Articles, Downloads, Jewish Support

Navigating Difficult Conversations

Created with BeWell | As we navigate the current situation in Israel and Gaza, as well as around the world with the rise in antisemitism, we want to validate the wide range of mental, physical and emotional reactions you may be going through. While many of us share a strong connection to Israel, we need to be sensitive to the different feelings and experiences people have had since October 7, 2023. Conversations around the situation in Israel will naturally arise during the summer with staff and peers. This resource offers ways to think about how to have these difficult conversations.

Downloads

The 7 People You Need as a Leader

Created with Pastor Serve | Many leaders from our historical texts experienced extremely tough times where they questioned and struggled with God. Rather than turning away from God, they sought the answers to help them understand how God would rescue them from or meet them in their suffering. In their quest for answers, they voiced their confusion and frustration very honestly and openly to God. They were often so honest and open, you might duck from the lightning that you might expect to fall on them as you read these pieces of Scripture from their stories.

Articles, Downloads

All Night, Always Honest

By Rabbi Zach Beer | On Shavuot night, while we shouldn’t fall asleep, we should consider embodying the value that the Jewish people brought to Har Sinai and spend the night reflecting on growing and being honest with ourselves as a means of connecting with God.

Articles, Downloads

Hineni – 8 Ways to Support Your Trans Teen

At the Blue Dove foundation, we recognize that being a parent, guardian or loved one of a teenager isn’t always easy. So much in this world is constantly changing, and it can be hard to keep up. We all want to do right by our youth, but we don't always know how. Adults also need support when it comes to connecting with a trans teen.

Articles, Downloads

Your Guide to “Arguments for the Sake of Heaven”

In Jewish tradition, arguments with a shared goal are holy and called “arguments for the sake of heaven!” Engaging in spirited debate conveys that both sides believe in the goal and care enough to fight for it. But shared goals don’t always mean constructive conversations, and a destructive conversation can have negative ramifications on your mental health. Here are three tips to ensure your arguments for the sake of heaven stay that way.

Audio + Video

Searching in Our Souls: A Pre-Bedikat Chametz Meditation

Jews around the world spent the night before Passover searching their homes for any chametz, such as bread and other items not Kosher for Passover, that they may have missed, before burning or disposing of that chametz the morning before the holiday begins. This process is called "Bedikat Chametz," or searching for Chametz. Now, as you prepare to search for the chametz in your homes, let’s take a moment to meditate on the chametz in our souls that we will be releasing tomorrow when we burn that chametz, to experience the personal redemption of Passover.

Audio + Video, Stories of Hope

Quieting the Silence with the Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta, Hamsa, JF&CS, and Jeff’s Place

#QuietingTheSilence is a platform that creates a space for members of the community to come together and share their lived experience with mental illness and addiction. We are excited to host this program in partnership with JF&CS Atlanta, HAMSA, Jeff's Place at Chabad Intown and The Blue Dove Foundation.

Articles, Downloads

Mental Health Mishloach Manot

By Max Hollander | We don’t only preserve community by taking care of our most unfortunate community members when they need us; we do so by also showing the people in our lives we care about them even when they don’t need us. We can’t just ensure the poorest among us don't fall through the cracks; we must also strive to ensure those closest to us don't drift away. This balance between matanot l'evyonim (gifts to the poor) and mishloach manot (gifts to our friends) is what nurtures community, and community is what nurtures us in the aftermath of intense challenges and trauma.

Audio + Video

Jewish Responses to Traumatic Death with the Shomer Collective

What can we possibly say to a person who is grieving a traumatic death? We know too many examples of such events in our own lives, from the shock of death by suicide, to the realities of death by natural disaster, to the horror of death by terrorism, and more. And yet, too often, we are stunned into our own silence, and moreso, into our own inaction, not knowing what to say or do in response to a traumatic death in our communities.

Audio + Video

Staying Rooted: A Tu B’Shvat Meditation

Tu B’Shvat, also known as the New Year of the Trees, is a Jewish holiday focused on nature and humankind’s stewardship of Earth. It serves as a time to reflect on the ways we are nurturing ourselves. Like all living things, we are constantly growing and bettering ourselves. Just as we care for the trees, we also must care for ourselves. Just as we water a garden, we must also nourish ourselves. Let’s take some time to step into nature, connect with the earth and plant the seeds of our own mental wellness.