JCFS Chicago, No Shame on U and The Chicago Board of Rabbis invite you to observe Mental Health Shabbat on January 24th and 25th 2025, 25 Tevet 5785, Parshat Sh'vat or any other Shabbat.

Mental Health Shabbat is an opportunity to bring light during the dark winter months, celebrate mental health and well-being, reduce the shame and stigma of mental illness, and offer hope and healing.

Synagogues can participate in Mental Health Shabbat by choosing from a variety of observances, such as:

• sharing information about mental health and well-being with congregants through your website, newsletter and eblasts
• including those struggling with mental health challenges in healing prayers and acknowledging those who died by suicide in memorial prayers
• incorporating mental health and well-being related supplemental prayers and/or readings into services
• speaking about mental health during the Sermon/D’var Torah and/or inviting a guest speaker to share information or a personal narrative

View the Mental Health Shabbat Resource Guide here

Shabbat at Home
In addition to your Mental Health Shabbat observances in your synagogue, we have included suggestions for “Shabbat At Home” for you to share with your congregants to enhance their observances at home.

Planning to observe Mental Health Shabbat? Let us know! We're happy to help and we value your feedback.

For more information and/or assistance as you develop your Mental Health Shabbat plans, please contact Bracha Jakofsky, Mental Health Educator. 

We invite you to view the recordings from our previous Evenings of Support including our Grieving the Death of a Love One, Healing Through the Seasons and Grieving During the Pandemic online programs and our Hope, Healing and Help After Loss Conferences.

We thank the Lauri S. Bauer Foundation for Sudden Loss for their generous support of these programs and other bereavement support in our community.

• Grieving the Death of a Loved One, November 2024

• Grieving the Death of a Loved One, June 2024

• Grieving the Death of a Loved One, March 2024

• Grieving the Death of a Loved One, December 2023

• Grieving the Death of a Loved One, May 2023

• Healing Through the Seasons, an Evening of Support in December 2022

• Healing Through the Seasons, an Evening of Support in June 2022

• Healing Through the Seasons, an Evening of Support in March 2022

• Healing Through the Seasons, an Evening of Support, December 2021

• Healing Through the Seasons, an Evening of Support in Fall, 2021

• Healing Through the Seasons, an Evening of Support in Spring, 2021

• Grieving a Death During a Pandemic, an Evening of Support March 2021

• Grieving a Death During a Pandemic, an Evening of Support December 2020

• Grieving a Death During a Pandemic, an Evening of Support August 2020

• The 6th Annual Conference on Help, Healing and Hope After Loss, “Navigating the Wilderness of Loss: Reframing The Spiritual Journey of Grief” with Rabbi Anne Brener, 2018

• The 5th Annual Conference on Help, Healing and Hope After Loss, “Grief & The Family: Finding Balance After Loss” with Dr. Janice Nadeau, 2017

• The 3rd Annual Conference on Help, Healing and Hope after Loss, “To Begin Again After Loss: Putting the Pieces Together” with Naomi Levy, 2015

• The 1st Annual Conference on Help, Healing and Hope After Loss, “Sudden Loss & Grief: The Path to Recovery” with Dr. Kenneth Doka, 2012

Grieving the Death of a Loved One, February 2025