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THE BALTIMORE JEWISH HOME
DECEMBER 2, 2021
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OCTOBER 29, 2015 | The Jewish Home
Dating Dialogue
What Would You Do If… Moderated by Jennifer Mann, LCSW of The Navidaters
Dear Navidaters,
I am friendly with a family in my neighborhood. We daven in the same shul and have children around the same ages. One of their sons, I’ll call him Chaim, is about to start shidduchim. He is 23 years old and is learning and going to college part-time. The family is a wonderful family, and I know that they are starting to “listen” to shidduchim for Chaim. I have one concern: Chaim has issues with alcohol. I won’t call him
an alcoholic, but he drinks a lot at shul kiddushim, and any time we are at their Shabbos table, he spends the meal takes shots and then ends up at the end of the meal on the couch. To me, that is very concerning.
B A LT I M O R E J E W I S H H O M E . C O M
So I have two questions for the panel: do you feel that I should broach this subject (very delicately – and I would need advice on how to do that) with my friends and mention that their son’s behavior is something that’s not normal and should be addressed? Do I ask someone else to talk to them about it? Additionally, what should I do when people call me for information on Chaim? Do I tell them my concerns? Do I only mention it if they ask me? I’d like to hear your thoughts. Sincerely, A concerned neighbor
Disclaimer: This column is not intended to diagnose or otherwise conclude resolutions to any questions. Our intention is not to offer any definitive conclusions to any particular question, rather offer areas of exploration for the author and reader. Due to the nature of the column receiving only a short snapshot of an issue, without the benefit of an actual discussion, the panel’s role is to offer a range of possibilities. We hope to open up meaningful dialogue and individual exploration.
