Rabbi Audrey Pollack

This past Shabbat we were fortunate to welcome our colleague Rabbi Sandra Cohen as a scholar-in-residence on the topic of Mental Illness in the Jewish Community. Rabbi Cohen spoke eloquently about her own personal journey, and her rabbinic work in mental health outreach, teaching, and pastoral care. She engaged our community through Jewish text and discussion, and challenged us to think about how we can make our congregational community into a place of caring and support, a home for all. Mental Health is an issue of utmost importance to our communities. Rabbi Cohen is the person to bring to your congregation to open up these essential conversations. Her writings on ravblog and reformjudaism.org are already empowering many in our communities to know that they are not alone. She is insightful, funny, knowledgeable, and happy to spend time with people after presentations in one-to-one encounters. Above all, she is a true mensch. I highly recommend her as a visiting scholar for your community.

Rabbi Audrey Pollack
Solel Congregation
Toronto, Canada

Published by Rabbi Sandra Cohen

I am a rabbi working in mental health outreach in the Jewish community both locally (in Denver, CO) and nationally. I use traditional Jewish values(middot/מידות) as a model for reaching out to those with mental health issues and their families. Those values, including compassion and respect, guide and inspire me. I am a determined advocate for those with mental illness and their families. My goal is to support and educate spiritual communities, encouraging them to be more welcoming to the mentally ill. I also teach in a variety of settings in both the Jewish and larger Denver communities. I love rabbinic text, especially Talmud, and that love is reflected in both my teaching and my personal learning (I learn Daf Yomi/a page of Talmud a day, as well as learning Talmud with three separate hevruta/partners each week.) I also offer pastoral care. I am available as a scholar-in-residence nation-wide, with a variety of programs and a flexible pay scale.