The Hebrew month of Elul should be a period of healing - opinion

Usually, Elul is a month of introspection and atonement: What have I done wrong in the past year that I can correct? What are the sins for which I must atone? How can I be a better person?

But this year, Elul is laced with trauma, fear, and the fight for survival. The horrible events of October 7, 2023, are still with Israelis – especially Jews in Israel – and with Jewish people around the world. Even those of us who have not seen the Hamas video of the brutal attack, violation, and kidnapping in southern Israel on that special Shabbat, even those who have not had a loved one die on that day or in captivity, even those of us who are not Israeli and have not had a loved one killed in action – we know that we are one people and that like a body that loses a limb, we have lost a part of ourselves.

This is compounded by the hatred of Jews on America’s universities and in our streets and the harassment of Jews and boycott of Jewish businesses. It takes us back to Germany and Austria 90 years ago. The different forms of stress that Jews are undergoing–in Israel and in the Diaspora–must be confronted if we are going to thrive and survive as a people.

This is the vision of the Kesher Shalom Projects founded, in part, by Malka Shaw, LCSW, a US-based psychotherapist who has made it her mission to identify trauma among Jews and help her people, including many other Jewish therapists, struggle with it. Shaw founded the organization almost by accident, in the days following October 7, 2023. She has 25 years of experience in her field and actually went into Ground Zero after the World Trade Center was attacked by Osama bin Laden’s terrorists and collapsed in flames.

In what she describes as a “collaborative trauma,” it was on a large-scale and she dealt with first responders and survivors in the days following September 11, 2001. She gained experience in the belly of the beast, as she did years later when the COVID-19 pandemic raged. She is uniquely qualified to deal with the Hamas massacre and has used her skills to join with other therapists, mostly Jews, and create workshops and session that address the unique challenge of being a Jewish psychotherapist in these times.

What Shaw describes as a “community trauma,” – different than 9/11 and COVID in that the Hamas attack targeted a group for destruction – this trauma is ongoing, there is a need for self-validation, support, and safety. While the individual can suffer trauma, for the 4,000 years of Jewish history there has been an “intergenerational trauma.” While Jews have had Golden Ages, there has been much suffering and persecution and fear. Trauma, as identifying Jews on the campus of Columbia University could tell you, is what Shaw calls “a threat to safety.”

Kesher Shalom Projects

THE ORIGINS of the Kesher Shalom Projects were in the New York tri-state area. Shaw began with a connection from a chat room. It began as a small group of Jewish therapists but after the Hamas massacre there was a request for a Zoom meeting. She expected 30 Jewish therapists – there were 300 and at a meeting shortly after, 500.

Malka Shaw talks of a “giant hand that pushed me into these traumas.” But always with her were the words her father spoke urging her to go to Ground Zero on the days following 9/11 from Ethics of Our Fathers in the words of the great Hillel: “If I am not for myself, who am I? If I am for myself alone, what am I? And if not now when?”

Malka Shaw elucidates the crisis of those clients who reject their Jewish therapists as “baby killers” and that of therapists who belittle the trauma of their Jewish clients. She wants to give therapists and clients something meaningful to take away from the conversation. Kesher Shalom offers continuing education training for therapists, workshops for the Jewish community and education for non-Jews, especially psychotherapists.

The Projects will sponsor “RISE Above” virtually on Wednesday, September 25 at 7:30 pm (EDT) at a cost of $18.00. Gina Ross, director of the Trauma Institute of Israel will be on the panel of presenters. On Monday, September 30, Kesher Shalom is helping to sponsor a Healthcare Free from Hate rally from 5:00 to 6:30 pm (ET) at the Dag Hammarskjold Plaza (East 47th Street in New York City).

Malka Shaw is a true hero. She embraces the message of Elul and believes that teshuva (atonement), tefillah (prayer) and tzedaka (charity) are the traditional keys to deal with this time of year on this particular year. Teshuva is “releasing yourself” from the fear and self-blame of trauma, tefillah prepares a state of “mindfulness and a grounding to heal,” and tzedaka “offers a pain out of isolation” and ultimate healing. As she states: “Our Jewish roots of resilience are strong.” This particularly offers a message of hope at the time of the year when we have to reach in and discover our authentic selves.

To find out more about Kesher Shalom Projects and Malka Shaw’s work, please go to the organization website: www.keshershalom.com.

The writer is a rabbi, essayist, and lecturer in West Palm Beach, Florida.