Show Notes:

• Rabbi Benny Zippel is the founder and executive director of Project H.E.A.R.T.
• Project H.E.A.R.T. provides support to Jewish teens struggling with mental health issues and substance abuse.
• The program uses various therapies to help individuals get to the root cause of their issues without relying on drugs.
• Rabbi Benny Zippel advises parents to seek help from professionals and validate their child’s feelings when dealing with substance abuse.
• He emphasizes the importance of helping the entire family heal together and rebuilding trust in relationships.
• Wilderness Therapy is a possible approach for children under the age of 18 who strongly object to going into rehab.
• Major changes, such as relocating and changing social circles, are necessary for successful rehabilitation.
• Rabbi Benny Zippel warns parents of the dangers of marijuana use and advises open communication with their children

This episode features an interview with:

RABBI BENNY ZIPPEL

Jewish Religious Leader, Project H.E.A.R.T. Founder

Rabbi Benny Zippel is an Italian-born American Rabbi who founded the Utah branch of the Chabad Lubavitch, the world’s largest Jewish outreach organization, in Salt Lake City in 1992. He also founded PROJECT H.E.A.R.T, a weekly outreach program aimed at helping hundreds of Jewish teenagers throughout Utah with acute behavioral and life-threatening issues. Rabbi Zippel is a polyglot, with fluency in Italian, English, French, German, Hebrew, Yiddish, and Portuguese. He is also a recipient of numerous awards and recognitions for his community work and has served as the official Jewish chaplain for the XIX Olympic Winter Games in Salt Lake City in 2002. He also attended the White House Chanukah Party in Washington D.C. in 2007 as a guest of President George W. and First Lady Laura Bush.

He is married to Sharonne Schochet, and they have six children and seven grandchildren.

Important Links and resources mentioned:

rabbi@jewishutah.com

A tribute to Rabbi Benny & Sharonne Zippel: My Story – Akiva Klitsner & You Raise Me Up – YouTube

Celebrating 25 years of service to the Utah Jewish community: Chabad Lubavitch of Utah – The Power of One – YouTube