Israel “Yummy” Schachter, producer of the Amudim organization’s upcoming 36-hour Unite to Heal livestream, spoke with Arutz Sheva - Israel National News about the preparations for what has become one of the Jewish world’s largest online awareness events. The livestream will raise funds for Amudim’s mental health, crisis intervention, addiction support, and trauma care.
Schachter recalled that his first involvement with Amudim began at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, when the organization-facing a dramatic rise in cases of abuse, addiction, and mental-health crises-was forced to cancel its major in-person fundraisers. “People needed their services more than ever,” he said. “Many were stuck at home with their abusers. Others out of work turned to addictions that became even worse. But Amudim couldn’t raise money.”
The solution was bold: a 36-hour livestream assembled in just six and a half weeks. “Year one, we had 106 different personalities,” Schachter said. “We created duets between singers, conversations about mental health, abuse, addiction, sports, entertainment, politics - and it worked.”
Since then, viewership has exploded. “The first year, about 780,000 people tuned in. The fourth year, 1.4 million unique IP addresses. That means the content and the conversations clearly resonate.”
Schachter emphasized that Unite to Heal is built on a delicate balance. “We want people to have fun, to be educated, to learn things - but also not to pretend that the serious issues our community faces don’t exist. Every year we talk about very uncomfortable things, and every year we push it further. Ignoring problems doesn’t heal them.”
This year’s program continues that approach, featuring a wide range of voices: people in recovery discussing their journeys, Hollywood actors speaking about antisemitism, and sports figures such as Auburn coach Bruce Pearl joining Tamir Goodman and Emily Austin. Schachter praised a new conversation between Shabbos Kestenbaum and Nate Buzz as one of his favorites.
Other segments include Judah Mischel with Jen Airley, and a compelling discussion with a doctor from Bnei Brak - the first Gerer Hasid to attend medical school and then serve in the IDF - who speaks with Hill Fuld about his personal challenges and the mental-health toll of his path. A panel of prominent rabbis, including Rabbis Ephraim Goldberg, Aryeh Leibowitz, and Larry Rothwachs, explores “uncharted territories”: halachic and communal questions that previous generations never faced and that overlap deeply with Amudim’s work.
According to Schachter, the production quality of this year's livestream is the strongest yet. “There’s really great content every year, but this year especially, the conversations are something special.”
Beyond the logistics and the numbers, Schachter described a deeply personal connection to the event’s mission. “At the beginning of COVID, I did it because it sounded important. But since then, the emails and messages we get - I can point to lives saved. Families healed. Communities impacted.”
He said that over the past four to five years, he has received hundreds of messages from people who abandoned plans to take their own lives after hearing a particular conversation or song on Unite to Heal. One song by Eli Schwebel, written specifically for Amudim, is repeatedly mentioned by viewers who credit it with saving them. Other stories include parents reconciling with children and youths leaving the streets. “It might be among the most rewarding things I’ve ever done in my life,” Schachter said.
As Unite to Heal prepares to launch its fifth year, Schachter hopes millions will again join the message that healing comes from honesty, courage, and community.