Beads for Israel is an interactive experience where people come together as a group to create a strand of beads that represent their feelings, thoughts, hopes and dreams for Israel. This program was created after the October 7th massacre of Jews in Israel. We have a similar program called Beads of Courage that serves individuals who have lost a loved one.
Talking about traumatic experiences can be difficult and Beads for Israel provides an opportunity for individuals to come together for a common cause, create a strand that holds a unique meaning for themselves and not have to openly talk about the trauma.
Everyone responds to trauma differently, and not everyone likes to verbally process the event and related feelings. But just because someone does not want to talk, it doesn’t mean they are not processing in another way.
During the Beads for Israel group experiences, I have witnessed people who have been deeply affected by the October 7th attack come together and immediately express relief for the opportunity to be in the same room with each other. A tear, a clearing of the throat or even silence is understood. Each participant is in charge of what significance they assign to each bead and chooses whether to share and how much to share. The Beads for Israel experience is similar but different for everyone just like the act of processing is unique.
JFS strives to meet people where they are which can sometimes look like a play therapy session with a child addressing an issue without using words, a support group for people who need to talk through their unique situation or a social media post containing helpful information for someone who wishes to remain anonymous.
If you or someone you know would like to participate in Beads for Israel or Beads of Courage (for grief), please contact me at tonijacobsen@jfsnashville.org or 615-354-1672 to let me know so I can send you an invitation to the next event.
Toni Jacobsen is the clinical director of Jewish Family Service of Nashville. She recently celebrated her 25th anniversary with JFS and was honored with this year’s Chesed Award.
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