Atzat Nefesh (; ) is an

Orthodox Jewish Orthodox Judaism is a collective term for the traditionalist branches of contemporary Judaism. Theologically, it is chiefly defined by regarding the Torah, both Written and Oral, as literally revealed by God on Mount Sinai and faithfully tra ...

conversion therapy Conversion therapy is the pseudoscientific practice of attempting to change an individual's sexual orientation, romantic orientation, gender identity, or gender expression to align with heterosexual and cisgender norms. Methods that have ...

organization based in

Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...

that promotes

sexual orientation change efforts Conversion therapy is the pseudoscientific practice of attempting to change an individual's sexual orientation, romantic orientation, gender identity, or gender expression to align with heterosexual and cisgender norms. Methods that have b ...

History

Atzat Nefesh was founded in 2001 by Rabbi

Shlomo Aviner Shlomo Chaim Hacohen Aviner (; born 1943/5703 as ''Claude Langenauer'') is an Israeli Orthodox rabbi. He is the rosh yeshiva (dean) of Ateret Yerushalayim (formerly Ateret Cohanim) and the former rabbi of Beit El, an Israeli settlement. He is co ...

. Specifically, it addresses

homosexuals Homosexuality is romantic attraction, sexual attraction, or sexual behavior between people of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality is "an enduring pattern of emotional, romantic, and/or sexual attractions" exc ...

, victims of

sexual abuse Sexual abuse or sex abuse is abusive sexual behavior by one person upon another. It is often perpetrated using physical force, or by taking advantage of another. It often consists of a persistent pattern of sexual assaults. The offender is re ...

, and people who are addicted to

masturbation Masturbation is a form of autoeroticism in which a person Sexual stimulation, sexually stimulates their own Sex organ, genitals for sexual arousal or other sexual pleasure, usually to the point of orgasm. Stimulation may involve the use of han ...

pornography Pornography (colloquially called porn or porno) is Sexual suggestiveness, sexually suggestive material, such as a picture, video, text, or audio, intended for sexual arousal. Made for consumption by adults, pornographic depictions have evolv ...

, or

prostitution Prostitution is a type of sex work that involves engaging in 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, no ...

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

yeshiva A yeshiva (; ; 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 studied in parallel. The stu ...

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

sexual behavior Human sexual activity, human sexual practice or human sexual behaviour is the manner in which humans experience and express their sexuality. People engage in a variety of sexual acts, ranging from activities done alone (e.g., masturbation) t ...

and

sexual orientation Sexual orientation is an enduring personal pattern of romantic attraction 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. Patterns ar ...

. 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 LGBTQ and Judaism Religious organizations based in Israel Jewish organizations established in 2001 2001 in Judaism

History

Controversy

See also

References

External links