Voices of Resilience
Event Description:
Finding Hope and Strength in the Face of Mental Health Challenges
Join us on Tuesday, May 12, 2026, at 8:00 p.m. EDT/5:00 p.m. PDT to hear the powerful firsthand stories from three individuals sharing their personal journeys through mental health challenges.
What supported them through their ordeal? Which resources did they turn to? How did they and their children heal and grow?
Speakers Include:
Chana Leah Bleznick-A fashion influencer and mental health advocate who utilizes her platform and personal experience to destigmatize addiction and recovery.
Jessica Tzur - Educator and mother living with anxiety and depression, who founded an organization, CATCH Support, to provide support groups for women who need support.
Rabbi Shalom Hammer - Rabbi, Author, and Educator, who, after the tragic loss of his daughter, founded Gila's Way, focused on suicide prevention.
Witness firsthand their journey of healing and growth, each having navigated through their own crises and offering unique perspectives.
This event is produced by The Wellness Institute, a division of the Rohr Jewish Learning Institute (JLI) and Bewell, of the Jewish Federation of North America.
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For questions, email [email protected]
If you or someone you know is thinking about suicide, call or text the new three-digit, 24-hour hotline of the US Government and National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988 to be connected to a trained suicide crisis counselor.
Bios:
Chana Leah Bleznick is a speaker, influencer, wife, mother and advocate. Chana Leah uses her social media platform to discuss topics typically seen as taboo, such as addiction within her family, 12 step recovery and other mental health struggles that come along with being the daughter and granddaughter of active addicts. She has been featured on numerous podcasts with the mission of removing the stigma and shame from issues so common to the human experience. She lives in Arizona with her husband and 3 little boys.
Jessica Tzur is a dedicated community leader and mental health advocate based in Queens, New York, where she is raising her five children. For the past 16 years, she has operated a local daycare and, in 2008, founded a clothing Gemach to provide apparel to families in need. Drawing from her personal journey with intense anxiety and depression, Jessica launched CATCH Support, an organization offering in-person support groups that transform "pain into purpose." By sharing her story with radical honesty, she uses vulnerability as a superpower to dismantle mental health stigma and create a vital space for communal healing and validation.
Rabbi Shalom Hammer is a lecturer, author, and mental health advocate who has spent over 30 years in Israel serving as a prominent educator for the IDF’s educational and Jewish Identity branches. As the founder of Makom Meshutaf, he provides Jewish programming to kibbutzim and pre-military academies, while also serving as a frequent contributor to the Jerusalem Post and a guest speaker for global Diaspora communities. Following the tragic loss of his daughter, he established Gila’s Way, a non-profit dedicated to suicide prevention and mental health awareness. Through his ten books—including the Gila Spreads Joy children’s series—and his international lectures, Rabbi Hammer transforms personal tragedy into a mission of empathy, education, and life-saving advocacy.
