Author: Michael J. Salamon, Dr.

May 25th, 2017

First published JULY 21, 2015 - Times of Israel. He is just 12 years old. He is a  healthy pre-teen with a  serious problem. He is afraid that he has lost his “olam habah” his portion in the world to come, a concern people four times his age rarely have. He says things like “I look at all those other people, the ones who spend their time playing or reading secular books I am so glad that I am not like them. At lea …
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Author: Michael J. Salamon, Dr.

February 7th, 2017

Originally Published - Jewish Press 9/24/15 It’s become a tradition in my office: Just prior to Yom Kippur I receive a spate of calls from a number of people, most of whom are not my patients, who’ve heard of me from relatives or friends, attended one of my lectures, or just looked up a random therapist who is Orthodox.

What these callers have in common is that all ask me how to deal with their sense of guilt. My standard r …
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Author: Michael J. Salamon, Dr.

January 23rd, 2017

Originally published Times of Israel 10/10/2013 If you sometimes feel that people are just a little bit “too plugged in”, just wait, we are still just in the first hour of creation. What comes next is the best thing that has ever happened to the human race, and perhaps the worst. Here are some examples: A driver approaching a four-way intersection as the light turns green starts to accelerate just as another car runs the red. While th …
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Author: Michael J. Salamon, Dr.

January 16th, 2017

First published 2/16/16 Arutz Sheva Whenever I speak about the crisis of alcohol use by our children I am often met with skepticism. Many of us find it hard to accept that alcohol is an increasing problem in our communities. Despite the fact that some teens and young adults over indulge and are known to carry flasks of vodka with them to simchas and even to yeshiva, a lack of acknowledgement of the problem still permeates. Even parents who do not …
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Author: Michael J. Salamon, Dr.

January 3rd, 2017

Originally published 12/15/16 Arutz Sheva  Just how many drinks do you think you can you hold? I am not asking this rhetorically.  I am asking out of a deep and growing fear for our well-being and the future of our children.   This is not a new concern. Many have noticed and commented on it in the past. But, it remains shocking to me and others as well, and seems, at least anecdotally, to be a worsening issue. In the last month I a …
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Author: Michael J. Salamon, Dr.

December 28th, 2016

Originally Published in The Jewish Press: A plague of childhood sexual abuse of students by teachers over many years at yeshivot in Australia, and the prodding of Manny Waks, a victim who as an adult became an advocate, led to the appointment several years ago of a Royal Commission to study the situation. Although preliminary findings were issued two years ago, the final commission reports were just released. Cover-ups on the part of school …
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Author: Michael J. Salamon, Dr.

December 27th, 2016

Originally Published Jewish Press: September 23rd, 2016 When I was 18, a friend, someone who was a member of the same community and shul, died under strange circumstances. That was many years ago and I do not remember all the details. What I do recall vividly is that roughly six months after the person passed away a rumor spread that he died of an overdose – because his body had been found completely undisturbed in an empty lot. I was …
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