The Jerusalem Therapy Center (JTC), a joint project of Amudim and Yeshiva University’s Wurzweiler School of Social Work, was officially opened on Wednesday. The center, which is located on 3 Strauss Street in Jerusalem, will provide mental health therapy for patients suffering from issues such as addiction, trauma, and sexual abuse. The ribbon-cutting ceremony was attended by prominent figures including the President and Rosh Yeshiva of Yeshiva University, the Mayor of Jerusalem, and members of the Israeli government.
The need for a mental health center offering urgent response and subsidized therapy was highlighted by the COVID-19 pandemic, which caused millions of people worldwide to suffer anxiety, fear, and resort to various forms of abuse due to repeated lockdowns, forced isolation, the global economic crisis, and grief. To address this need within the Orthodox community, Amudim partnered with Yeshiva University’s Wurzweiler School of Social Work to establish the JTC.
“The new center is a dream come true for both parties that sponsored this venture,” said Amudim founder and CEO Zvi Gluck. He emphasized that those who visit the center are not weak, but empowered and that “Asking for help is an act of strength. The Jerusalem Therapy Center will help many in urgent need of therapy who did not previously have access to it.”
The JTC will be staffed by students earning their Master’s in Social Work (MSW) from Wurzweiler, recent alumni of the school, and mental health specialists who will offer subsidized therapy services and support to thousands of mental health patients and victims of trauma and abuse each month.
Statistics reveal that anxiety issues in the community have risen by 25% since the outbreak of COVID-19 in Israel at the start of 2020, and that one in every three people will require emotional help at some point in life. The JTC aims to address the pressing mental health needs of English-speaking immigrants, including gap-year students, new immigrants, IDF soldiers, and Israelis suffering psychologically from pandemic-related fatigue and depression. The center will also host seminars and workshops for mental health professionals on treating anxiety within the community.
