The Blue Dove Foundation

05/26/2026

"My story starts at the end of freshman year at Emory University. After going home for summer break, I fell into a pretty substantial depression. At the time, I didn’t realize I was depressed. I knew something was off—I felt disconnected, lonely, out of sync—but didn’t understand the symptoms. Thinking it would go away, I didn’t tell a soul. Looking back, it was silly not to tell my parents; they are nurturing and intelligent doctors."

Read more of our latest Quieting the Silence story by Jacob Aqua at

My Emotional Rollercoaster -

05/21/2026

Happy Shavuot! May you have a holiday of rest, connection, and meaning that nurtures your mental health and wellness! Download our Mental Health and Shavuot reader at https://thebluedovefoundation.org/?sdm_process_download=1&download_id=12493

05/17/2026

"In the fall of 2010, I enrolled in a clinical pastoral education course as part of my rabbinical training. We watched films about addiction, which the instructors introduced by inviting us to pay attention to the questions the addicts were asking. I heard their pain, isolation, shame, and desire for a better life. I listened as they asked if they were doomed to their fate. Did they deserve their suffering? Could they live without their substance of choice? Would they ever find happiness and inner peace?

I understood for the first time that addicts aren’t just people in movies or begging on the street corner. I’d been asking myself those same questions for many years. And I realized I—a rabbinical student and a mensch—am an addict.

What does it mean to be an addict? How could this happen? Why did it take thirty-one years to see the truth about myself? Could I find healing? Dare I believe the future could be better than the present?"

Read the full Quieting the Silence story by Rabbi Ilan Glazer of Our Jewish Recovery at https://thebluedovefoundation.org/me-an-addict/

05/14/2026

The Talmud (Shavuot 39a) teaches that members of the Jewish community are responsible for each other. In simple terms, we are interconnected and must be invested in the mental wellness and overall well-being of everyone. We must be willing, informed and prepared to help one another, because we all benefit. Ruth was committed to caring for Naomi; recognizing that Naomi was facing hardship, Ruth dedicated herself to her care, honoring the web of interdependence woven between them and, in a similar way, among Jews everywhere. Beyond the idea that all Jews are responsible for one another (kol Yisrael arevim zeh la zeh), the rabbis teach the value of supporting another person (Pirkei Avot 6:6).

Learn more with our resource at https://thebluedovefoundation.org/resource/shavuot-harvesting-compassion/

05/14/2026

Have you checked out our Mental Health Awareness Month Resource Hub? It is packed with Judaism and Mental Health resources that are perfect for starting or guiding conversations about mental wellness in your community.

Check it out at https://thebluedovefoundation.org/mental-health-awareness-month/

05/10/2026

A story by a mother for Mother's Day.

"I am a sixty-year-old Jewish doctor, and my daughter is a drug addict. I’m happy to say she’s alive and thriving, but not too long ago, I was afraid I would have to prepare myself to bury her.

When my daughter, Bella, was midway through twelfth grade, the school counselor called me into a meeting. She had been skipping classes, and they suspected drug use from what they were hearing. We put a tracker on her car and phone, we questioned her, we grounded her. Before I could figure out what to do next, she was arrested by city police for shoplifting. Then, by the end of that week, she got kicked out of high school for vandalism.

It was a wakeup call. Before all this happened, I had to admit I was in denial. I believed my daughter was struggling just like all teenage girls do. Now I was scared to death and found it hard to wrap my head around what was happening."

Read the full Quieting the Silence Story by Bella's Mom at https://thebluedovefoundation.org/i-didnt-cause-it-i-cant-control-it-i-cant-cure-it/

05/07/2026

Save the Date! BeWell, 14Y Selah, and JACS of The Jewish Board invite you to join us for "Quieting the Silence: A Storytelling Event about Addiction and Recovery" | Wednesday, May 20, 7:30 pm ET/4:30 pm PT. Hear our speakers share their stories about addiction, recovery, and the supports that have guided them on their journey.

Learn more and register at https://www.jotform.com/253374109136152

05/06/2026

"I was adopted in March 1980, and my folks split up a couple of years later. Each remarried in 1984. My dad, who was part Jewish but did not grow up religiously, did not go down a Jewish path. My mom married an Orthodox man, who I called Abba, and decided to raise my brother and me Jewishly. Since I was very young, religion was a point of contention and something with which I struggle even today.

We moved to Potomac, Maryland, in 1987. My mom and stepfather decided to follow the Orthodox tradition, and I ended up at an Orthodox day school in third grade. As I got older, I never fully felt like I fit in. I wasn’t good academically or socially. I didn’t really know where to land. In high school, I had only a few friends. Some fit into the standard norm of an Orthodox Jewish kid, some didn’t. I seemed to be drawn to bad behavior, even though that wasn’t how I was raised. I guess because I didn’t feel like I fit in, I decided to act the part.

The one thing I knew for sure was I wasn’t happy. I didn’t put forth any effort in school or try to achieve anything. Looking back, I realize I didn’t have any faith in myself to try anything."

Read the full Quieting the Silence story by Michelle Day at https://thebluedovefoundation.org/bouncing-back-from-my-rock-bottom/

05/04/2026

Download the Mental Health Awareness Month Workbook to make the most of the month by looking at wellness through a Jewish lens in this carefully curated and step-by-step guide to engaging with your mental health.

Learn more and download at https://thebluedovefoundation.org/resource/may-mental-health-awareness-month-workbook/

05/03/2026

"My younger sister, Sari, and I grew up in the affluent, tightly knit Jewish community of Coral Springs, Florida. We were raised with strong family values and were lucky to spend a lot of time with our grandparents, cousins, and a large group of very close family friends. Overall, even with our parents’ divorce when we were in elementary school, we had a very normal American upbringing.

But as Sari got older, coping with the day-to-day was difficult for her. In high school, she finally was diagnosed with bipolar disorder, and like many others who suffer with this disease, she cycled through medications, treatments, and therapists. Treatments would help for a few months and then suddenly wouldn’t. Different triggers would set her off. Little issues became big ones, and she met them with screaming, insults, and sadness. Faced with constant frustration at herself, she started looking for other ways to be happy, including occasional drug use."

Read the full Quieting the Silence story by Gabby Spatt at https://thebluedovefoundation.org/her-hidden-struggle/