Simi* didn’t call Amudim right away.
For a long time, she tried to manage on her own. Life moved quickly, and between caring for her 12 year-old daughter with special needs and keeping her home running, there wasn’t much space to pause and ask for help. She had been married to Tully* for over 20 years. Their life, from the outside, looked steady.
But recently, things had started to feel different.
At first, it was small. Tully coming home later than usual. Then nights when he didn’t come home at all. There were changes in his behavior that Simi couldn’t quite explain — a distance, a restlessness. Eventually, the pieces began to come together. There was drug use. There were places he was going that didn’t align with the life they had built.
Simi had already been in therapy for several years. She wasn’t new to doing the work, to trying to understand and cope. But this felt heavier. And lonelier.
One afternoon, in a moment that felt almost incidental, Simi mentioned some of what she was going through while sitting at her sheitel macher. The response was simple: “Maybe Amudim can help.”
When Simi first reached out, she wasn’t looking for a quick fix. What became clear over several conversations was that she needed support. Not just professionally, but from people who understood what it felt like to be in her position.
Together with her case manager, Simi began exploring options. She was encouraged to speak with her therapist about group support, and we connected her with resources that felt aligned with her needs. Slowly, she took steps forward.
Today, Simi is part of two groups — one for wives of individuals struggling with addiction, and another focused on parenting. Week by week, she began to find something she had been missing: connection. A space where she didn’t have to explain everything, where others simply understood.
Today, Simi continues to move forward: supported, connected, and no longer carrying this alone. Amudim remains a steady presence in the background, checking in, offering guidance when needed.
Sometimes, that’s what makes the difference.
If you or someone you know is struggling, please don’t hesitate to reach out. Amudim is just a phone call away and here to help.
*Names and details have been changed to protect privacy.
Week Ending April 17, 2026
Each week, Amudim fields calls covering a wide range of crises and addressing various human concerns, including addiction, depression, abuse, health and domestic emergencies and many others. We track the calls and breakdown of issues for many reasons, foremost of which is to consistently improve and strengthen our knowledge and ability to address community’s needs.
Our clinical team here at Amudim spends a lot of time sitting with families in crisis. And through almost every conversation, we hear some version of the same thing: "I wish I knew this years ago."
Knowing what to do as a parent is so often framed as something that should come naturally. So if it doesn't feel that way, it may seem like we are failing our children.
We heard a fantastic analogy recently. If you think about parenting as a language, it's like being raised speaking English and wanting to speak to your kids in Mandarin. No amount of wanting to speak Mandarin is going to help you actually speak it. Imagine saying to a friend, "I feel like now that I'm a parent, Mandarin should come naturally."
That's not how skills work. And parenting is a skill.
After our Purim and Pesach series, many of you emailed us asking if we could make this a year-round initiative with topics like parenting, emotional resilience, navigating hard conversations, and building skills that can be easily implemented. We loved hearing that.
If you've followed Amudim for a while, you know that something we've always stood on is this: we wish the world operated in a way where our services didn't have to exist. Not because we don't value the work, but because a world where fewer families end up in crisis is the whole point. We are honored to walk alongside people through the hardest moments of their lives. And we also believe deeply that the most meaningful thing we can do is help families before they need to make that call.
Why We're Sharing This
Parents deserve more than "you'll figure it out" when it comes to raising emotionally healthy kids.
Over the next few weeks, we'll be working with Amudim's education, prevention, and clinical teams to share real, practical tools with one goal: helping you show up as the version of yourself you want to be. Someone who can hold what their child is feeling without being taken over by it, and without pushing it away.
IF THIS SOUNDS LIKE SOMETHING YOU WANT TO BE PART OF
You can join us on WhatsApp for daily tips, or sign up to receive them by email a few times a week.
SUPPORT FOR FAMILIES. FREE BECAUSE OF DONORS.
Amudim exists to support every individual in need - because when one person gets help, their whole world shifts with them. If you or someone you love is navigating something and doesn’t know where to start, you don’t have to figure it out alone. Call us at (646) 517-0222 or email info@amudim.org to get connected with one of our clinical case managers.
Our case management is always 100% free. That’s only possible because of our donors. If you want to help us keep showing up for Klal Yisroel, you can do that here.