Jewish Family Services of Vancouver Island about Israel

Words cannot express what horrors we have all witnessed happening this past week in Israel. We have been in contact with family members in Tel Aviv and Haifa and they are living hour by hour, day by day. Our 96 year old Aunt Tamara has lived in Israel all her life, served in the army, experienced many wars and survived a suicide bombing in the 1990’s. 

Yesterday she told me that she has never seen such a threat or invasion of Israel. When I said…I know… she answered sharply- "You cannot know!" Tamara is right, I cannot possibly relate to what people are experiencing in Israel. To hope is to believe Israel will defeat her enemies and we will all continue to support each other in the weeks and months ahead. If you are experiencing difficulty coping, Jewish Family Services in Vancouver has offered individual counselling to those in need from JFS of Vancouver Island.

Leah Kinarthy,

President Jewish Family Services

Vancouver Island.

The following mental health resources are from a newsletter published by Vancouver Jewish Family Services:

“For more information or individual counseling sessions in English, we encourage you to call the JFS care line at 604-558-5719 or email at communitycare@jfsvancouver.ca. We are currently working on identifying Hebrew-speaking therapists. 

Other additional community resources include:

If you or someone you care about is in imminent crisis, please call 911. 

For those not yet ready to access direct support, we also want to share some resources that might help you, your children, and your loved ones navigate these difficult times:

Leah Kinarthy