About Us
Why “Atzmi”?
Atzmi, Hebrew עצמי (from root עצם), my essence, my substance, my self.
Dedicated to empowering our girls in appreciating their unique selves.
Our Mission
Atzmi’s mission is to safeguard the mental health of Jewish Orthodox girls via empirically-tested, Torah based programming that is culturally sensitive, holistic, empowering, and works toward the prevention of eating disorders.
Atzmi envisions a future where every Jewish Orthodox girl embraces a profound sense of self-compassion, unwavering body acceptance, and a deep connection to inner well-being. Atzmi aspires to cultivate a community where the prevalence of eating disorders is minimized, self-acceptance flourishes, and each girl is empowered to discover and appreciate her unique and authentic self.
Who Are We?
Executive Board
Dr. Marcy Forta EdD, MBA
Director & Founder of Atzmi
Dr. Marcy Forta is the founder and director of Atzmi, a nonprofit dedicated to supporting adolescent girls' mental health by fostering self-compassion, self-worth, and positive body self-compassion, self-worth, and positive body image. She created Atzmi’s keystone program, the My Best Self curriculum, an empirically designed initiative aimed at reducing eating disorder incidence among Orthodox Jewish female teens. Launched less than three years ago, it is now implemented in over 65 Orthodox Day Schools across the U.S. and internationally.
Beyond the classroom, Dr. Forta provides seminars for parents and educators and consults with schools, mental health professionals, and parents on addressing eating disorder concerns. She is also the author of How Can I Help My Daughter? A Mother’s Guide to Nurturing Her Daughter’s Best Self (Mosaica Press) and its accompanying Mother/Daughter curriculum to foster open communication.
Atzmi was selected for the prestigious OU Impact Accelerator and previously participated in Touro’s Chessed Leadership program.
Dr. Forta is also a sought-after speaker at Jewish education conferences and mental health webinars; has been featured on numerous podcasts; and is a published author of multiple articles. A full listing of her work is available at www.atzmi.org/articles.image. She created Atzmi’s keystone program, the My Best Self curriculum, an empirically designed initiative aimed at reducing eating disorder incidence among Orthodox Jewish female teens. Launched less than three years ago, it is now implemented in over 65 Orthodox Day Schools across the U.S. and internationally.
Beyond the classroom, Dr. Forta provides seminars for parents and educators and consults with schools, mental health professionals, and parents on addressing eating disorder concerns. She is also the author of How Can I Help My Daughter? A Mother’s Guide to Nurturing Her Daughter’s Best Self (Mosaica Press) and its accompanying Mother/Daughter curriculum to foster open communication.
Atzmi was selected for the prestigious OU Impact Accelerator and previously participated in Touro’s Chessed Leadership program.
Dr. Forta is also a sought-after speaker at Jewish education conferences and mental health webinars; has been featured on numerous podcasts; and is a published author of multiple articles. A full listing of her work is available at www.atzmi.org/articles.
Dr. Debbie Marton, Psy.D.
Board Member
Debbie Marton, Psy.D. is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist in Massachusetts and New York. She received her Doctorate in Psychology from Yeshiva University's Ferkauf Graduate School of Psychology, and she completed her clinical residency at the Department of Clinical Services at the Center for Applied Psychology at Bikur Cholim in Monsey, New York where she specialized in women’s mental health and trauma.
Dr. Marton has worked in various mental health settings including hospitals, outpatient clinics, college counseling centers, domestic violence counseling centers, and eating disorder treatment centers. Dr. Marton specializes in Eating Disorders, Anxiety, Depression, Mental Health, Emerging Adulthood, and Couples Therapy. Dr. Marton has received extensive training in Psychodynamic Therapy and Dialectical Behavior Therapy, and she is certified by the White Institute as a Couples Therapist.
Dr. Marton has specialized in Eating Disorder treatment for over 12 years, and she has worked in all levels of care for Eating Disorders. She has held roles as an Assistant Clinical Director at Monte Nido River Towns and as a Chief Clinical Officer for Within Health, a virtual Eating Disorder treatment program. Currently, Dr. Marton works in her own private practice and seeks to help adults, couples, and communities facing the struggles of Eating Disorders.
Temimah Zucker, LCSW
Board Member
Temimah Zucker, LCSW is a psychotherapist working with those in NY, NJ, SC, and CT. She specializes in supporting those who struggle with eating disorders, disordered eating, body image dissatisfaction, and general mental health concerns from a weight-inclusive approach. Temimah writes a column in the Jewish Link of NJ and speaks nationally on these subjects and has taught graduate courses on the subject of eating disorders at her alma mater, the Wurzweiler School of Social Work. Temimah is also a consultant at Monte Nido where she worked as Assistant Clinical Director of the NY site.
Jennifer Saber
Board Member
Jennifer Saber, from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, is a veteran Jewish educator with 25 years of experience working with adolescents in synagogue supplementary schools, summer camps, and youth groups. She holds a Master’s Degree in Jewish Communal Service with a concentration in Jewish Education from Brandeis University and a Master’s Degree in Jewish Education from Hebrew College in Boston.
Jennifer currently serves as the Inclusion Education Coordinator for North America for the Shutaf Inclusion Program in Jerusalem, supporting children, teens and staff in Jewish educational settings. She has a special interest in the intersection of mental health and Jewish education. Jennifer is especially passionate about Atzmi’s mission as the parent of a child struggling with an eating disorder.
Mimi Trenk
Board Member
Mimi Trenk is an attorney by education and a Certified Life Coach by profession. Trained by the School of Transformational Healing and the Dina Friedman Academy, Mimi’s goal is to empower her clients to step into their greatness. Utilizing a variety of healing and manifestation techniques, Mimi guides her clients towards living the life they truly desire. She lives in Clifton, NJ, with her husband and 5 children.
Advisory Board
Sara Eisemann, LMSW, ACSW
Founding Board Member
Clinical therapist who resides in Oak Park, MI. She received her Master’s in Social Work at Wayne State University over 30 years ago.
Sara practiced individual, group, and marital therapy at Jewish Family Service of Detroit. She was a member of Windows, the domestic violence prevention program at JFS. She started a private practice at the Birmingham-Maple Clinic.
Sara is a trained Core Mentor as well as a certified dating coach, lecturer on topics of Torah, authenticity, and relationships. She is the author of MatchQuest, a dating advice column in Mishpacha magazine.
Rabbi Larry Rothwachs
Board Member
Rabbi Larry Rothwachs, a licensed social worker, has served as rabbi at Congregation Beth Aaron in Teaneck, NJ since August 2002. Rabbi Rothwachs is a graduate of Yeshiva College, the Azrieli School of Jewish Education, and the Wurzweiler School of Social Work and received his semicha from the Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary. From 1998 through 2016, Rabbi Rothwachs taught Talmud at Yeshiva University High School for Boys and the Rosenbaum Yeshiva of North Jersey and he currently serves as head rabbi of Camp Morasha. In April 2016, he was appointed Director of Professional Rabbinics at RIETS at Yeshiva University. In January 2023, Rabbi Rothwachs was appointed as the founding rabbi of Meromei Shemesh, a new community, currently under construction, in Ramat Bet Shemesh.
Rabbi Yarden Blumstein
Founding Board Member
Teens mentor who works on teen mental health awareness and empowers teens to support one another in school and their lives.
Rabbi Blumstein facilitates workshops for teens and adults teaching them practical intervention skills and develops community-wide support networks.