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When it comes to Mental Health, many people are not knowledgeable or confident to offer assistance. Physical first aid training is common and accepted, however most courses do not cover mental health problems. Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) teaches people the skills to help someone they’re concerned about.
Since its inception in Australia in 2000, Mental Health First Aid has evolved into a global movement that shows no signs of stopping. In Spring 2021, Mental Health First Aid Israel will launch the first training courses in Israel.
When it comes to Mental Health, many people are not knowledgeable or confident to offer assistance. Physical first aid training is common and accepted, however most courses do not cover mental health problems. Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) teaches people the skills to help someone they’re concerned about.
Since its inception in Australia in 2000, Mental Health First Aid has evolved into a global movement that shows no signs of stopping. In Spring 2021, Mental Health First Aid Israel will launch the first training courses in Israel.
Our mission is to provide high quality,
evidence-based mental health first aid education to Israel.
Our vision is a community where everyone has the first aid skills to support people with mental health problems and struggles.
Best known for getting the job done in a quiet manner, Stuart Katz is always leading by example – whether in the for-profit or not-for-profit sectors. Stuart was a two-time President of the Young Israel of North Woodmere. He’s been active and served on local,national and international boards
of numerous organizations including the JCRC, Limmud, the Hebrew Academy of the Five Towns and Rockaways, the 5 Towns Community Council and Bnei Akiva. He continues to be called upon by many of these organizations for advice and innovative leadership ideas.
He served for six years as the President of the Glenwood synagogue in his hometown of Hashmonaim and serves on the Board of Visitors of McLean Hospital, affiliated with Harvard University Medical School. He serves as Chairman of the Board of OGEN – Advancement of Mental Health Awareness in Israel; chairman of Mental Health First Aid Israel and a partner in “Deconstructing Stigma” in Israel. He has counseled over 7,000 individuals and families in crisis in the United States, Israel, the United Arab Emirates, Lebanon, Syria, South Africa and the United Kingdom, and has volunteered over 1,000 hours on the Crisis Text Line. When not volunteering throughout Israel as well as the rest of the world including his current projects of working with Syrian refugees in Greece and assisting Jews from Uganda make their way to Israel, combatting stigma surrounding mental health issues and helping in natural disasters worldwide, Stuart serves as CEO of TAL Tours and Deluxe Kosher Tours. He was previously Managing Director of Israir Airlines in the United States as well as President of IsraMedica.
Curriculum Manager
Avi Tenenbaum MA CASAP is an expert in Disaster Behavioral Health and Psychological First Aid. He provides international training to mental health & medical professionals, first responders, and the general public in psychological disaster response and grief leadership.
His experience includes providing aid for people coping in the wake of numerous large-scale disasters and wars including the Second Lebanon War, Hurricane Harvey, Pittsburg Tree-of-Life Massacre, Haifa 2016 Fires, Covid-19, Operation Cast-Lead, Meron Civil Disaster, Karlin Bleacher Collapse, Operation Guardian of the Walls, and the Russian Invasion of Ukraine, as well as over 2000 small-scale tragedies in the role as a psychological first aid provider, trainer, & supervisor.
instructor
Tiki Yeres, a native Torontonian now living by the beach in Tel Aviv, is navigating the complexities of grief and dreaming of eradicating the stigmas around mental health. Ever since tragically losing her sister to suicide, Tiki has grown deeply passionate about spreading mental health
wareness and the importance of starting the conversation around this topic. After sharing her own first-hand struggles of losing a loved one to suicide, Tiki experienced an overwhelming outpour of people’s strong desire to create a change, but unsure how.
Tiki has worked in various customer-facing roles – from representing some of Israel’s top startups in the PR scene to currently holding the role of Senior Customer Success Manager at a recently acquired influencer marketing software. She juggles her time between her 9-5 and her passions of arranging fresh flowers, making cold-brew coffee, and normalizing mental illness.
Resource Coordinator
Ruchie Bromberg is a highly experienced and compassionate Speech Therapist, with over 33 years of experience working with a diverse population of clients. Rachel has a wide range of expertise, including articulation, language, social skills, voice, swallowing, cognition and stuttering.
She has a particular passion for working with children and young adults. She has been a college lecturer teaching many speech and language courses. She has a deep understanding of the unique challenges that each age group faces and is able to tailor her therapy to meet the specific needs of each individual client.
In addition to her work as a speech therapist, Rachel is also trained as an ADHD coach. She helps individuals and families manage the symptoms of ADHD and create strategies for success in school, work, and daily life.
Her clients appreciate her warm and compassionate approach and her dedication to her work.
Recently, Rachel has focused on addressing mental health issues and awareness. She has found that speech and language therapy and ADHD coaching can be a valuable tool in addressing a wide range of mental health concerns, including anxiety and depression. She has completed coursework in becoming a Mental Health First Aid instructor. She also lectures around the country on Mental Health awareness.
Throughout her career, Rachel has maintained a strong commitment to continuing education and professional development. She regularly attends conferences and workshops to stay up-to-date on the latest research and techniques in her field.
Rachel’s clients appreciate her warm and compassionate approach to therapy. She is a skilled listener and is able to create a safe and supportive environment where her clients can feel comfortable sharing their thoughts and feelings. Her dedication and expertise have helped many clients to achieve their goals and improve their overall quality of life.
Virtual Dreamer and Instructor
Film and Art Director
Best known for getting the job done in a quiet manner, Stuart Katz is always leading by example – whether in the for-profit or not-for-profit sectors. Stuart was a two-time President of the Young Israel of North Woodmere. He’s been active and served
on local,national and international boards of numerous organizations including the JCRC, Limmud, the Hebrew Academy of the Five Towns and Rockaways, the 5 Towns Community Council and Bnei Akiva. He continues to be called upon by many of these organizations for advice and innovative leadership ideas.
He served for six years as the President of the Glenwood synagogue in his hometown of Hashmonaim and serves on the Board of Visitors of McLean Hospital, affiliated with Harvard University Medical School. He serves as Chairman of the Board of OGEN – Advancement of Mental Health Awareness in Israel; chairman of Mental Health First Aid Israel and a partner in “Deconstructing Stigma” in Israel. He has counseled over 7,000 individuals and families in crisis in the United States, Israel, the United Arab Emirates, Lebanon, Syria, South Africa and the United Kingdom, and has volunteered over 1,000 hours on the Crisis Text Line. When not volunteering throughout Israel as well as the rest of the world including his current projects of working with Syrian refugees in Greece and assisting Jews from Uganda make their way to Israel, combatting stigma surrounding mental health issues and helping in natural disasters worldwide, Stuart serves as CEO of TAL Tours and Deluxe Kosher Tours. He was previously Managing Director of Israir Airlines in the United States as well as President of IsraMedica.
history as the first Jewish athlete to play D-I college and professional basketball while wearing a yarmulke on the court, and without playing on the Jewish Sabbath. The media was there to document every twist and turn of Tamir’s career with feature reports in The New York Times, The Washington Post, Sports Illustrated, and on ESPN, CNN and Fox, among many others.
Tamir has successfully brought three products to market including the Aviv Antimicrobial and Moisture Wicking Basketball Net and he currently provides marketing, branding and product consulting services to leading sports-tech companies.
Rabbi Shalom Hammer lives in Israel now for 32 years and serves as a lecturer in the IDF for both the educational branch and the Jewish Identity branch of the army. He is the founder and director of Makom Meshutaf which offers
non-denominational and non-coercive Jewish educational programming for Pre Military Academies, currently under the auspices of Mizrachi Olami/World Mizrachi. Rabbi Hammer champions mental health awareness and suicide prevention worldwide and has authored ten books, “Armed with Spirit” by Gefen publishing being the most recent as well as his “Gila Spreads Joy” series of children’s books on empathy. He is a sought after lecturer in Israel and abroad.
