Nearly three years since the October 7th attacks, the Jewish community continues to grapple with profound loss, trauma, and how to move forward in an ever-changing landscape at home and abroad.
The ongoing war in Iran, the widening political divide, and the rising level of antisemitism have added to our collective anxiety. How can we channel these emotions and overcome adversity through fellowship, advocacy and dialogue?
Join us for a thoughtful conversation on how trauma impacts individuals and how it reverberates across families, communities, and the global Jewish population.
Renowned trauma expert Dr. Miri Bar-Halpern and Jewish Women International Chief Executive Officer Meredith Jacobs in conversation with JCRC President and Beth El member Galia Messika Greenberg, will discuss trauma and post-traumatic growth. Together, they will weave together clinical insight with lived experience, offering a deeper understanding of how trauma shapes individuals and communities — and how healing can begin.
We’ll also explore the critical role of advocacy in responding to and addressing that trauma — chiefly through the lens of JWI’s I Believe Israeli Women campaign, which has worked to elevate awareness of gender-based violence, support survivors, and ensure that the experiences of Israeli women are seen, heard, and believed.
Grounded in Jewish values of communal responsibility and care, this program invites participants to consider: What does it mean to truly “show up” for one another after tragedy? How can we support survivors, hold space for pain, and foster resilience within our own circles? And how do we move, collectively, from grief toward meaning and renewal?
Date & Time
-
Location
Bethesda, Maryland
Speaker
Dr. Miri Bar-Halpern
Clinical Psychologist, Trauma Educator and Public Speaker
Dr. Miri Bar-Halpern is a clinical psychologist, advocate, and speaker specializing in trauma and recovery. She helps individuals, families, and communities navigate the impact of trauma with clarity, compassion, and evidence-based care.
Miri is the Director of Trauma Training and Services at Parents for Peace, and a lecturer at Harvard Medical School, where she trains the next generation of trauma-informed clinicians.
With two decades of experience across clinical, academic, tech startup, and policy settings, she’s developed global training programs and public health initiatives focused on resilience, healing, and recovery—especially in the face of extremism, identity-based violence, and chronic stress.
Whether working with a family in crisis or advising policymakers, Miri brings deep expertise, warmth, and a clear voice to some of the hardest conversations of our time.
Get in Touch
For all offered services, including tailored consultations, workshops, and trainings, please contact me directly.
Meredith Jacobs
CEO of Jewish Women International (JWI)
Meredith Jacobs is CEO of Jewish Women International (JWI), a 125-year-old nonprofit dedicated to ending violence against women and girls. Since assuming the role of CEO in 2020, Jacobs has shepherded the development of numerous JWI initiatives, including the National Center on Domestic & Sexual Violence in the Jewish Community; the Collaborative of Jewish Domestic Violence Agencies; the Women’s Financial Empowerment Institute; ReStart: job readiness for survivors; the Jewish Communal Women’s Leadership Project; Men As Allies: Leading Equitable Workplaces; the Jewish Gun Violence Prevention Roundtable;, and the international expansion of Young Women’s Leadership Network. Under her leadership, JWI is spearheading state-wide advocacy efforts to achieve justice lending practices that would give survivors of financial abuse access to bank loans that would set them on the path to long-term economic security.
Jacobs is an award-winning journalist and former editor-in-chief of Washington Jewish Week. She is the author of The Modern Jewish Mom’s Guide to Shabbat (HarperCollins) and co-author, with her daughter Sofie of the bestselling series of interactive journals, Just Between Us (Chronicle Books). Prior to joining JWI, she founded ModernJewishMom.com, the first Jewish parenting website (now part of Kveller), and was the host of the WYPR radio show, Connecting Family and The Jewish Channel television holiday specials, Modern Jewish Mom.
Named one of the “50 Most Influential Jews of 2020” by The Jerusalem Post, Jacobs is a sought-after speaker, moderator and writer. Her opinion pieces appear frequently in outlets such as JTA, eJewishPhilanthropy, and the Forward. She is a member of the advisory board of the Women’s Business Collaborative (WBC) and serves on the Women’s Economic Empowerment Council for the State of Maryland — an advisory council to Brooke Lierman, Comptroller of Maryland. Jacobs serves on the expert panel on Improving Access to Services for Domestic Abuse Victims in the Military, sponsored by the Department of Defense. She earned a B.A. in English from Haverford College and holds a Masters of Science in Business from Johns Hopkins University.