Heritage Florida Jewish News - Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice

Grief is a noun that means deep sorrow especially caused by someone's death. The most difficult challenges include coping with the loss of a child, spouse, parent or sibling. The Jewish Pavilion offers a grief support service twice a year. The program is six weeks long and takes place on Mondays at 10:30 a.m. from May 9 to June 20 at Cascade Heights in Longwood.

This free grief support group is being run by Judy Kahan Davis who is a social worker. The program helps participants deal with their grief through a Jewish Lens and members participate in all six sessions.

Joining a grief support group can seem like a big step. Grief brings on a lot of intense feelings at times, and one may wonder if opening yourself up to those feelings and focusing on them is something he or she wants or can manage. It may also feel risky to expose your vulnerable self to participants in a group. These concerns are a normal part of the group experience and everything shared in these groups are strictly confidential. Many previous participants have found that the group can be a rewarding and transformative one.

Kahan Davis is a native Central Floridian whose Jewish communal career included work at the JCC, Jewish Federation and Kinneret Apartments. During her tenure as executive director of Kinneret Apartments, Kahan Davis created the organization known today as the Jewish Pavilion. She received her master's degree in social work from Yeshiva University and a bachelor's degree from the University of Florida. Currently Kahan Davis serves on the board of Share the Care, a non-profit organization that provides day care service centers for the elderly and supportive services for caregivers. After 25 years of marriage, Kahan Davis became a widow at the age of 52. In 2015 Judy married Elliott Davis, who now serves as chairman of the board of the Jewish Pavilion. Davis is participating in the grief support group and shares his experiences from the loss of his wife in 2010.