By Jon Amsler, Board Chair
October 7th, 2023, is a day that brought a shockwave to the world, and to all of us at JF&CS. As the board chair, I would like to share what I have seen and experienced in the year since.
Immediately, there was pain and sorrow among the staff. Part of that was, for many, just being Jewish and seeing the attack on our homeland. For others, it was watching Jewish friends suffer from what had happened. Many had direct ties to Israel: some were born there and are citizens, many had visited Israel and had friends or knew people who had been murdered in the attack, others had associates there. Regardless, everyone was stunned and to a certain extent numb. Clinicians held sessions to listen, help, advise and comfort.
The entire Jewish community in Atlanta was stunned – our employees were not the only ones who were hurting. The agency immediately started getting calls for help..
Can a therapist be at the school to help the children who have relatives in Israel?
Can someone help us frame this discussion to alleviate fears?
Are you collecting things to send to Israel?
However, as always, the exceptional team at JF&CS sprang into action. Some key groups were of immediate concern: Holocaust survivors, Israelis living in Atlanta, and our youth among the top. Can you imagine surviving the Holocaust only to relive it through October 7th? Amy Neumann and her team jumped into action contacting our Holocaust clients to help them through this troubling time. We reached out to local Israeli families through the network of synagogues and friends to find out how to help. One of our employees, Anat Granath, was in Israel and stayed to help. Her “boots on the ground” approach was invaluable as she communicated back to Atlanta. Finally, our clinicians reached out to Davis, Weber, Epstein and any school that asked to offer counseling for students.
But this was only the beginning of the pain. As Israel rose to defend itself and fight Hamas, protests and antisemitism increased dramatically around the world – including in Atlanta.
Some JF&CS employees, Jewish and non-Jewish, worried about coming to work.
Like every Jewish organization, the agency had to beef up security including having the police on site all day and evening. How shocking that JF&CS, an organization dedicated to helping anyone in the Atlanta community to have a better life, must worry that we are at risk due to Israel defending itself. To this day, I still attend routine community security briefings in hopes of remaining safe.
The protests and antisemitism truly hit home with Jewish college students, who sadly ended up on the front lines of this conflict. Partnering with Hillel, JF&CS counselors worked with these students to work through their feelings, compose strategies for coping and deal with undeserved and misguided hatred from their fellow classmates. We remain on campus and supporting these students today.
We celebrated as an agency when hostages were released and sadly mourned when they were found murdered. We cried for the fallen soldiers, gathering as recently as last month to talk and feel as an agency. We joined together to comfort and support those in our community who were related to or knew the hostages and soldiers.
Overall, as I look back over the year, not one part of our agency has gone untouched. It felt like every other week, the leadership – staff and lay – were having to answer a question that no one ever anticipated. Every service area, even the dentistry, has had to accommodate in some way. Our fundraisers and board meetings often start with a memory of a new death from the conflict or a prayer for the hostages.
Despite the sadness in the world, I wake up every morning full of pride and humbled by the work everyone at JF&CS has done and continues to do to help people suffering because of the war. Comforting and supporting Holocaust survivors, providing mental health assistance to family members who have lost a father, son, daughter, brother, sister in the conflict, helping local college students navigate uncertain times… just a sampling of direct impact. Additionally, JF&CS continues to do great work throughout the community every day. It brings me back to what drives the agency: our Jewish values.
I often focus on one feeling that is not a value: hope! I Hope that the war will end soon. I Hope that the hatred of Jews can be overcome. But one thing I know for sure, JF&CS will continue to bring Hope to each of our clients every day.