Atzat Nefesh ( he, עצת נפש; en, Psychological Advice) is an

Orthodox Jewish Orthodox Judaism is the collective term for the traditionalist and theologically conservative branches of contemporary Judaism. Theologically, it is chiefly defined by regarding the Torah, both Written and Oral, as revealed by God to Moses on M ...

conversion therapy Conversion therapy is the pseudoscientific practice of attempting to change an individual's sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression to align with heterosexual and cisgender norms. In contrast to evidence-based medicine and cli ...

organization based in

Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...

that promotes sexual orientation change efforts.

History

Atzat Nefesh was founded in 2001 by Rabbi Shlomo Aviner. Specifically, it addresses homosexuals, victims of sexual abuse, and people who are addicted to

masturbation Masturbation is the sexual stimulation of one's own genitals for sexual arousal or other sexual pleasure, usually to the point of orgasm. The stimulation may involve hands, fingers, everyday objects, sex toys such as vibrators, or combinatio ...

pornography Pornography (often shortened to porn or porno) is the portrayal of sexual subject matter for the exclusive purpose of sexual arousal. Primarily intended for adults,

, or

prostitution Prostitution is the business or practice of engaging in Sex work, sexual activity in exchange for payment. The definition of "sexual activity" varies, and is often defined as an activity requiring physical contact (e.g., sexual intercourse, n ...

. Atzat Nefesh operates support groups and a hotline staffed by volunteers with a

yeshiva A yeshiva (; he, ישיבה, , sitting; pl. , or ) is a traditional Jewish educational institution focused on the study of Rabbinic literature, primarily the Talmud and halacha (Jewish law), while Torah and Jewish philosophy are s ...

background. The organization believes that with the proper treatment it is possible to change sexual behavior and

sexual orientation Sexual orientation is an enduring pattern of romantic or sexual attraction (or a combination of these) to persons of the opposite sex or gender, the same sex or gender, or to both sexes or more than one gender. These attractions are generall ...

. Atzat Nefesh upholds the view that by strengthening the masculinity of homosexuals, they will discover their hidden, inborn heterosexuality. To that purpose it organizes three day long workshops, called "Journey to masculinity". The organization directs its applicants to therapists who use

methods.

Controversy

The Israel Ministry of Health in October 2014 adopted the position paper of the Israel Psychological Association which prohibits the use of conversion therapy, as advocated by Atzat Nefesh, and warned the public about such treatments. In March 2015, Israeli blogger and gay rights advocate Natan Azulay went undercover to receive “conversion therapy” from Atzat Nefesh, and then published a report on the Israeli website Mako. Azulay's report indicates that Atzat Nefesh continues to refer people to uncredentialed “therapists” whose training is questionable and who are not considered mental health professionals. In 2015, chairman Reuven Israel Welcher was criminally charged with sexually assaulting conversion therapy patients. In 2020, he was sentenced to three years in jail, more than the state prosecutor's requested two-year sentence. Atzat Nefesh has not apologized to the Welcher's victims.

References

External links

* {{Machinetranslate, url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080516130557/http://www.atzat-nefesh.org/, title=Atzat Nefesh official website, lang=he Conversion therapy organizations Jewish organizations based in Israel LGBT and Judaism Religious organizations based in Israel Jewish organizations established in 2001 2001 in Judaism

History

Controversy

See also

References

External links