Journalism by Jewish college students, for Jewish college students.
“In our minds, the fun and harmless rule-breaking was no different than treating one another’s bodies as fodder for our entertainment. Sexual violence was celebrated, encouraged, uplifted, and glorified, even as it was, technically, against the rules.”
The Jewish songwriter’s lifelong struggle with depression led him to become a public mental health advocate, even in the face of media-wide ableism.
No one gives you any real guidance on how to handle depression.
“The Torah of OCD is simple: it is an important and very serious mitzvah to manage my OCD as skillfully as I am able on any given day, seeking out the support and resources I need to live well and in good health. And it is deeply complicated: I am no longer comfortable theologizing pain.”
This is the true story of a nice Jewish girl’s adventure at the National Cannabis Festival in Washington DC. I went on a quest to find intersections between Judaism and the healing aspects of cannabis. Although Cannabis Fest DC is a Mecca of marijuana education, culture, and music, my journey with marijuana’s medicinal qualities began…
I’m no stranger to issues of mental health. Depression set in shortly after the beginning of the second semester of my sophomore year. I cried incessantly for no apparent reason, I had difficulty getting out of bed in the morning, I loathed running into an ex for fear that he would trigger a panic attack….
For the safety of the writer, this piece has been published anonymously. Every part of the term “domestic violence” is misleading. The author bell hooks once said that the proper name for domestic violence is patriarchal violence because violence against women and children does not begin at home. It is directly connected to sexism and…
For as long as I can remember, I’ve been a worrier. As a perfectionist, everything felt dire. There’s a running joke this means I’m Jewish, but I’ve learned it’s anxiety. I arrived at the University of Florida in 2011, unsure about everything. I could not have known then that my anxiety would inspire me to…
Grammar fact: A semicolon comes at the end of a sentence that could have ended with a period, with finality – but didn’t. Many suicide attempt survivors, including myself, have semicolons tattooed on our bodies to represent that our stories aren’t over yet. Our lives could have ended when we attempted suicide – but didn’t….
“Could you be imagining a problem where there isn’t one?” The question caught me off guard. Where had I gone wrong? I had come to the campus medical practice at the allotted appointment time. I had waited there for almost two hours, the reception staff reassuring me every so often that it wouldn’t be long….
Throughout college, I struggled with an eating disorder. In many ways, it first manifested itself during Yom Kippur freshman year. From there, it was a downward spiral into self-hatred, an obsession with calories, and compensatory cardio. Four Yom Kippurs in a row, I fasted too easily. The challenge was not for me to abstain from…
I grew up knowing that one of the most important values is to honor one’s body. I learned that I was made in the image of God and that made my body holy. I have never felt that way, though. I have always felt that my body is disgusting, something to be ashamed of, not…
Shavuot commemorates receiving the Ten Commandments on Mt. Sinai. It is customarily observed by participating in a night of learning. Since I last wrote, I have relapsed and gone back to residential treatment for anorexia. Going back to treatment for the second time since January took a great deal of courage and taught me a…
May is Mental Health Month in America. 25% of homeless individuals in the U.S. suffer from some form of severe mental illness, compared to 6% of the general population. This article is a tribute to the daily positivity of one homeless man in the face of all his struggles. One of the friendliest people I…