Rabbi’s daughter committed suicide – now he helps others
After tragically losing his 18-year-old daughter to suicide, Rabbi Shalom Hammer embarked on a mission to commemorate her by helping others with mental health issues.
Rabbi Hammer and Gila
At the end of July, he will be visiting Sydney from Israel to speak to the community at The North Shore Synagogue.
In 2019, tragedy struck the Hammer family when their daughter, Gila, tragically took her own life. Although shaken to the core, the family undertook to speak out about their terrible loss in the hope of preventing other families from experiencing suicide.
Rabbi Hammer underwent a course in mental health first aid and became certified as a mental health instructor. He now champions mental health awareness and suicide prevention worldwide. For the past three years, within Israel and abroad. Rabbi Hammer has been lecturing to university faculties, high school faculties, students and youth groups, as well as audiences in pre-military academies. He has also published ten books, including his “Gila Spreads Joy” series of children’s books on empathy. He is a sought-after lecturer in Israel and around the world.
Australia is facing a serious mental health crisis among teenagers with more than 1 in 5 experiencing a mental health issue such as depression in the previous twelve months.
Rabbi Shalom Hammer
The North Shore Synagogue will host an important event featuring a panel of experts in adolescent mental health, specifically designed to inform parents, other family members and carers how to recognise the signs of mental health and how to seek support for young people and their families.
On Sunday, July 30, Rabbi Shalom Hammer will lead an impressive panel directed at parents of adolescents titled, “Parents – Let’s Talk about the Teenage Mental Health Crisis”.
In addition to Rabbi Hammer, the panel will be:
Professor Garry Walter
A child, adolescent and adult psychiatrist of international renown, Prof. Walter is affiliated with The University of Sydney, where he has served as a Professor at the Centre for Values, Ethics and the Law in Medicine and as Chair of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.
Dee Fittinghoff
Dee is the High School Psychologist at Moriah College and works primarily with Years 10-12. Dee has spent the past 25 years working with children, teens, parents, and families.
Emma Cohen
Emma Cohen is Coordinator of the Jewish Suicide Prevention Strategy for JewishCare NSW.
This important and unique event starts at 7:30pm on Sunday July 30, under the auspices of The North Shore Synagogue, together with Masada College and Kehillat Masada.
The North Shore Synagogue is at 15 Treatts Road, Lindfield. Tickets are available now for $20 from https://tinyurl.com/young-health for both in-person and livestream guests.
