October 7th Commemoration Resources
by Bat-El Lieberman, Jori Erlander and Jamie Lake
As October 7th approaches, its significance feels ever more present at Keshet, especially among the adults we serve. For the adults in our day program, the horrific attack and plight of the hostages have become part of the regular conversation over the past year. What’s happening in Israel, Gaza and now Lebanon hits very close to home for many of our adult participants because they have spent time in Israel, know people serving in the IDF or have connections to families of hostages. We’ve taken a holistic approach to discussing current events, providing mental health support and offering hands-on reflection activities.
In deciding how to approach the one-year anniversary of the tragedy, Keshet set out to create a remembrance ceremony that would be accessible and approachable for participants and staff from diverse backgrounds. It’s short and grounded in traditional Jewish prayers and songs that will be led by adults and staff at our day program. Keshet’s Jewish Educator and one of our social workers collaborated to create the materials, which include Hebrew, transliteration and English with visuals. We took some liberties with the English translation to use words that would be more familiar to our community while keeping the same intent as the original.
We want to share the resource with others. Whether you use it all or just a piece, we hope that it allows for a meaningful reflection and community gathering at your organization, school or business. You can download it here.
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