A groundbreaking suicide-prevention programme has been launched, which aims to help synagogue leaders and members recognise when someone may be considering taking their own life and provide them with the skills to offer appropriate support.
Currently being piloted by Jewish mental health charity Jami, the workshops are also designed to give people a better understanding of how to assist their individual congregations following a suicide.
Unlike mainstream suicide prevention programmes, this one acknowledges “the cultural and emotional contexts that often make reaching out for help more difficult” in the Jewish community, said Philippa Carr, Jami’s senior mental health education and suicide prevention manager.
“We talk about there being a stigma around suicide across the wider community, but it is a very sensitive topic in the Jewish community. For some people, it feels shameful to have thoughts of ending one’s own life, and this can be complicated by one’s faith and how someone is brought up.
“Our programme provides an extra layer of nuance, as there is an understanding of the context it is happening in.”
Carr added: “The aim of the course is to build a compassionate community, so that people feel able to sit alongside someone going through a very challenging time and hold supportive and non-judgemental conversations. They can then give them initial support and guide them towards further support.”
Several congregations across the denominations have already agreed to take part in the pilot programme, and Jami is hoping to recruit more.
Those confirmed on the scheme include Mosaic Jewish Community, which comprises Liberal, Masorti and Reform congregations; Merseyside Jewish Community Care, which is working with Liverpool Jewish communities, including Orthodox Allerton Synagogue; and Potters Bar & Brookmans Park United Synagogue. The course is being run by Carr alongside Jami’s senior education coordinator Emma Dorman.
People will often disclose suicidal thoughts to an ordinary person first, not a doctor
Each community will be given a questionnaire – created in partnership with Middlesex University – at the beginning of the three-hour programme, exploring attitudes and knowledge around suicide. They will be given another questionnaire at the end of the three-hour course to see if these have changed.
A similar survey is also being sent to 500 members of the wider Jewish community, and Jami is calling on people to take part in this.
Carr said a significant challenge was that people were often reluctant to engage in conversation with someone who says they are having suicidal thoughts. “People say: ‘I wouldn’t want to make anything worse’, but research has shown that if someone is thinking about suicide and showing signs of distress, talking about it doesn’t make things worse, and can, in fact, make things much better. People will often disclose suicidal thoughts to an ordinary person first, not a doctor.
“The course will give the community the opportunity to be more skilled and understanding, helping people offer empathy, kindness and compassion, rather than feeling frightened.”
The programme also covers what is known as suicide postvention – how to navigate the trauma felt by a congregation following a suicide. “We understand the devastation a suicide can cause in a community. People often don’t know how to cope,” said Carr.
While they are hoping that rabbis and lay-leaders will take part in the programme, Carr said it was also for “visible people in the community, regular attendees – people who are able to pick up nuances in conversations”.
The programme is being piloted after three years of consultations with Jami service users, carers, those with lived experience of having suicidal thoughts and people bereaved by suicide.
Focus groups were run in conjunction with Barnet council, and Jami also interviewed rabbis and other pastoral leaders. Consultant clinical psychologist Dr Stuart Linke provided expert input and peer reviewed the content of the course.
Carr said: “These discussions revealed a clear need – people want to help, but many feel unsure how to respond if someone confides in them. We need to better educate ourselves that suicide can happen in our community. People go through crises in their lives, but if they get the right support and help, hopefully they will come through these.”
To take part in the survey or the pilot programme, email: education@jamiuk.org
If you or anyone you know is having suicidal thoughts, call:
The Samaritans on 116 123 or text: SHOUT to 85258 (Both are free and 24/7)
In an emergency, call: 999
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