When Yael Glanz fled Kibbutz Zikim, a small community in southern Israel, on October 7, she left without knowing if or when she could ever return home. Like many other survivors, she was evacuated to the safety of a hotel with no clear path forward. The trauma of that day stuck with her, but in the midst of fear and grief, Yael found healing through art therapy. Today, you can help support a variety of therapeutic programs that help Israelis like Yael recover from trauma and rebuild their lives.
“When I came to this hotel, mentally, at first, it was hard,” Yael shares. “Art therapy—it’s the most amazing thing that’s happened to me. Here, we call it the safe zone. For me, it’s the runaway zone. I’m always welcomed with a smile, a hug, or just someone asking if I need help. I can express myself and take out everything I feel—a lot more than speaking to someone. I’m very grateful for that.”
Art therapy provides a way to step outside the trauma, to process emotions safely and at one’s own pace. “It allows people to separate from the story and certain parts of the trauma,” explains art therapist Oriya Kadari. It helps them see their emotions, work through them, and “understand that even in such a complex time, those feelings won’t last forever.”
Expressive arts therapist Tamar Einstein adds, “During a time of war or trauma, people have pent up feelings that are extremely difficult to even reach at times. Sometimes they’re not aware of what they’re feeling. And as some of us believe, art circumvents the conscious and goes directly to the unconscious, so images can come out that might not come out in a verbal conversation.”
Thanks to you and our generous donors, Jewish Federation of Greater MetroWest NJ is making this kind of healing possible.
Through art therapy and other mental health programs, we’re helping survivors process their pain and rebuild their lives.
You can help make these resources possible through your support of the UJA Annual Campaign.
Through the Leadership Leap, Federation is strengthening mental health support, resilience, and security in our partner community of Ofakim, Israel—and right here in New Jersey.
Take the Leadership Leap. Donate today.
For more details about the Leadership Leap, please read “Protecting Our Secure, Resilient Jewish Future.”