American Friends of ELEM

Yesterday, ELEM hosted our second annual conference, bringing together nearly 400 mental health experts and providers from across Israel to discuss the status of youth and innovations in care since October 7th. Sessions and published papers included: ? # POV: The Teen Experience on TikTok ? Who You Callin' evacuee?: Identity Crisis Among Evacuated Youth ? Support Across Borders: Virtual Spaces as Tools in Aiding Teens Through War ? Teenagers in Arab Society in Israel: Between Distress, Dreams, and the Future ? The Power of Community in Building Resilience and Managing Crisis ? “I Still Exist": Principles for Effective Intervention with Adolescents in Post-October 7th Israel ELEM’s forward-thinking approaches—spanning new digital strategies, resilience-building, and culturally tailored interventions—reflect our dedication to advancing impactful interventions that lead to hope and healing. Together, we deepened the understanding of youth needs, and affirmed ELEM’s role as a leading resource for effective, research-based solutions for at-risk youth in Israel and beyond. Data from the conference will soon be available for publication in the US. For early access to information, data, or translated articles from the ELEM Conference, contact us at [email protected].

Since the Hezbollah rocket attack that killed twelve children and teens in the Druze town of Majdal Shams, the community has demonstrated a marked resilience and strength. But in a close-knit, family-oriented community, the impact of the tragedy was felt by all. To help teens minimize trauma, regain their footing and return to their routines, ELEM offered its help and expertise in caring for teenagers’ emotional needs. A team of Arabic-speaking ELEM staff and employees are currently operating in Majdal Shams 3 nights a week, and simultaneously training local educational staff in street work, including scouting and identifying risk symptoms, reaching out to teens in distress, and working with teens in informal settings. Addressing trauma promptly after a crisis is crucial in minimizing its long-term impact. By helping teens process their experience and guiding them back to normalcy, ELEM helps strong communities like Majdal Shams support the well-being of its youth, and strengthen the next generation.

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Last week, Tani Goldstein reported on the situation of youth in the North, where fears about inadequate shelter on the road and at schools has an impact on mental health. "Parents and students we spoke with tell of children and youths who have become recluses in their homes, miss school for long periods of time, and don’t engage with friends," he wrote for The Times of Israel. "Some sleep with their clothes on or shower wearing swimsuits." ELEM is operating 17 programs in the North to help youth cope with the traumas of living under rocket fire, to navigate displacement, and to prevent these patterns from turning into post trauma. In the week since this article was written, nearly all ELEM programs and school operations have turned remote, while youth and families bunker down in bomb shelters - and can still access ELEM support at all hours of the day. Read the full piece at https://lnkd.in/ezxsB7Af.

Actress Patricia Heaton honors Oct. 7 victims at New York gala Patricia Heaton, three-time Emmy Award-winner and founder of O7C (October 7th Coalition) has been making headlines for speaking out in?support?of Israel and the Jewish community. In recognition of her?solidarity, she was?honored?with a Lifesaver Award on Sept. 19 by American Friends of ELEM, Israel’s leading nonprofit dedicated to treating and transforming the lives of at-risk youth. For Heaton, there was a personal connection to ELEM, which serves young, vulnerable Israelis of all backgrounds through formal and informal therapeutic interventions, often on their turf. Heaton’s mother died suddenly when Heaton was 12, leading to deep feelings of depression at a time when therapy was widely unavailable and stigmatized, which she felt delayed her healing for years. Heaton emphasized the importance of ELEM’s role in providing immediate critical support to traumatized and vulnerable Israeli youth. She said, “I know what it meant for me to finally go to therapy and get the help I needed. It’s especially important for Israeli youth to get help now, when the whole population has been decimated spiritually, emotionally, mentally. The healing is going to take a long time. So, we need to stand by ELEM.” Heaton closed her speech with a moment of silence for the four ELEM staff and volunteers who were killed on Oct. 7. Her speech followed that of Roei Shalev, a survivor of the Nova music festival in southern Israel on Oct. 7, whose girlfriend and best friend were killed by Hamas terrorists, and whose mother died by suicide days later. Shalev described the horrors he survived, and how he found the hope to go on. Honorees Connie Rubin and Rabbi Lisa Rubin of Central Synagogue spoke about their decades-long commitment to ELEM, and the ELEM memorial fund established in honor of Connie’s son and Lisa’s brother, who lost his ongoing battle with depression. Closing the evening,?Yuval David, an American-Israeli Jewish actor, and?activist for Israel?and LGBTQ+ causes, spoke about ELEM’s work taking youth from trauma to healing. “In this post-Oct. 7 world, we need to understand our traumas. We need to be able to live on as our best selves,” he said. Emceed by Jill Martin of?“The Today Show,” the Ray of Hope gala in New York City brought together leaders, philanthropists and advocates dedicated to ELEM’s current mission of serving young survivors, displaced youth and young people whose situations of homelessness, domestic violence and sexual abuse have been exacerbated by war. https://lnkd.in/enk5rT8c

With great excitement, we share that ELEM/Youth in Distress in Israel is now American Friends of ELEM. With this name, we reflect our relationship of support, commitment, and unity with our team in Israel and better acknowledge decades of unwavering support from our generous donors here in the US. In this challenging year, as our support for Israeli youth demands commitment, we are expanding our activity across the US with the launch of ELEM:NextGen, a new chapter in San Francisco, a first annual luncheon in Florida, and this year’s Gala, during which we will welcome our largest audience ever. We are connecting to a wide range of schools, Hillels, education projects, and mental health experts, in addition to hosting two tours with our staff in Israel just this year. As American Friends of ELEM, we are committed to making a difference in the lives of Israeli youth, and we look ahead to our immense growth with hope and excitement.

Israeli nonprofit to honor Emmy-award winner Patricia Heaton ELEM Award recognizes?O7C Founder Patricia Heaton’s allyship after Oct. 7 attacks in Israel. The Emmy-award winner is being honored alongside a Nova Festival survivor. ELEM/Youth in Distress in Israel, Israel’s leading?organization treating at-risk youth, will present its 2024 Life Saver Award to Emmy award-winning actress Patricia Heaton, for her unshakeable allyship with Israel and the Jewish people. The award will be presented at the Ray of Hope Gala in New York City on Sept. 19.?Heaton will be honored alongside Roei Shalev, a survivor of the Oct. 7 attacks in Israel; Connie Rubin; Rabbi Lisa Rubin; special guest filmmaker and advocate Yuval David; and emcee Jill Martin of?“The Today Show.” https://lnkd.in/eGbzVPsS

A recent?Tablet Magazine article highlights ELEM's work at the Nova Festival, where we lost three of our volunteers: Yonatan, Sigal, and Lior. ELEM's Anashim Tovim project is deeply engrained with the rave scene in Israel, and the trauma of the Nova massacre still impacts our youth, our staff, and volunteers. The shocking interplay of psychedelic drugs and horrific violence has so far been understudied, and this piece sheds light on an important layer of trauma and healing in the aftermath of October 7th. ELEM's Anashim Tovim project returned to work just a few weeks ago, using an adapted trauma-informed approach to serving young adults at these festivals. In honor of Yonatan, Sigal, and Lior, ELEM also set up a scholarship to support youth struggling with substance abuse on their path to recovery. Youth in Israel on the spectrum of substance abuse, who need aid in their rehabilitation process, can apply for funds of up to $1000 towards professional programs, education, or aid not covered by other community services.?

Owl Creek Asset Management’s Jeffrey Altman donates $300,000 in support of ELEM’s mission to help at-risk youth throughout Israel. ELEM is delighted to announce a generous donation of $300,000 from?Jeffrey Altman, the founder and Managing Partner of Owl Creek Asset Management. This donation will immediately expand ELEM's operations, enabling the organization to purchase two new outreach vans that will operate in the cities of Bet Shemesh and Safed. Founded in 1996, ELEM’s Outreach Van Program has 15 specially equipped vans staffed by ELEM professionals and volunteers that currently operate in 24 communities. The staff of the outreach vans travel to meet youth and young adults?on their turf,?providing mentorship, support, and guidance to help them to acquire the services they need to get “off the streets and on to life.” More than 12,000 at-risk youth receive assistance from ELEM each year, many of whom have come back to volunteer with our outreach vans once they are back on their feet. “Jeff’s philanthropy and advocacy both today and at numerous times over the past two decades have been key to the ongoing success and expansion of our programs, said Liora Attias-Hadar, ELEM’s Chief Executive Officer. “These additional vans were desperately needed by the ELEM team to reach and assist as many youths as possible after the horrific events of October 7th. Mr. Altman's longtime commitment, exemplified through this support at the Ray of Hope Gala in NYC, has been instrumental in upholding ELEM's life-saving initiatives. This incredibly generous gift raised Mr. Altman’s cumulative support to ELEM to over $900,000 since his first contribution in 2003.”

ELEM/Youth in Distress in Israel is humbled to honor Roei Shalev, a Nova Festival survivor, at our 2024 Ray of Hope Gala. Roei is a symbol of strength, resilience, and healing, a model for ELEM’s youths.? ? On October 7th, Roei lost the love of his life and partner, Mapal, along with their best friend Hilly, at Nova. Just a week later, he lost his mother to suicide – the unimaginably devastating and less visible impact of the atrocities of that day. Roei was only 28 years old.? ? Since then, Roei has passionately dedicated himself to sharing the stories of the beautiful lives of Mapal, Hilly, and his mother. He has been public about his own healing from trauma, sharing his process on social media and with communities across the US. He is a source of strength for his peers in the Tribe of Nova, and an inspiration to all of us who are following his journey.? ? Roei is honored to share in ELEM’s work with traumatized and otherwise at-risk youth in Israel. A new generation of young Israelis are in need of hope, healing, and support like never before, and people like Roei are leading the way in showing these youth what is possible.