mouthing is for..
A yiddishe neshoma fell victim to drugs and died. Her family is sitting shiva and needs respect and comfort.
Who cares about mussar and ACS being called on dysfunctional families.
Protect yourselves and your children and be honest with them about the real world. Life for some is wonderful and for others it is a struggle internal or outward. Teach your children that a yid is a yid and we come in all shapes, colors and with different customs. And most of all try and help teens and adults like this girl and many other yiddeshe neshomas that have died this past year from drug od’s.
BDA what was the drug or choice cocian?? bda bda
This is a sad and tragic news. We must ALL try to do our part to fix the situation. Sadly, this is not a new phenomena, just that its not shoved under the carpet anymore.
To those who ask what her name was – You didn’t care to find out beforehand and now is too late. Perhaps ask around your own community and befriend those who are falling along the wayside.
To mhag,135, what diff does it make WHAT KIND OF DRUGS???What is wrong with you, dysf and hopel? You obviously know who this girl was, and yes, it is sad..but do YOU KNOW the pain her parents were put thru??Did you have to see YOUR DAUGHTER ch’v fall prey to this??Even the craziest mom still loves her child…
We had a school in monsey for girls like this..IT SHUT DOWN..there was a school in bklyn for girls like this ..IT SHUT DOWN…there is one place for a girl like this still open..and they are FULL and leave other girls like this in the street, to go wherever..what is wrong with US???We are our own WORST enemy..we deny this problem, we dont help the families..it’s not contagious..this girl was, nebuch, every one of our kids, r’l…and noone saved her..we have much to cry for on tisha bav, and things get worse every year..hamokom yinachem…
Dysfuncional and Hopeless: Shut your mouth. Every single Jew is the apple of Hashem’s eye. Look it up, it’s in the Davening to G-d that we say every day. Yeah, the same G-d that you ostensibly serve. Perhaps you’re the person who should be weeded out? The Jewish community needs people who are willing to help, not people who delight in being holier than the rest of us and thinking that they’re G-d’s equal.
Dysfuncional and Hopeless Can you please lose the address to this blog and shut up and crawl back into the hole that you came out from this morning. I dont know if you woke up on the wrong side of the bed or something worse, but look at the way you are talking? If Hashem would have done like you are doing now in the Midbar, we would not be here now. Hashem made us in his image and asks us to be like him, to see the best in everyone. Look at what we do to Hashem when he says not to talk loshon hara, or to be nice to Geirim because we were once Geirim, and you come along and say, no.
To Anon 1:14 – You are totally off the mark – perhaps even exactly opposite to the truth.
To D & H: you & your comments are too sad to even mention.
You are both very lost & narrow minded.
It could happen to anyones child. If you look around you, many great Rabbonim & Dayonim, from all sectors of yiddishkeit, have/had a kid stray from their path to some degree (some more/some less). It makes no difference what family they come from, community they live, their child decided to act on their own free choice.
If your child decided to make a wrong decision, I hope society wont give up on them like some are suggestion in this situation.
According to ‘Dysfuncional and Hopeless’ 12:08 – is saying, lets all go and ‘remove’ the dysfunctional people from society.
Perhaps we should start with you.
To dysfunctional and hopeless and all those in agreeance with you:
SHAME ON YOU!!!
I have lived in the frum community my whole life and NEVER have i heard such a heartless and insensitive comment from somebody after a yiddishe neshoma passes away and on erev tisha b’av to boot.
I hope and pray that hashem has compassion on you and brings you to ask mechilah in private or public to this mourning family who will no doubt read this website.
May the family find comfort among the mourners of zion and Yerushalayim and may Klal yisroel only know of simchas from now on!
Most of you have missed the point. The schools must have as part of their curriculum organized sports, art, music and the like so that EVERY child can find his niche and feel comfortable with whatever they like so that they don’t need to turn to the outside. Let’s make the inside more palatable and less Assur.
08-08-2008 – 11:23 AM
————————————————–
Interesting point. Public, private, parochial schools have art, music, organized sports, and access to school councelors, Same with college. What percent of them find their ‘niche’?
Any time this happens to anyone it is a tragedy regardless of who it is. We all look for someone to blame. Rabbis, Yeshivos, TV, internet etc… However, this really doesn’t do anybody any good.
Instead, why don’t we try and work on things that may do some good. Work on ourselves as people and as parents. Are we setting a good example for our children? How do our children see us? Are we hugging them? Do we need to attend every simcha that we are invited to, taking away time from our children. As is, today when both parents need to work to make ends meet, it is our children that lose out.
Raising children, especially in today’s environment is very difficult. You don’t get a second chance and there are no courses. But instead of worrying about who’s fault it is when things like this happen, let us try to channel that into something positive.
u must all get a life..how could u speek like this ,,r u poeple frum yidin?–
Her entire community knew of this girl and her dysfuntional family for many years. She apparantly spent the last 13 years of her life as a drug addict. I don’t know what the answer is
To Anonymous 08-08-2008 – 9:25 AM
Do not disparage an entire community for the ill advised, no moronic comments of ONE individual on this board. This poor girl’s passing is sad and we, the entire frum community must come togther and figure out a way of this madness.
Please say a kapital tehillim L’Ilui Nishmas Rivka Devorah bas Yehudis Chana.
I point you all to VIN’s editorial about Tisha B’av. Can’t you people stop the finger pointing & the insults? I also disagree with Dysfunctional & Hopeless but we all know there are people who believe they know better than everyone else. OK, you don’t have to agree & you certainly won’t change his attitude by being obnoxious.
I am SO SICK of all this Machloykes. And everyone preaches about Moshiach? How dare you??? Just put a lid on all these disgusting comments. Stop attacking each other, stop attacking Chassidim, Misnagdim, Chabadniks, Bobov, Satmar, Litvish, Yeshivish, Reform, Conservative. For G-d’s sake WE ARE ALL JEWS!!! Act like it!!
Nebach on the pain she must have been feeling to have led such a life, we should all take this as a lesson to be on the lookout for those in our community that are in pain to catch them before they fall so far.
On another note, to address a comment here: Addiction is very hard to kick, whether it’s drugs, alcohol, tobacco, food etc… But people have quit successfully. Haven’t you heard of AA or of someone you know that quit smoking or drinking 20 years ago after doing that habit for many years? Yes it is hard for them and they often have to fight the urge to restart their habit, but it can be done, it is not INCURABLE.
Finally, to someone on this post who apparently gets a kick out of saying loshon hara and for those of us that are responding: You are obviously a lost soul yourself crying out for help and I do not necessarily blame you, BUT what you are doing here is sinaas chinam in a time when we should be working on it the most. Please seek help. For the rest of us, myself included, this person is obviously looking for attention, let’s not give it to him/her and he/she will be forced to stop.
To all have an easy and MEANINGFUL fast!
to dysfunctional & hopeless:
Your identity pretty much sums up what YOU are!
How dare you judge her family at a time when they are suffering the loss of a precious neshama!!! Think carefully before you post…Erev
Tisha B’av…baseless hatred…
AL EILEH ANI BOCHIA……..
when will there come a time, when people will just say and realize
“Everyone is responsible for their own actions”
enough with blame game, it doesnt get you anywhere!
All of you who just hurled insults at dysfunctional & hopeless, you are not better people for doing that. Stop sticking up for a druggie! You dont know her, just because she was once frum doesnt mean she’s a cute sweet girl from queens! Drug addicts are a DANGER to society!!! and by killing herself, whether accidental or not, she was over on a HUGE issur. But either way, I’m glad she did because I don’t want people like her around in this world for my kids to see!
coming from a dysfunctional family gives her no right to become a lowlife druggie. so stop giving excuses for her. And all you idiots that said why didnt we do something about it? If we spent our lives trying to take care of all the messed up baalei tshuva’s kids out there, we would never have the time or energy to raise our OWN kids properly! and that is alot more important!
So stop worrying about her, and worry about yourself and your own kids. And next time you try to convince some lost soul to become frum, just remember your creating a generation of druggies and worse to come…
-extremly sick n cold- i feel bad for ur kids-
Nothing will change because not many people care. The ones who do care are not in the position of CHANGING things around.
If you dare tell a yeshivah or bais yakov an idea they say go ahead and open up your own school instead of LISTENING to communites advice.
We all know what the problems are but when it comes to solutions people keep quiet or blow you off.
Nothing will change and we will see more of these horrible stories on this blog. Nebach.
May hashem have mercy on all of us and bring moshiach quickly.
to dysfunctional & hopless :
u are pure evil.
anon 6.53:
there are no words to describe how awful your words are. learn a shtikl Torah. Even on tisha b’av.
obviously dysfunctional and hopeless is trying 2 be smart and post anonymous comments defending him/her self bec theres no way more then 1 person agrees with that bs ……………… oh god i hope u dont have kids ur so evil
I just want to say Balbusta said it all. Why be so much gossipy and yentas A family is mourning the loss of their daughter.
They should have a Rehab place for girls aswell in NY
STOP…….
Please… its tisha bov and every yid in NY is saying kinas..
u now y? because our beis hamikdush was churiv… u know y oor beis hamikdush was churiv?
because of SINOS CHINUM….
U know, what we r all doing now is only helping the delay of rebuilding…
so stop hating and start loving our brothers and sisters….
i have to say something here. At first I too disagreed with the way that D&H is talking,, but then I realised, my mother took in a girl in highschool from such a type of family, because her step father was abusive to her. And when this girl went off the derech, she took my sister with her. Today, my sister is completely messed up. I understand D&H. We are sometimes so big on doing chesed, that our innocent get harmed, and we have no clue.
Addiction is non-discriminatory, addiction is ecumenical, and addiction is nondenominational.
Ten percent of America is addicted to some substance or another. The same figure applies to Jews.
various studies done in the 80s 90s and as recently as 2005 by different Jewish professionals have shown that rich, poor frum, frie, freethinkers, freeloaders, orthodox, ultra-orthodox Jews chassidish,litvish are struggling with the disease of addiction.Tallis and Tephilin are not(keh-miehs) talismans to ward off addictive behavior.
Addiction is a cunning baffling insidious disease (AA language) addiction comes in many guises, the compulsion to gamble (to keep up with the Cohen’s) the compulsion to drink (to keep up your image as macher in shul) the compulsion to take drugs (to deaden the feeling of having no feeling for your god, family or community. the compulsion to overeat (by rationalizing, that afterall as an orthodox jew I have no other outlet) the compulsion to overwork(by intellectualizing that what doesn’t a yid do for parnuseh)is overwhelming.
Who are we? What kind of spirituality (Rochniyus) do we breathe (inhale exhale) or snort into the nostril of our children. Why do our children and our yingeliet (adolescents who are married) hurt themselves to the point of being oblivious to the results? Why do we drink ourselves to a stupor? Why do we drown in our own vomit (nun sharei timeh) why do we smash our consciousness into smithereens, rip up our flesh and status and reputation with needles and rage and pseudo-evilness? Why do we ingest poison into our systems? Why do we deny ourselves serenity but not substances that alter our minds and our hearts?
Is out heart so broken that we have lost faith? Is our mind so wasted that the only thought it entertains is despair.
I am not posting my thoughts and feelings here because I am (chas Veshulem) judging anyone. I am posting the above because I am one of you, may I dare say you are one of me. I have the same( rechem imoi) mothers womb as you.(al titoish toras Imechu)
I was an active addict many years of my life, and through much soul searching and much more help of my family who dared to love me in spite of my disease, by refusing to give up by seeking professional help by refusing to yield to despair (yiush) in spite of my circumstances and with the help of AA NA the twelve steps and other people that have shown me the way by sacrificing themselves for the benefit of other addicts who are suffering. I am now a recovered addict one day at a time.
Please pray for those who pick up a drug for the first time in their life and have no idea what they are getting themselves into
May I suggest that we all allow ourselves to reap the benefits of (Ahavas Chinum) care/love/ each other freely?
3:56 kol hakovod and well said.
I thought about putting my kinos in g’niza because we won’t need it next year. The I read all the lovely comments above.
To 3:56. Thank You! Great post!
All of you speak of calling ACS, etc. Do u realize there is a youngest brother left in this family who is teetering on the edge of following in his sisters footsteps? Instead of talking shouldnt we be working on getting him out of a bad situation and into something that could turn his life around and yes, this neshomahs father is from unzerer mentchen. Those who live in K’ahn Tzivah Hashem Es HaBrocho should move quickly to save this frum bochur before he ends up like his sister. He is already showing signs that he is not working with arbeh koses. Not only am I a neighbor so I see him (and hear him) often but I follow his internet posting. This is a tragedy waiting to unfold.
After reading some of the horrible comments I felt compelled to post a snippet from the nifteres’ hespid….
Please remember Rivka as someone who desperately wanted to be loved, respected and cared for. Remember Rivka as an innocent soul who longed to fit in and as someone who suffered greatly for crimes she was convicted of because she was “guilty by association. Remember Rivka for the girl the Orthodox world passed such harsh judgment on. Remember Rivka as the girl who holy CrownHeights.Info and holier than thou, Shmais, refused to post a “Boruch Dayin HaEmes” for or even the shivah information for the family. As a person who even in death inspired those more fortunate than she to harshly pass judgment upon her. Most of all, remember that Rivka was a victim of not only her own miserable existence but of our miserable society. In her memory please hold your children close tonight, think of her sad life, her tragically pathetic death and vow to stand by your kid’s through thick and thin, good and bad, religious or not. Lastly, think of Rivka and in her blessed memory; vow to never again turn your back on those in need or to pass judgement on those who’s circumstances you are not completely aware of. In other words, is’nt it time we be Dan Likaf Zechus?
am sorry to say but its abought time that the frum world started taking kids away from truly abusiv homes as if a chiled is not saved at a young age there is a 95 % chance they will never be saved we turned a blined eye and cover up every time
Just another great job by R Mendel Rosenberg and his team @ CHESED SHEL EMES with out any picture posing THANKS for servicing klal yisrael
A message from the youth to all you posters:
THIS IS WHY WE LEAVE!!! Can you imagine having thoughts and doubts, then having to read this dreck?! Everyone has internet access today, and your children read this! The people who do drugs usually preach peace and love. When children are faced with choices, like the peace and love offered by drug addicts, or the wonderful people we have on this board, who do you think they’re going to choose?
Some people are so miserable that they find comfort in others misry so they try to cause it.
I just graduated with Rivka’s brother. He is a good kid and everyone likes him. He is frum and a nice guy.
Call ACS ? What for ?
He’s 18 years old he can live where he chooses. Whoever wrote that post should lose everything and kill himself. My friends mother just burried her second daughter and instead of being menachem avel for her and her son you want to make her lose a third child, but you cant. You are so low !
on AD 8/11/08 yes you are truly right with that comment a other job with out publissety from Rabbi Mendel Rosenberg and his holy volunteer’s @CSE
I just came home from a siyum in 770 for Rivka Devorah. It was very nice with lots of people there for her, including her family.
This was written by one of Rivkas camp emunah counselours……..
Rivka Devorah was one of my favorite campers, I had in Camp Emunah. Rivka Devorah was my camper but in truth she taught me more than I could ever teach her.
She was my role model as how to daven, looking in the whole time saying every word with such chayus. She was my best davener. She always wanted to be the best in everything.
Rivka Devorah knew how to be a leader and got the whole bunk to daven nicely and win shabbos and bentch nicely and do everything right.
I remember how lucky our bunk was to sit the closest toRabbi Hecht and how much nachas he had watching our bunk sing and bentch. That was all because of Rivka devorah.
Rivka Devorah was such fun and made me feel so special. She had such respect for her counselors.
I needed to give her confidence but she gave me the confidence, teaching me how to be a counselor. She made our bunk (yud gimmul) the greatest bunk in camp.
The davening of a ten year old is very special. Hashem should listen to her tefilos and BRING MOSHIACH NOW.
Chana Alperowics.
P.S.
Dear Counselors.Keep in touch with your campers as much as you can. Hold on to them and treasure them.I do regret I did not keep in touch as much as I wanted with her and my other campers. As a counselor I never knew the hardship she had outside of camp life.
My grandfather- Harav Chaim Mordechai Aizik Hodakov constantly urged me to keep in touch with my students and campers. For me it became challenging to do while raisinga family.
Counselors, try your hardest to keep in touch with your campers, you never know the influence you will have on your camper.
Chana Alperowics. (Chani Kramer)