Rabbi Arie Munk, Director of Bayit Cham, was invited to address Knesset members at a special event held in the Knesset to mark Mental Health Day, organized by MKs Michal Waldiger and Emilie Moati.
During the lengthy discussion, Rabbi Munk said that Bayit Cham was founded by his father 40 years ago, in the days when there were no disability and rehab benefits and no law for the rights of the mentally ill. “It was untilled territory. There was huge pain and almost no professional services.” said Rabbi Munk. “Twenty years ago, I was privileged to join Bayit Cham and I realized that the stigma is the main problem in the field of mental health. We at Bayit Cham,” related Rabbi Munk, “knew that there was suffering and there were ill people, and a solution had to be offered to these people. In a strategic move, we distributed over a million pamphlets that talked about mental health issues. I am the voice of those who are not here with us. All those who waited eight months for medical attention, and the lack of professional availability led them to such a place that they are not with us today. Mental illness,” concluded Rabbi Munk, “is a ‘dumb disease.’ It does not know how to discriminate between right or left wing, It doesn’t distinguish between the coalition or the opposition. It can hit anyone. With your vote, you are saving their lives through legislation and through the orderly transfer of allocations for hundreds of thousands of people.”
MK Uri Maklev, who was present at the hearing, said in his speech: “I want to quote, and I was quite horrified by this quote uttered by the director of Bayit Cham, Rabbi Arie Munk, who heads a very large organization that deals with mental health, that he wants to make their voices heard – those who are no longer with us. Members of the Knesset, the sound of our brothers’ blood cries out to us from the ground. This is a very red-hot warning signal that Rabbi Munk is sounding for us.”
MK Moshe Abutbul, who was also present at the hearing, said that “psychological treatment is not a luxury. It is a basic human right. It can even save the state money both short term and long term; it is simply a matter of life and death. I would like to mention all the good organizations that are involved all over the country in this issue of mental health treatment and this whole system, and I would also like to mention my friend Rabbi Munk from Bayit Cham, who does a great job in this field.”
