Not Alone Anymore

For most mothers, having a son in jail is a curse. But for Jessica, it was a blessing. That’s because her addicted son languished on the streets—homeless, hungry and helpless. In jail, he could sober up, and get food and shelter. And she would know where he was.

But as she quickly learned, jail became a threatening place too. It began with repeated calls from other inmates demanding money. If she didn’t send it immediately, they would beat her son up. Terrified that “they might kill him,” she felt trapped and desperate.

“If you know your child is sick, you go to the hospital to take care of them. But when they’re in jail, it’s out of your hands.”

Just then, she received a call from Aleph–an organization she had never heard of before. “When I was at rock bottom with my son, Aleph came into my life at that moment. G-d sent me the Aleph Institute.” They promised to help her son.They ensured kosher meals for him and made sure he was allowed to wear his kippah. They visited and put t’fillin on him. They even danced with him—“which gave him so much happiness, such a good feeling. Out of nothing, from a dance.”

And that was just the beginning. Aleph set to work to find a better place for him that would treat his addiction. Too often, addicted young adults become entrapped in a vicious cycle: addiction, incarceration, homelessness and relapse.

“They go to jail, they have time to sober up. But then they throw them back on the streets,” she explained. This time, Aleph would not let that happen. Aleph secured a bed for him at the Chabad Residential Treatment Center and gave her a letter confirming his spot. “Thanks to Aleph, I had a paper in my hand…I never knew I’d have the courage to speak to a judge.” But she did, and he listened. Just like that, “he was out. Straight to rehab. Just the way it should have been, without having to go on the streets.”

Today, he is in rehab, adjusting and recovering.“He looks amazing. He gained weight. His face has color. He cares about himself. It’s like he wants to live.” Before, Jessica felt profound sadness and fear—“I didn’t eat, sleep, I was fainting, I couldn’t breathe.” Now, she is hopeful and deeply grateful.“I was alone, but I am not alone anymore,” she explains, vowing to help Aleph in the future “in any way to anybody that the Aleph Institute helps with.”