Harriet Rossetto
Los Angeles, California
Votes for Harriet Rossetto: 938
Tell us about your nominee. Why should he or she be recognized as a Jewish Community Hero?
Harriet Rossetto took a segment of the community that was ignored and forgotten. With her teachings and nurturing, Harriet has saved the lives of over 4000 men and women who are now highly productive members of the community. Harriet created Beit T'Shuvah, a home with a highly effective program combining Judaic teaching, the 12-Step program and psychotherapy. Harriet has personally saved the lives of those who had no hope and reunited parents with their children who they thought were lost to the disease of addiction. She has saved men and women from the depths of despair and helped them regain their confidence to work, reunite with their families and even have a relationship and build a family of their own.
What problem did your nominee identify in the community that needed to be solved? How has your nominee's efforts made a difference for others?
As a program director visiting Jews in jail, Harriet saw the need to create a halfway house to help individuals re-enter society. With this motivation, she created Beit T'Shuvah, a residential facility to help convicts and addicts learn life skills and Jewish values. The program has been incredibly successful and now houses over 120 residents. It has expanded and now directs a Partners in Prevention program that helps teens address addiction issues by teaching Jewish values. Beit T'Shuvah is still today the only residential addiction recovery facility that combines Jewish teaching, 12-step and psychotherapy. I believe that thanks to Harriet Rossetto, many families who thought they would be planning their childrens' funerals, are now lucky enough to celebrate their child's successes in life.
