The October 7th massacre committed by Hamas terrorists in Israel has stung all those in the Jewish community as well as many people who are just plainly appalled at the barbaric savagery and kidnapping that took place.
The Jewish Programs division at WJCS has been actively supporting youth, adults, and the elderly during this frightening and devastating period in numerous ways. Our focus has been on addressing mental health and building resilience, which includes offering education about trauma and building coping skills. WJCS partners with over 25 synagogues, Jewish nursery and day schools, JCCs, and assisted living facilities. We have provided on-site support to day school teachers and staff, many of whom are Israeli and/or have family in Israel as well as the IDF. We’ve spoken with parents who are concerned about how to talk to their children about the conflict and the rise of antisemitism. We are on call to our Westchester clergy partners to assist with needs of their congregants. And we have increased support for our most vulnerable population – our Holocaust Survivors. We added daily phone calls, special meal deliveries, and volunteer visits to our services in order to reduce the Survivors’ sense of isolation.
Our WJCS social workers have provided individual and group counseling to individuals and workshops to organizations, such as The Forward and Hadassah. Throughout these trying months we have continued our regular programming of Caregiver and Bereavement Services with the addition this year of two new groups at the JCC of Mid-Westchester. Our support of Alzheimer’s family caregivers continues, with multiple caregiver groups and individual counseling. Membership in our Shelanu and Supper club programs for young adults on the autism spectrum have doubled since last year and continue to provide educational and recreational programming. These events include the participants of our group homes and POINT program.
During such difficult periods, it’s important for each of us to realize we are not alone. At WJCS, we work as a team to offer the programs and services our community needs. We are so grateful to our donors for supporting us so we can be here for Westchester.
