Mental health training scholarships for women
"There were so many women interested in this course that we extended our original cap on scholarships to accommodate the incredible number of applicants."
The Jewish Orthodox Feminist Alliance (JOFA) Australia has awarded 27 scholarships to Jewish women from four Australian states to complete mental health training via Maaglei Nefesh, an Israeli-based mental health organisation run by Rabbi Yoni Rosensweig.
This is the first time this training course has been offered to Australian women, who will learn about the intersection between mental health and halachah.
“We are ecstatic that women from Melbourne, Sydney, Perth and Tasmania have been awarded scholarships to complete this training,” said JOFA Australia president Nomi Kaltmann.
“There were so many women interested in this course that we extended our original cap on scholarships to accommodate the incredible number of applicants and were forced to close applications early.”
Women from across Australia will complete a 12-week training course that is the first in the world to combine professional, halachic, pastoral, and spiritual training in the field of mental health.
“We know that post-COVID, mental health is especially in crisis and we are glad that women will now have training to respond appropriately,” said Kaltmann.
The women range in age from early 20s to 70s and come from a wide variety of backgrounds including rebbetzins, mental healthcare professionals such as social workers, Jewish community and school educators and lawyers.
Kaltmann told The AJN, “This course has never previously been offered in Australia … This cohort is the fourth set of scholarships that JOFA Australia has been able to grant in 12 months, allowing 92 women from across Australia in five Australian states and territories to complete training in a range of fields including training as kallah teachers, up-skilling mikvah attendants, learn how to craft opinion editorial writing pieces and now mental health education.”
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