The horrific events in Lakewood on Tuesday have brought to light a grave and scandalous issue plaguing our community, one that demands urgent attention and action. Although we are not rabbanim, we have consulted with numerous rabbinic leaders and mental health professionals prior to publishing this piece, and there is unanimous agreement: this is a serious crisis that everyone must understand and address. As is widely known, a severely mentally ill woman tragically took the lives of her two children in Lakewood on Tuesday. The news of this heart-wrenching incident spread immediately as Hatzolah paramedics arrived on the scene and made heroic efforts to save the children. The immediate dissemination of this story on WhatsApp and other social media platforms – before the family was even informed – was not only extremely insensitive but also deeply harmful. Yet, those who have been sharing and gossiping about this tragedy often defend their actions by claiming the need to raise awareness about mental health issues. Let’s be clear: these justifications are baseless. The reality is that neither they, nor our community as a whole care, care about mental health awareness, and this can be proven. In the past few months alone, six children under the age of 15 from our community have committed suicide. These tragic deaths did not garner widespread attention or outrage. Why? Because there was no drama or sensationalism involved. These children were mentally ill and ended their lives—an end that was quietly acknowledged and quickly forgotten. The same applies to the tragic case of a seminary girl in Israel who took her own life; the story faded from discussion within hours. If mental health awareness truly mattered to people, these suicides would have sparked an outcry and a demand for action to help those in need. But they didn’t, because these stories were not “juicy” enough. Is there genuine concern for mental health, or are people merely using this as a pretext to justify their morbid curiosity and gossiping? Consider the people who, just minutes after Hatzolah arrived at the scene on Tuesday, spread speculation and rumors far and wide, along with pictures and videos from the scene. Later, after the gravity of the tragedy became clear and a backlash grew, many of them found haven in declaring that they had shared the information so as to raise awareness about mental health. Does anyone think these individuals truly care? The grieving husband was likely exposed to news of his children’s deaths, and had his address – along with photos and videos of the greatest tragedy in his life – being disseminated just minutes after it occurred and before he was properly informed by professionals. The people who did this did not share the information out of genuine concern for mental health or anything else; it was simply gossip dressed as concern. This applies to countless people who engaged in such behavior. When people clamor for “awareness,” we recall an incident from just a few years ago. An event was held in Flatbush focused on raising awareness about abuse, addiction, and molestation. The event was heavily advertised, and every rav in Flatbush was invited. Speakers included prominent rabbanim like Rav Elya Brudny and major professionals in abuse and addiction. Despite preparing for 1,500 attendees, only about 200 people showed […]