Inspiration for the Nation with Yaakov Langer
Inspiration for the Nation with Yaakov Langer

Leah & Yosef Bercovice: She Was Going to End Her Life… Then the Phone Rang

July 4, 2026

AI Summary

5 min read

She Was Going to End Her Life… Then the Phone Rang

Leah Bercovice had a foolproof plan. She was going to clean her basement as one last favor to her family, and then end her life. It was late May 2023, just after a summer camp job had ended, and the energy that had kept her going evaporated. She sat with the decision, waiting for everyone to go to sleep. At 9 PM, a girl reached out to her: "Call me, call me, call me — I have the cutest guy for you ever." Leah had no interest in dating. She was done with life. But she agreed to one phone call on one condition: "If I'm talking to him tonight, he has to hear every little thing that I found wrong with me. Every question that I had for so many years." She planned to unload everything and then be done. Instead, that call saved her life.

The Spiral Before the Call

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What you'll learn

  • 1 (00:05) **Leah’s Decision to End Her Life** - Leah describes the night she decided to end her life, feeling no purpose or meaning.
  • 2 (01:44) **Yosef and Leah’s Upbringings** - The couple shares their contrasting religious backgrounds.
  • 3 (05:56) **Leah’s Secret Struggles and Public Mask** - Leah explains how she hid her mental health battles and her journey away from religion.
  • 4 (10:34) **The Road to the Crisis: Wrongful Medication and Dismissal** - Leah details the events leading up to her lowest point.
  • 5 (26:02) **The Night of the Call** - Leah describes the moment she decided to end her life and the unexpected phone call that changed everything.
  • 6 (29:16) **The Phone Call That Saved a Life** - Leah recounts the four-hour phone call with Yosef that brought her back from the brink.
  • 7 (31:37) **Yosef’s Perspective: Why He Stayed** - Yosef explains his own background and what gave him the ability to listen so deeply.

+ Full timestamped outline available in the app

Show Notes

On a night Leah thought would be her last, one phone call changed everything.
In this emotional episode, Leah and Yosef Bercovice share the story of the shidduch that began in the darkest moment of Leah’s life and became the beginning of a marriage, a home, and a future filled with hope. Together, they speak openly about mental health, depression, faith, listening, healing, and the small acts of kindness that can change someone’s entire life.
Trigger warning: This episode includes conversations about mental health, depression, and suicidal thoughts. Please watch with care.
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✬ IN MEMORY OF ✬
This episode is in memory of:
• Shimon Dovid ben Yaakov Shloima
• Miriam Sarah bas Yaakov Moshe
• Shaindel bas Chaim Yehuda Leib
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