'The Kabbalah of Writing': Sherri Mandell's new book comes full circle - review

Sherri Mandell was a creative writing teacher at colleges in the United States before making aliyah. Moving to Israel, she established her home in Tekoa with her husband, Rabbi Seth Mandell, and their four young children.

In May of 2001, her life was transformed in a way beyond what she ever could have imagined or created in the horror fiction genre. Her son 13-year-old Koby Mandell and his friend Yosef Ishran went for a hike one day not far from home and never returned. They were bludgeoned to death by Palestinian terrorists, who until now have escaped capture for the horrendous crime.

In 2002, the Mandells established the Koby Mandell Foundation (KMF) and started Camp Koby as the foundation’s first healing program for children of families affected by terror. For over 20 years, the camps have also welcomed and nurtured children who have lost a parent or core family member to illness.

“It is always possible to renew yourself with the New Year, a new start,” Sherri stated in a recent conversation with The Jerusalem Report, meeting soon after this year’s Camp Koby season concluded.

During the pandemic, KMF was dormant. Camps closed because of the coronavirus restrictions. Also suspended were the Mothers’ Healing Retreats for women bereaved by terrorist violence and retreats for widows who have lost a husband to terror or war. The retreats were led by Sherri, who is trained in pastoral counseling [a form of psychotherapy that uses spiritual resources, as well as psychological understanding, for healing and growth].

After 20 years, Sherri said she was getting ready to close down the foundation, as it was demanding work to raise money, and working with the bereaved was taking its toll.

It was her daughter, Eliana Mandell Braner, knowing the importance of the camps over the years, who said no; the camps and KMF’s work were important. She was going to become the program director and “not leave these people without us.”

As a child, Eliana found that going to the camps with other bereaved children was a valuable part of her childhood. There she found that children learn to not only cope with life but also learn they are not alone and are enabled to speak and smile again.

Over the years, KMF has expanded to include bar and bat mitzvah celebrations for surviving children, 20-30 support groups, and local groups for children to meet again after Camp Koby’s summer sessions. Comedy for Koby started in December 2008 to raise funds for KMF. Led by US-based stand-up comedian Avi Liberman, 31 shows with various American comedians have entertained appreciative Israeli audiences under the Comedy for Koby banner.

The books of Sherri Mandell

In 2003, Sherri wrote a book after the murder of her son, titled The Blessing of a Broken Heart. The spiritual memoir won the National Jewish Book Award in 2004, has been translated into several languages, and last year the words of the book were made into a play. Sherri’s next book, The Road to Resilience: From Chaos to Celebration (Toby Press, 2015), defined resilience as a process of becoming greater as a result of challenges, as she entered a new stage in life as a grandmother.

The Elephant in the Sukkah is the title of one of her books written for young children.

Currently, Sherri Mandell has come full circle to teach creative writing, not only online and in in-person sessions, but with a new book, The Kabbalah of Writing: Mystical Practices for Inspiration and Creativity. She believes that every person has a unique and valuable story to contribute to the world. In the book, she offers encouragement and writing exercises to bring those stories to light.

Sherri Mandell reminds us that for bereaved families, it is often difficult to go into the holiday season without the whole family. It can be harder to go into the New Year feeling hopeful. Writing is a process of thinking, she states, and suggests creating a writing practice so one can appreciate the richness of one’s life.

The Introduction to her new book ends with a writing exercise, “Write a prayer or wish for yourself. You might want to keep this near your writing desk. What are your intentions, hopes, and dreams for yourself as a writer?”

Something for all of us to ponder as we begin a New Year.

To conclude on a personal note, my family members have benefited greatly not only from their time at Camp Koby this summer but also from one of the local support groups led by professionals following camp. For that, we are grateful that Camp Koby and the Koby Mandell Foundation are still going, and growing stronger. ■