Atzat Nefesh

Atzat Nefesh (Hebrew: עצת נפש, commonly translated as “Psychological Advice”) is an Israeli Orthodox Jewish organization associated with counseling, support groups, workshops, and referrals concerning homosexuality, sexual behavior, sexual abuse, pornography, masturbation, and prostitution. It was founded in 2001 by Rabbi Shlomo Aviner. The organization operates within an Orthodox Jewish religious framework and presents its work as assistance for people seeking to change sexual behavior or sexual orientation. Atzat Nefesh has promoted the view that homosexuality can be altered through appropriate treatment and that strengthening masculine identity may enable homosexual men to uncover an allegedly innate heterosexuality. Its activities have included volunteer-staffed support groups and a telephone hotline, with volunteers described as having a yeshiva background. The organization has also organized multi-day workshops under the title “Journey to Masculinity” and has directed people seeking help to therapists who use conversion-therapy approaches. The organization’s methods have been the subject of substantial professional and public criticism. In October 2014, Israel’s Ministry of Health adopted the position of the Israel Psychological Association opposing conversion therapy and warned the public about the risks associated with such treatment. That position placed Atzat Nefesh’s stated approach in conflict with the prevailing position of Israeli mental-health authorities. In March 2015, Israeli blogger and gay-rights advocate Natan Azulay reported on an undercover experience involving Atzat Nefesh. The report, published by the Israeli website Mako, alleged that the organization continued to refer prospective clients to people whose qualifications were questionable and who were not recognized mental-health professionals. The episode intensified scrutiny of the organization’s referral practices and the standards applied to practitioners connected with its activities. Atzat Nefesh was also connected to a criminal case involving its then-chairman, Reuven Israel Welcher. Welcher was charged with sexually assaulting patients who had sought conversion therapy. In 2020, he received a three-year prison sentence, exceeding the two-year term sought by the state prosecutor. Public reporting cited in the organization’s Wikipedia article stated that Atzat Nefesh had not apologized to Welcher’s victims. The case further shaped public discussion of safeguarding, accountability, and the risks faced by people seeking help through conversion-therapy networks. Available reference material does not establish the organization’s current operating status, leadership, financial structure, legal form, or scale. Its public identity remains closely associated with religiously framed support and conversion-therapy advocacy rather than with conventional consumer products. Because the available information is limited and its present activities are not independently documented here, current-status claims should be treated cautiously.

Atzat Nefesh was established in Israel in 2001 by Rabbi Shlomo Aviner. The organization developed within an Orthodox Jewish context and focused on people seeking assistance with homosexuality, sexual behavior, sexual abuse, masturbation, pornography, or prostitution. Its stated approach treated sexual orientation and sexual conduct as conditions that could be changed through religiously compatible counseling and therapeutic intervention. The organization’s activities included support groups, a telephone hotline, workshops, and referrals to therapists. Its hotline and support groups were staffed by volunteers described in available reference material as having a yeshiva background. Atzat Nefesh also promoted workshops called “Journey to Masculinity,” based on the belief that strengthening masculinity could help homosexual men discover a supposedly hidden heterosexual identity. It referred applicants to therapists who used conversion-therapy methods. This approach increasingly attracted criticism from mental-health professionals and LGBTQ-rights advocates. In October 2014, Israel’s Ministry of Health adopted a position paper from the Israel Psychological Association that opposed conversion therapy and warned the public about its potential harms. The policy position was significant because it placed the organization’s advertised methods outside the consensus expressed by Israel’s principal professional psychology body. In March 2015, Natan Azulay, an Israeli blogger and gay-rights advocate, published an undercover report on Mako after seeking conversion therapy through Atzat Nefesh. According to the account summarized in available reference material, the organization continued to refer applicants to people whose qualifications were questionable and who were not recognized as mental-health professionals. The report brought additional attention to the organization’s screening and referral procedures. A further crisis arose around Reuven Israel Welcher, who was identified as the organization’s chairman. In 2015, Welcher was criminally charged with sexually assaulting patients who had sought conversion therapy. In 2020, he was sentenced to three years in prison, a term longer than the two years requested by the state prosecutor. Reference material also states that Atzat Nefesh had not apologized to the victims. The case associated the organization with serious safeguarding and accountability concerns. The available sources do not provide reliable information about subsequent leadership, whether the organization remains active, its current legal status, its funding, or the size of its operations. Its historical profile is therefore best understood as that of an Israeli Orthodox Jewish organization advocating conversion-therapy-related support and referrals, rather than as a conventional commercial product brand.

• 2020

  Former chairman sentenced

  [1]Atzat Nefeshen.wikipedia.org

  Former chairman Reuven Israel Welcher received a three-year prison sentence in a sexual-assault case involving conversion-therapy patients.

• 2015

  Undercover report published

  [1]Atzat Nefeshen.wikipedia.org

  Natan Azulay published an undercover report on Mako concerning Atzat Nefesh’s conversion-therapy referrals and the qualifications of referred practitioners.

• 2014

  Israeli health authorities oppose conversion therapy

  [1]Atzat Nefeshen.wikipedia.org

  The Ministry of Health adopted the Israel Psychological Association’s position opposing conversion therapy and issued a public warning about such treatments.

• 2001

  Organization founded

  [1]Atzat Nefeshen.wikipedia.org

  Atzat Nefesh was founded in Israel by Rabbi Shlomo Aviner.

An Orthodox Jewish support and counseling organization promoting sexual-orientation change efforts and related behavioral interventions.

• Workshop

  Journey to Masculinity

  A three-day workshop presented by Atzat Nefesh as part of its effort to address male homosexuality through a masculinity-focused framework. The program reflected the organization’s stated belief that strengthening masculine identity could contribute to a change in sexual orientation. The available source material does not establish the workshop’s current availability, curriculum, or outcomes.

• Peer and religious support

  Support groups

  Atzat Nefesh operated support groups for people seeking help with homosexuality and other issues identified by the organization, including sexual abuse, pornography, masturbation, and prostitution. Available descriptions characterize the groups as religiously framed and supported by volunteers with yeshiva backgrounds.

• Information and referral service

  Telephone hotline

  The organization maintained a hotline staffed by volunteers. The service functioned as an initial point of contact and referral for people seeking assistance within Atzat Nefesh’s religious and conversion-therapy-oriented support model.

• 2020

  Prison sentence for Reuven Israel Welcher

  Welcher was sentenced to three years in prison. Available reference material states that Atzat Nefesh had not apologized to his victims.

  Source

• 2015

  Questionable conversion-therapy referrals reported

  An undercover report by Natan Azulay alleged that Atzat Nefesh referred people to practitioners with questionable training who were not recognized mental-health professionals.

  Source

• 2015

  Sexual-assault charges involving chairman

  Reuven Israel Welcher, identified as Atzat Nefesh’s chairman, was criminally charged with sexually assaulting patients who had sought conversion therapy.

  Source

Read more

• 2014

  Continued promotion of conversion-therapy approaches despite professional oppositionStrategy

  Background

  Atzat Nefesh promoted sexual-orientation change efforts, while Israel’s Ministry of Health adopted the Israel Psychological Association’s position opposing conversion therapy.

  Action taken

  The organization’s described model continued to involve support groups, workshops, and referrals to therapists using conversion-therapy methods.

  Aftermath

  The position of Israeli health authorities increased scrutiny of the organization and the safety and legitimacy of its methods.

  Source

1. 1Atzat Nefeshen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Atzat Nefesh official websiteatzat-nefesh.org