Marriage and Family Therapist
There is a gentleman in the Jewish community who is definitely not afraid of tough, often daunting conversations, of embracing the challenge of an unpopular cause. There is a place where Jewish addicts and their families can find refuge and are never scorned, disrespected, or turned away. That man is Rabbi Meir Kessler; that place is the Jewish Recovery Center, located in Boca Raton. Rabbi Kessler has run the center with unyielding energy and passion since its inception five years ago. This institution is the mecca for Jewish recovery in Palm Beach County, bringing Shabbos and spirituality into the lives of Jewish (and gentile) addicts and their families.
Picture a Friday afternoon, with vans pulling up from several different rehabs and unloading sometimes over 100 men and women ages 16 to 85, in recovery from one day to 25 years, putting on yarmulkes, lighting Shabbos candles, eating a full Shabbos meal, singing zemiros, and sharing stories of recovery, redemption, and divrei Torah. Spending a Shabbos in the Chabad shul of Boca Raton with Rabbi Kessler, his wife, Frumi, and their four beautiful, happy, lively children is to begin opening doors, seeing “another way”—not the marginalization of our fellow Jews in trouble, but the ultimate inclusion. Rabbi Kessler and Frumi define what it means to invite, to accept, to love, and to mentor those who have fallen from the path of wellness and connectedness. Partaking of the essence of this atmosphere catalyzes the personal experience of how a d’var Torah is more than just inspirational dinner talk, but a true lifeline, the core of chizuk for a troubled neshamah valiantly climbing its way back to the business of living clean, sober, productive lives.
As chaplain for Caron Renaissance and several Palm Beach rehabilitation facilities, Rabbi Kessler acts as the spiritual advisor and guide, offering spiritual therapy which mindfully aligns itself with the 12-step program of recovery. He likes to call it “mensch therapy,” guiding recovery from a Torah perspective. “Everything in the 12-step program can be found in the Torah,” the rabbi points out. “Surrendering to a higher power is like bitul—nullifying yourself to G‑d; cheshbon ha’nefesh, the equivalent of taking moral inventory; acquiring a mentor parallels ta’aseh lecha rav; fellowship corresponds to knei lecha chaver.” These are but a few examples the rabbi articulates. “The steps are not isolated from Yiddishkeit, it’s a fusion.”
Several years ago, Rabbi Kessler’s life began to intersect with Jewish men who had gotten lost and swallowed up by a life of drugs and alcohol. He felt an immediate calling to help them with their pain and needs. Having developed an understanding of the addiction problem within the Jewish community, he endeavored to become part of the Jewish solution. In addition to the spiritual guidance he provides for many Palm Beach rehabilitation facilities, he realized that there needed to be a place where post-rehab sober individuals could calibrate and fine-tune their skills before jumping back into “the real world.” Enter the Jewish Recovery Center sober living apartments, separated by gender. Think rehab graduate program—facilitating greater fortification of resources and strengths to better avoid the risk of relapse, a very real and constant possibility for all rehabilitated addicts.
So Rabbi K, as many call him, provides the ear to listen without judgment, the mouthpiece to advocate for his Yidden, the shelter, a place to call home, the Shabbos experience to engender meaning, and the opportunity to include families, a vital piece in long term recovery. “Real love is doing what is right for your loved one, even when it feels awful,” says the rabbi in his quiet, compassionate tone.
After five years of growth and successful transitioning of hundreds of sober individuals who have participated on multiple levels, Rabbi K envisioned yet another way to raise the playing field: a reunion and retreat of families who will have an opportunity to celebrate recovery together in a meaningful Jewish milieu. On February 24–26, over 150 people will come together at the “From Strength to Strength” Shabbaton and retreat in Boca Raton. This event is sponsored by Caron Renaissance and features Dr. Abraham J. Twersky, internationally renowned authority on the treatment of alcohol and substance dependency. It will include workshops and group activities for all members of the family, including children. For information on the center or the retreat, or to add your support, call 561-450-5503 or visit jewishrecoverycenter.com.
Never one to slow down, the rabbi is already on to the next big vision: a modern full-service Jewish center for recovery as a stand-alone center. How does all this happen? Who stands behind this larger-than-life Moses figure with a shuttle service from the desert to redemption? Support comes from local communities and rehabilitation facilities. Benefiting families give back as well. This and future steps can only materialize with the realization that this is all about us! Along with educating our children, imparting a religious foundation, and providing for the hungry, the sick, and the needy, this is our responsibility.