Did you ever feel so overwhelmed that it was impossible to take one step forward on your own? Most families do not experience such trauma in their lives but some do. They’re people just like us – the man who sits in the next row in your shul, the woman you were conversing with on that long supermarket line – regular people until suddenly their world caves in and nothing is the same. It is then that, without someone to hold their hand, they and their family will collapse from the unbearable anguish. Continue reading Traumatized!
Life goes on. Minor ups. Minor downs. Only the expected appears on the horizon. Day after day. Year after year. Until suddenly a violent gust swoops down and grabs you like a ferocious tornado. It picks you up from your familiar life and hurls you into a world of terror, of helplessness, of bewilderment. You feel like a tiny child, lost in a busy department store with no mommy to hold your hand.
In recent years, Ezer Mizion has tried to be that ‘mommy’, providing the emotional, psychological and practical support for those that have suddenly been diagnosed with a life-threatening illness. Both they and their families find themselves in a maelstrom of fears with no coping mechanism in place. A center to turn to for support was sorely needed. Thus was born Ezer Mizion’s Division for Support of Cancer Patients and their Families. Countless letters are received from grateful families using the words: We never could have made it through without Ezer Mizion.
Cancer? Amputation? These are Challenges and We Play to Win!
Encouragement from one who has ‘been there’ is extremely strengthening and that is why Pascale Berkowitz was invited to speak at Ezer Mizion’s Division for Cancer Support. Pascale had lost both of her legs in a horrifying train accident when she was sixteen years old. From one day to the next she went from being a bouncy teen, ready to conquer the world to being unable to fend for herself in basic ADL’s. In front of her were two roads – allowing herself to fall into the abyss of self-pity or moving forward from her new reality. With her i-can-do-it personality, Ms. Berkowitz chose the high road. Continue reading Devastated by Cancer…and Alone?
Dealing with Fear and Anxiety
A series of gatherings organized by the Har Nof Community Administration, in collaboration with the Jerusalem Municipality and the Israel Trauma Coalition. Continue reading In the Wake of the Har Nof Massacre
As a service for residents of Modi’in Ilit and guests from the South, the local branch of Ezer Mizion began operating a telephone “Hot Line” that can be called 24 hours a day to obtain advice and guidance on topics relating to the emergency situation.
These days, many parents and educators are confronted by children’s fears and anxieties, as well as other responses stemming from the security situation. Not always do they know how to deal with these incidents – what is the right thing to do and how best to respond.
In response to this need, the local branch of Ezer Mizion opened an emergency telephone line which can be called twenty-four hours a day. The operators staffing the line are trained to give guidance, counsel, and support in areas that commonly arise as a result of the sensitive security situation. Generally, after speaking with them, the callers have a clearer idea of how best to conduct themselves and can cope better with the frightened child, hysterical teen, and so on.
Residents of the city, as well as out-of-town guests who are here temporarily due to the situation, are welcome to call at any time – 1-800-888-910 – and will receive an appropriate response to their questions.
We had been an ordinary family with the ordinary ups and downs. On a Thursday, about a half year ago, our lives suddenly took a 180 degree turn. We were on the way home from a visit with my mother when our car was stoned-an all to frequent occurrence in Israel. As a result, my three daughters and I found ourselves trapped under a truck. Adele Chaya was extricated from there in critical condition. Continue reading Stoned…Trapped…and Alive
Did you ever feel so overwhelmed that it was impossible to take one step forward on your own? Most families do not experience such trauma in their lives but some do. They’re people just like us – the man who sits in the next row in your shul, the woman you were conversing with on that long supermarket line – regular people until suddenly their world caves in and nothing is the same. It is then that, without someone to hold their hand, they and their family will collapse from the unbearable anguish. Continue reading Traumatized!
As a result, my three daughters and I found ourselves trapped under a truck. Adel
