SPOTLIGHT
B’nai Moshe Hosts Victim of Neo-Nazis
Rabbi Twerski, 90, Psychiatrist, Author
vice president of the Orthodox abbi Dr. Abraham J. Twerski, Union, said Rabbi Twerski would the scion of multiple Hasidic often say that though he had written dynasties, author of more dozens of books, he had really writthan 60 books, and a physician who ten just one book about one subject: became a leading authority on drug self-esteem. treatment, has died. That interest was rooted Rabbi Twerski, 90, had in his psychiatric training, been battling COVID-19 in but was also connected Israel, according to Yeshiva to his Hasidic worldview, World News. including the teachings of Born in Milwaukee into a the Hasidic movement’s family of incomparably disfounder, the Baal Shem Tov, Rabbi Abraham tinguished rabbinic stock, whose philosophy centered Rabbi Twerski was descend- Twerski on authenticity — and, in ed on his father’s side from Rabbi Twerski’s understanding, Rabbi Menachem Nachum Twersky, self-esteem. the founder of the Chernobyl Hasidic “In terms of relating to people, dynasty also known by the name of relationships, understanding the soul his work of Torah commentary, Me’or and the psyche, those are the values Einayim. His mother was the daughter that he grew up with and in medical of the Bobover Hasidic rebbe. school he found that in psychiatry,” A noted Judaic scholar in his own Weinreb said. right, Rabbi Twerski was among the In 1996, Rabbi Twerski wrote The last of a breed of rabbinic authoriShame Borne in Silence, becoming one ties who also achieved recognized of the first major Orthodox leaders expertise in secular subjects and to speak publicly about domestic viofrequently presented at academic and lence and other forms of abuse in the professional conferences in the full Orthodox community. Hasidic garb he wore every day. After Rabbi Twerski was a vocal prograduating from medical school in ponent of Alcoholics Anonymous, 1960, he spent two decades as the whose 12 steps he found entirely conclinical director of the psychiatry unit sonant with Jewish teachings, despite at St. Francis Hospital in Pittsburgh. its origins in Christian thought. In 1972, he founded Gateway Rehab He even defended the practice of in Pittsburgh. attending AA meetings in church Rabbi Twerski wrote more than basements, something many strictly 60 books, most of which were aimed observant Jews are loath to do. at Jewish readers but some of which Within the Orthodox community, were published for a general audiRabbi Twerski founded Nefesh, an ence. His books addressed both association for mental health workreligious subjects and self-help topics ers, spanning the range of Orthodox — including happiness, self-esteem, observance and making clear that and marital issues — and somehe saw no contradiction between times both. He was also a fan of the his Orthodox faith and his scientific comic strip “Peanuts” and authored pursuits. two books with its creator, Charles “He was a great believer that there Schultz. was no contradiction,” Weinreb said. Rabbi Dr. Tzvi Hersh Weinreb, a “A person could be a person of great psychologist and former executive faith and a rigorous scientist.” JTA
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Congregation B’nai Moshe of West Bloomfield will welcome Tanya Gersh to a virtual town hall 7 p.m. Sunday, Tanya Gersh March 21, to discuss how she and her family dealt with months of abusive antisemitic messages from the publisher of a neo-Nazi website. A U.S. judge ruled that the publisher of a neo-Nazi website, who organized a “troll storm” to target Tanya Gersh and her family should have to pay more than $14 million in damages and remove all posts that encouraged his readers to contact her. The judge called the harassment campaign, launched by the Daily Stormer publisher Andrew Anglin “egregious and reprehensible.” Anglin targeted Gersh, a Jewish real estate agent in Whitefish, Mont., a town where the prominent white nationalist Richard Spencer and his family have sometimes lived.
The anonymous internet trolls bombarded her family with hateful and threatening messages after Anglin published their personal information, including a photo of her young son. In a string of posts, Anglin accused Gersh and other Jewish residents of Whitefish of engaging in an “extortion racket” against the mother of white nationalist Richard Spencer. Gersh said she had agreed to help Spencer’s mother sell commercial property she owns in Whitefish. Gersh said she received threatening emails, texts and voicemails, including promises to drive her to suicide and “endless references to being thrown in the oven, being gassed. “Sometimes when I answered that phone all I heard were gunshots,” she said. Registration for the virtual town hall is free; however, registration is required at www.bnaimoshe.org.
Creative Writers Wanted by Historical Society The Jewish Historical Society of Michigan is calling all creative writers. The group is soliciting poetry and personal essays (up to 1,500 words), for the “Creative Expressions” sections of the 2021 issue of its journal, Michigan Jewish History — related to the theme of Jewish participation in public life. Public life is defined broadly: philanthropy, activism, political participation, military service, teaching, board membership, writing, tour-guiding and more. Editor/Curator Joy Gaines-Friedler will help you edit. To submit a piece for consideration (by mid-February), email a Word document to Gaines-Friedler at caboti@yahoo.com. For questions about Michigan Jewish History, email managing editor Tracy Weissman at tweissman@michjewishhistory.org.
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