Alcohol and Jewish Ritual

Rabbi Larry Rothwachs, Tzachi Rosman, PsyD, and Arnie Goldfein discuss alcohol and Jewish Ritual, offering professional and personal reflections on the topic. Rabbi Larry Rothwachs has served as rabbi at Congregation Beth Aaron in Teaneck, NJ, since August 2002. Rabbi Rothwachs is a graduate of Yeshiva College, the Azrieli School of Jewish Education, and received his semicha from the Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary. From 1998 through 2016, Rabbi Rothwachs taught Talmud at Yeshiva University High School for Boys and the Rosenbaum Yeshiva of North Jersey, and he currently serves as head rabbi of Camp Morasha. In April 2016, he was appointed Director of Professional Rabbinics at RIETS at Yeshiva University. Tzachi Rosman, PsyD, is a licensed clinical psychologist who specializes in the treatment of issues related to addiction, trauma, and self-esteem. Since 2008, Tzachi has worked at VA Hudson Valley HCS in Montrose, NY, serving as Staff Psychologist on the hospital’s residential Substance Abuse and PTSD units. Tzachi has a private practice in Teaneck, NJ, enjoys writing articles about mental health, and likes free-building Lego sculptures. Arnie Goldfein, has been in the “Jewish” recovery world for close to 35 years and is in a unique position to understand the feelings of stigma, hopelessness, remorse, shame, guilt, and fear associated with Substance Use Disorder. He has served as President of JACS (Jewish Alcoholics, Chemically Dependent Person and Significant Others), a program of the Jewish Board of Families & Children’s Services, for over 7 years, and subsequently, as Co-Executive Director of Rodfei Shalom, Inc. Both organizations are dedicated to the recovery of people with substance use issues. As a NYS Certified Peer Advocate Recovery Specialist (CPRC) he has helped hundreds of people to get their lives back on track to live a long-term, self-sustained, healthy life.