What's next for Five Towns based Nafshenu Alenu?

What’s next?

Nafshenu Alenu co-founder Stuart Katz asked speaking before mental health advocate Kevin Hines spoke at the final of 14 get togethers that began in November.

Nafshenu Alenu, which translates to “spirits united,” came in partnership with the Marion & Aaron Gural JCC to have guest speakers discuss their struggles with mental health. Young Israel of North Woodmere senior Rabbi Dr. Yehuda Septimus, is the other Nafshenu Alenu co-founder.

Hines spoke about suicide on March 28.

“From 17 to 19 years of age,’ Hines said, “it was a rocky road.”

Hines, was 19 when he leaped over the Golden Gate Bridge on Sept. 25, 2000. Leading up to his suicide attempt, he struggled with depression and was diagnosed with bipolar disorder.

“I silenced my pain for way too long,” Hines said, “and it led me to almost leaving my family forever.”

In his teenage years, he struggled with being in the middle of a divorce between his parents, which led him to live with his father. One of his biggest struggles was hearing voices in his head telling him to die.

On the morning of his suicide attempt, Hines traveled by bus to the bridge. While sitting on the bus, he struggled to fight those same voices telling him he needed to die, which led him to respond out loud, as passengers just stared at him.

Once he got off the bus, he waited for one person to ask the one question he wanted to be asked: “Are you okay?”

No one asked. From the moment his hands left the rail, he felt instant regret.

“The millisecond my hands left that rail and my legs cleared,” Hines said, “I had instant regret from my actions.”

Hines fell 220 feet going 75 miles per hour. The bridge is most frequently used as a suicide spot as more than 1,700 people have jumped off the bridge and die due to impact trauma. Five percent of jumpers survived the fall.

Hines, who lost faith leading up to his attempt, asked God on the way down to save him.

“I’ll always believe that God saved me that day,” he said.

Since the fall, he has since regained his faith.

Kulanu Executive Director Beth Raskin, who attended the presentation, said the four-month program has brought insightful information to promote mental well-being to light in the community of the Five Towns. Kulanu, in Cedarhurst, is a school for young people with special needs.

After Hines spoke he talked with several audience members  and Raskin acknowledged that.

“People stay to talk whether they are talking to each other or the people that presented,” Raskin  said, “to me that is the message that we are doing something right here. We’re opening the channel to allow the conversation to occur.”

Daniel Sonnenblick, a school psychologist in Brooklyn, also remained to talk with Hines. Sonnenblick said he attended that Tuesday’s meeting because of the increasing numbers of children committing suicide. He hoped to find a way to help.

“It’s a lot more common now,” Sonnenblick said, “we lost one of our student’s a couple of years ago, and now it is more common unfortunately and it is something that occurs for students as an option.”

What’s next, according to Katz and Septimus, are peer support groups, which are expected to form in the next few months.

“We have great goals,” Septimus said, “Stuart and I have a dream of a walk-in clinic, but ultimately it’s helping people one person at a time.”