"I want to ask you, how do I tell them everything else that I’ve never told them?"
My friend Rabbi Chacham-Tzedek hadn’t sent any clients my way in all the years I’d known him, but that was understandable. His beit knesset was comprised of a few extravagantly wealthy European and Persian families, who, as a general rule, were somewhat mistrustful of the mental-health field. And even in a situation where intervention could be helpful, they would never go to a local psychiatrist on the outside chance that they might run into a familiar face on the way to an appointment. Generally, when Rabbi Chacham-Tzedek consulted with me about a congregant, I’d refer him to a fellow psychiatrist in Kfar Saba. Everyone felt happier and safer that way.
That’s why I was surprised when the Rabbi called and told me about his uncle. “My uncle Moussa has asked that I find him a psychiatrist, yet refuses to share any further information with anyone in the family.”
Based on my experience with the community, I wasn’t surprised by the secretive nature of his uncle’s request.
“You wouldn’t rather send him to Dr. Veissberg in Kfar Saba?” I asked openly.
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