Rabbi Dr. Abraham J. Twerski (October 6, 1930 – January 31, 2021) was an internationally respected American Hasidic rabbi, psychiatrist, and leading authority on substance abuse and mental health. He was widely celebrated for his unique ability to seamlessly blend traditional Jewish ethics (mussar) with modern clinical psychology.

Here is an overview of his life, career, and enduring legacy:

Early Life and Education

Born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Rabbi Twerski was a scion of the Chernobyl Hasidic dynasty. He grew up in a home steeped in Jewish tradition; his father was the rabbi of Beth Jehudah synagogue in Milwaukee. A studious child, he graduated from public high school at age 16 and went on to attend the Hebrew Theological College of Chicago, where he was ordained as a rabbi in 1951.

After serving as an assistant rabbi alongside his father, he realized that community members frequently sought professional secular counselors for their most intimate mental health struggles rather than turning to a rabbi.Motivated to provide the level of deep, impactful counseling his community needed, he chose to pursue a medical career. He enrolled at Milwaukee's Marquette University, a Jesuit institution, graduating with his medical degree in 1960. He subsequently completed his psychiatric training at the University of Pittsburgh.

Psychiatric Career & Addiction Medicine

Rabbi Twerski dedicated his clinical career to combating alcoholism, drug addiction, and psychological distress.

• Gateway Rehabilitation Center: In 1972, he founded the Gateway Rehabilitation Center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, which grew into one of the premier addiction treatment facilities in the United States. He served as its medical director emeritus.

  
  

• Other Clinical Roles: He served as the clinical director of the Department of Psychiatry at St. Francis Hospital in Pittsburgh and as an associate professor of psychiatry at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. He also founded the Shaar Hatikvah rehabilitation center for prisoners in Israel.

  
  

• The 12-Step Program: Rabbi Twerski was deeply drawn to the pragmatism of the Twelve Steps utilized by Alcoholics Anonymous. He championed the approach within the Jewish world, arguing that its spiritual emphasis on surrendering to a higher power and taking practical steps to stop harmful behaviors resonated perfectly with the tenets of the Torah.

  
  

Contributions to the Community and Literature

Rabbi Twerski was a prolific author, writing over 90 books spanning Jewish spirituality, self-improvement, parenting, and recovery.

• The Centrality of Self-Esteem: A vast majority of his secular and religious writings focused on the critical importance of self-esteem. He firmly believed that a distorted, negative self-concept lay at the root of most psychological problems not caused by physiology. He even authored several popular self-help books collaborating with Charles M. Schulz, using the Peanuts comic strip to illustrate psychological concepts.

  
  

• Breaking Taboos: He was a trailblazer in the Orthodox community for openly confronting difficult, often taboo topics. Notably, his 1996 book, The Shame Borne in Silence: Spouse Abuse in the Jewish Community, brought urgent attention to domestic violence within insular religious circles, advocating for accountability and safety.

  
  

• Musical Legacy: Deeply connected to his family’s musical roots, he composed several popular Jewish melodies. His composition for the Hebrew verse Psalms 28:9, "Hoshea es Amecha," became a highly popular and widely sung melody across the Jewish world.

  
  

Later Life

After retiring from full-time clinical practice in 1995, Rabbi Twerski lived for periods in Monsey, New York, and Teaneck, New Jersey, before making aliyah to Israel. He spent the final years of his life in Jerusalem, where he passed away in 2021 at the age of 90 due to complications from COVID-19. Today, his work lives on through his extensive literature and the Rabbi Avraham J. Twerski Center, which continues his mission of promoting personal and spiritual growth.