through conflict Times of global conflict, like the time we are living through right now, can lead to familial and interpersonal conflict as well. Moving Traditions is focused on supporting Jewish teens and the adults like you who guide them. We invite you to use this resource together with the teen in your life to grow together, rather than apart.
BE PRESENT TO YOUR CONCERNS Before you talk with the teens in your life, find time to personally process how the war in Israel and Gaza and its global ramifications have impacted your spiritual and emotional health, your family, and your friends. When you are in a good headspace to talk with your teen, express your concerns for the people that you love and for Israelis, Jews, Palestinians, and Muslims, in general. Be honest with those in your family if you feel anger, despair, or sadness. Make space for your teen to share with you what they want to about their own emotional state in relationship to the war. Make this a space for listening rather than a space for debate. If your teen doesn’t want to share, you still can.
FOCUS ON CONNECTION During wartime it is recommended that parents and teens find rituals or special times for connection. Find ways to share a walk, a sunset, a prayer, or a blessing over bread. We know that something that contributes to building resilience is sharing intergenerational stories of overcoming adversity. Share with your child a time when your family faced adversity, and how your family worked together to overcome hardship.
SHARE A BLESSING FOR PEACE רוָמיו הּוא ַיַ ֲֲעשה ָ עֹושה ָׁׁשלֹום ִּּב ְְמOseh shalom bim’ro’mav hu שָר ֵֵאל ְוְ ַַעל ָ ִ ָׁׁשלום ָָעֵלֵ ינּו ְוְ ַַעל ָּּכל ִיya’aseh shalom alei’nu, v’al kol ִאְִמרּו ָָא ֵֵמן ְ ְ ָּּכל יֹוְׁשׁ ֵֵבי ֵּּת ֵֵבל ְוyisrael v’al kol yoshvei tevel. V’imru: Amen
May the One who creates peace on high, bring peace to us and to all Israel, and to all who dwell on earth. And we say: Amen.
FIND BALANCE Talk with your teen about your own struggles and current practices of staying on top of the news. Let them know why you have made the decisions you have about what to watch, what to read, what to post. Ask them to share with you how they feel about their own media consumption. Discuss how to set limits that make sense in terms of saying informed, seeking different trustworthy news sources and monitoring your consumption of the most disturbing graphic images.
FIND HOPE Discuss one of these sources of hope with your teen and what it means to you in this moment.
Jewish people have been through challenging times before and we have survived and thrived. Share a story that makes you feel proud of the diverse ways Jews have and are responding to this challenging time. Invite your teen to share a story as well.
Finding joy and celebration in Jewish life, even during times of mourning or grief, is a hallmark of our people. Share a story about the ways you have found comfort in Jewish traditions and community in the midst of personal or communal grief.
Jewish tradition has a lot of room within it for constructive arguments that prioritize relationships of respect in addition to getting at the truth. Tell a story about how you have grown as an individual through constructive conversation with people you have disagreed with.
The State of Israel and its neighbors have fought in terrible wars, emerged from them and, in some cases, come to peace agreements that have saved countless lives. If you were alive and remember, share what it was like to live through the Camp David Accords in 1979 which followed the Yom Kippur War in 1973 and established peace between Egypt and Israel or share any other experience you had of the resolution of a global conflict (for example, Ireland or the fall of the Berlin Wall).
MORE RESOURCES Moving Traditions’ Special Edition Curriculum: Israel at War, Caring for Ourselves and One Another