The Jerusalem Therapy Center, an initiative by Yeshiva University in Israel, has seen a significant influx of clients seeking weekly one-on-one therapy sessions since its inception just over a year ago. In the first quarter of 2024 alone, the center has provided services to 105 clients, a number expected to rise as more reserve soldiers return from duty.
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The JTC was established to offer mental health care to Jerusalem's English-speaking community, providing a safe and culturally sensitive environment.
"We came up with the idea as YU in Israel became a de facto 'umbrella' for Jerusalem's English-speaking population to seek mental healthcare in a safe and welcoming space, staffed by those who speak their language and understand their culture," JTC Co-Director Nechama Munk, director of YU's MSW Program in Israel, said. Amudim, she said, a mental health organization with a similar constituency, proved to be the ideal partner, with Amudim Israel's Director Yosi Golberstein serving as JTC co-director with Munk.
The need for such services became starkly apparent following the traumatic events of Oct. 7, which had a profound impact on Israeli society and reverberated globally.
"The war caught us all off-guard," added Stephanie Strauss, executive director of YU in Israel. "There is not one person who has not been affected by it in some way – whether through a transition in roles, such as more active grandparenting in the absence of young fathers on reserve duty, or having to attend the heartbreaking funerals and shivas of young people murdered on Oct. 7 or who have fallen in action since. Today, we are also seeing more people feeling frustrated, disappointed, and even betrayed by the rest of the world at the anti-Israel and antisemitic rhetoric coming out of so-called 'friendly' countries."
