Israel in Crisis

Friends,

Our anguish knows no limits as we mourn our incalculable losses, think about the hundreds and hundreds of families who are thrust into aveilut, and perhaps most wrenching of all, contemplate the fate of the scores of hostages. Our hearts are filled with concern and worry for all of the many, many chayalim who are now in action, and will undoubtedly be so, for much time to come.  We are sharing some resources below about community solidarity rallies as well as donation opportunities.  

We are also creating a misheberach list for chayalim in action, those who have been wounded and for those being held hostage.  If you have any names to add to the list you can add them at the link below.  I also wanted to share a link where you can sign up and receive the name of a particular chayal for whom you can recite Tehillim.  

Misheberach List                          Daven for a Chayal

Rav Yosef

The stories we are hearing from the hostages who were freed are horrifying. We know that the recovery needs of the families will be great. Trauma organizations in Israel are assessing how to approach and work with those who are now safely back home and more broadly, with so many Israelis around the country – according to one recent study, one in three Israelis have already exhibited signs of PTSD in the aftermath of October 7.

For all these reasons, the BDJ family is undertaking an ongoing campaign to support NATAL, one of the premier trauma organizations in Israel.

NATAL has a proven track record of success, and comes highly recommended by both The Jewish Funders Network and the Jewish Federations of North America.

DONATE

NATAL (Nifgaei Trauma al Reka Leumi - Victims of Trauma on a National Scale) was established in 1998 and has become the go-to resource for trauma treatment in Israel. As a non-profit organization offering psychological and emotional treatment, Natal has worked with over 450,000 people through its Helpline, Community Resilience Unit, Clinical Unit, Trauma Studies Centre, and Testimonial Centre. In the face of October 7th, needs in the field continue to change rapidly and mental health challenges are growing exponentially during this overwhelming national crisis, the true extent of which will only become clear in the coming days and months. The financial needs will be unending.

Thank you to President Biden for his unwavering support for Israel, including his unprecedented wartime visit to Israel and his primetime address on October 19th.  With appreciation to Rabbi David Block for sharing these resources below - we encourage you to share your gratitude with our leadership:

• You can contact President Biden here, and here’s a sample text of what you might send (with thanks to 2-A-DAY-4-ISRAEL for the sample text). 
• AIPAC has compiled a list of members of Congress who have also expressed their support of Israel and their names/statements can be found here. You can also, sign up for the 2-A-Day-For-Israel Bipartisan Email Campaign - Reach out to two members of Congress a day to thank them for their support of Israel. This campaign takes 5 minutes or less a day to complete 2 daily action items.

• Prayer for the State of Israel - view here. 
• Prayer for IDF - view here. 
• Prayer for Those Held in Captivity - view here.
  • List of the names of the hostages can be found here.
• Selected Tehillim (Psalms): (a) Chapter 3, (b) Chapter 20, (c) Chapter 83, (d) Chapter 120, (e) Chapter 121, (f) Chapter 142
• Printable flyers of the hostages can be found here.

• Orthodox Union Daily Tehillim & Chizuk Call - 10 am each day.  Visit ou.org/callarchive for call in information.  
• Learning in Support of Israel with Rav Yosef (10/12/23) - view recording here.
• Communal Evening of Chizuk (10/26/23) - view recording here.
  • Special prayers for IDF, Cholim, and those held in captivity that were read at the program can be found here.
• An Evening of Remembrance and Solidarity with Israel (11/5/23) - view recording here.

• Information from MATAN about talking to your child with special needs - view here.  
• Webinars and other educational resources from The Jewish Education Project for talking to your child or teen - view here.