Two vital community organisations reflect on the growing need for support this Mental Health Awareness Week (11th to 17th May).
When Jewish Action for Mental Health (JAMH) was founded in 2019, it was established primarily as a suicide prevention service following a series of tragic suicides within the community. The goal was clear – no one should ever be unable to access immediate, culturally appropriate support when they need it.
Since then, world events have dramatically increased the demand for JAMH’s services. The COVID pandemic saw it receive NHS funding to provide free counselling and therapy as rates of mental ill health surged amid anxiety, lockdowns, school closures, and isolation.
Then came October 7th, a turning point for the organisation. For the first time, JAMH faced a mass trauma event directly impacting the Jewish community in the UK. In response, 30 of its counsellors and therapists underwent specialist training in mass trauma protocols through Trauma Aid UK, enabling the team to support large numbers of people in the immediate aftermath, alongside its ongoing one-to-one counselling provision.
The value of this approach was soon demonstrated closer to home. When the Yom Kippur attack at Heaton Park Synagogue happened, JAMH’s Mass Trauma Protocol was immediately activated, with home visits, Zoom support sessions, and school visits beginning the very next day. In the six months following the attack, around 500 people affected by the incident were reached.
The protocol has since extended its reach beyond Manchester, supporting communities affected by the death of a Jewish teenager in the Swiss New Year’s Eve fire and those shaken by the arson attack on the Hatzola ambulances in London.
For Mental Health Awareness Week, JAMH is offering free counselling and therapy to anyone affected by antisemitism in any way – not only those who have experienced it directly, but also those who feel rising anxiety about their safety in an increasingly uncertain world.
The area’s Jewish social care charity, The Fed, has long understood that mental health doesn’t exist in isolation. Its dedicated Community Advice and Support Team (CAST), made up of qualified social workers, advocates for clients and helps them develop personalised care plans – working closely with mental health services, assisting with benefits, and signposting individuals to specialist support.
The depth of that commitment was highlighted recently when one of CAST’s social workers received a community award after staying with a man throughout a severe suicidal episode and helping to save his life.
Alongside CAST, The Fed’s Volunteer Services Team coordinates over 500 volunteers, many of whom befriend lonely or isolated clients and accompany them to regular community coffee stops. Volunteers also provide invaluable support to carers, sometimes offering short periods of respite by spending time with the person they care for and giving carers vital breathing space and emotional relief.
The charity runs a mental wellbeing group every Thursday, providing a safe, supportive environment for anyone struggling with emotional or psychological health. A Mums ‘n’ Tots group meets every Wednesday, where children play while mothers access peer support, helping to reduce the risk of postnatal depression.
Across all its services, The Fed supports people navigating a wide range of pressures including family breakdown, grief, poverty, homelessness, physical illness, isolation, debt, and the demands of caring for a loved one. When several of these challenges converge, the impact on mental health can be overwhelming, and The Fed’s teams provide practical guidance, emotional support, and consistent human connection to help people through.
For advice and support, contact The Fed on 0161 772 4800 or email advice@thefed.org.uk
To contact JAMH, email admin@jamh.org.uk or call 07510 204 844