Website: https://wck.org/
WCK immediately serves chef-prepared meals to communities impacted by natural disasters and humanitarian crises.
I am Talya Gutenberg (Adler). As many of you know, I am Rabbi Adler’s daughter. I grew up in West Hartford and moved to Israel when I was 18. I currently live in Efrat with my family. On October 7, like everyone around us, our world was shaken to the core. There are some incredible people in our community here that immediately set up a distribution center in Efrat to help provide soldiers with essential clothing and equipment. As a volunteer at the distribution center, I can tell you that we have provided thousands of soldiers with thermal clothing to stay warm, rain gear, tactical gear, like gloves, and ballistic glasses, medical equipment, and more. I see almost every day how these things are so appreciated and needed to help our soldiers protect our country. Everything we distribute is from donations. One of the hardest things is when we have to tell soldiers we have run out of supplies. Please help the Just One Chesed distribution center in Efrat provide these essential supplies to our brave soldiers. PLEASE CLICK HERE TO ACCESS THE REGISTRY AND MAKE YOUR GIFT TO A SOLDIER.
ReGrow Israel: The first fund focused on securing the future of the Israeli agricultural communities devastated in the Hamas attack. CLICK HERE TO DONATE
Nefesh B’Nefesh, in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and the Israeli Medical Association is creating a database of international physicians willing to volunteer in Israel during this challenging time.
PHYSICIANS-Click here to learn more and sign-up
NURSES AND EMTs-Click here to learn more and sign-up
Choose someone every day in Israel, friend or family and call them! Tell them you want to let them know we care about them and we support them!
A Prayer for Israel in this Time of War by Rabbi Naomi Levy
God, our Strength and Protection, we pray for the State of Israel in this devastating time of war, shock and grief. Our hearts are breaking, God. We pray for the lives of the innocent civilians who have been heartlessly kidnapped by Hamas, bring them home, watch over them, God. We pray for the lives of the soldiers who have been taken captive, we pray for their safe return, shelter them, God. We pray for the souls of the innocent victims who were brutally slaughtered. Send comfort and strength, God, to the grieving. Send healing to the injured, and strength and wisdom to their doctors and nurses. We pray for all our brothers and sisters in Israel in this time of tragedy and crisis.
Watch over Israel, God, spread Your shelter of peace over the land and over all our brothers and sisters who live there. Shine Your light upon Israel’s leaders, officers and advisers, innocent blood is calling out to them to overcome all divisiveness and to act with clarity and determination. Protect the men and women who defend Israel, let them be safe and may they be victorious over the Hamas terrorists who attacked our people. Watch over them, God. Hear their prayers. Bring peace, God. Let it rain down from the heavens like a mighty storm. Let it wash away all hatred and bloodshed. Peace, God, please, God.
God of the brokenhearted, God of the living, God of the dead, gather the souls of the victims into Your eternal shelter. Let them find peace in Your presence, God. Their lives have ended, but their lights can never be extinguished. May they shine on us always and illuminate our way.
Our Eternal God, Rock and Redeemer of the people Israel,
bless the State of Israel, with its promise of redemption.
Shield it with Your love; spread over it the shelter of Your peace.
Guide its leaders and advisors with Your light and Your truth.
Help them with Your good counsel.
Strengthen the hands of those who defend our Holy Land.
Deliver them; crown their efforts with triumph.
Bless the land with peace, and its inhabitants with lasting joy. And let us say: Amen.
שָׁלוֹם רָב עַל יִשְׂרָאֵל עַמְּךָ תָּשִׂים לְעוֹלָם, כִּי אַתָּה הוּא מֶלֶךְ אָדוֹן לְכָל הַשָּׁלוֹם. וְטוֹב בְּעֵינֶֽיךָ לְבָרֵךְ אֶת עַמְּךָ יִשׁרָאֵל וְאֶת כָּל הָעַמִּים בְּכָל עֵת וּבְכָל שָׁעָה בִּשְׁלוֹמֶֽךָ. בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְיָ, הַמְּבָרֵךְ אֶת עַמּוֹ יִשְׂרָאֵל בַּשָּׁלוֹם.
Grant peace to Your people Israel forever, for You are Ruler, Master of all Peace. May it be good in Your eyes to bless Your people Israel at every time and every hour with Your peace. Blessed are You, Eternal God, Who blesses Your people Israel with peace.
Sign-up for Federation’s Daily Email Briefing: updates, stories and links
Talking about Israel for Interfaith Families
The Times of Israel
For Heaven’s Sake Podcast : A brand new podcast from the Shalom Hartman Institute specifically addressing up to date topics about the war in Israel.
Videos to Help Parents and Kids Talk About Scary Situations: PJ Library
National Association of School Psychologists (NASP): CLICK HERE
National Child Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSN): CLICK HERE
How to Talk to Children About the Conflict in Israel
Tips for Parents and Teachers (APA): Middle School – CLICK HERE
Preschool Age Children – CLICK HERE
Bright Horizons Coping Guide
From CBI’s Mental Health and Addiction Initiative
Since October 7, we have all witnessed, via the media, mass murder and atrocities in Southern Israel that are reminiscent of some of the darkest periods in Jewish history. As we seek out ways to make an impact, we also need to protect our own mental health and our capacity to function. Many of us do not appreciate the extreme emotional distress associated with repeatedly following the news and social media. Uninterrupted news coverage and the regular consumption of video and pictures of tragedies creates and exacerbates trauma in people. For most folks, this can very likely show up with increased anxiety, sleep difficulty, and depression. It can be challenging to balance a desire to stay informed with the need to care for ourselves. One way to do this is to create boundaries for ourselves around our social media and news intake. Consider establishing a schedule for yourself and choosing to check the news once or twice a day during designated times, then commit to filling your remaining free time with activities that bring you joy and satisfaction. If you notice that you are particularly impacted, this may be a time to take a break from social media entirely. Sadly it seems that the crisis in Israel is not going to come to a swift conclusion. This means we will likely be in a heightened state for some time ahead and need to be sure to put systems in place that will enable us to care for our mental health. Please see below for additional articles to help:
War’s enduring legacy: How does trauma haunt future generations?https://www.apa.org/topics/trauma/trauma-survivors-generations
How to cope with traumatic stress
https://www.apa.org/topics/trauma/stress
Resilience in a time of war: Tips for parents and teachers of elementary school children
https://www.apa.org/topics/resilience/kids-war
