Connected with Family
Joshua is a 22 year old from upstate New York. He was raised with Zionist values, vacationing in Israel with his family every few years. His two older sisters graduated college, married and set up homes not far from where they all grew up. They all stayed connected with the family. Until last year, Joshua was also treading a standard path, making his way through college like everybody else in his wider circle.
18 months ago ago, Joshua proposed to his long-term girlfriend, Carly. They had talked about it for years, but to his shock, she turned him down. “We’re too young to marry , I want to live life first”, Carly told him. The relationship continued for a few more weeks until finally Carly told Joshua that he was stifling her and she wanted him out of her life altogether.
It was at that point that things started to fall apart for Joshua. He would stay up all night playing computer games and sleep all day. He dropped out of college and moved back in with his parents. They would barely see Joshua. But they were pretty sure that the sweet smell that wafted out from under his locked door was marijuana. They were frightened to pressure him to get himself together lest they make things worse so they just tried to leave him be.
He was just calling to let them know that he wouldn’t be coming home.
One day, Joshua called home late at night. He announced that he was en route to the airport and was heading to Jerusalem to make aliyah. Joshua wasn’t interested in answering any questions about his plans or justifying a decision that seemed to come out of nowhere. He was just calling to let them know that he wouldn’t be coming home.
Joshua’s parents were in a panic. They loved Israel and would ordinarily be proud to have any of their children build a new life there. But Joshua seemed so on the edge. How could they look out for him from 6,000 miles away.
Kav L’Noar helping Joshua and keeping the family connected
Friends of Joshua’s parents recommended that they get in touch with Kav L’Noar. When his father duly called us, we told him that we would be glad to assess Joshua if he approached us, but that client confidentiality meant that we wouldn’t be able to update them in any way. Joshua’s father said that just knowing that a professional was helping Joshua was a good start. He told Joshua that if Kav L’Noar recommended that he see one of their therapists and if he then agreed to commit to the process, he would cover the cost and send him money to support himself as he found his feet in Israel.
Joshua agreed and began a course of therapy at Kav L’Noar. Nine months on, he is still in Israel, his parents have been to visit him, and things are stable.
*All names and identifying details have been changed to protect client confidentiality