Jewish grief support group resumes

How do we pick up the pieces and start to live again? Everyone does it differently and in his or her own time frame.

Join a grief support group. Renew old friendships, find a job that you enjoy do volunteer work, find a new or renew an old hobby.... One of the best therapies is finding a friend you can talk to...one who will listen and support you as you ease back into the world! We are better than ever for our commitment. We are forever changed in a good way.... no one can ever take that total love away from us as we again join the world.

The Jewish Pavilion offers a grief support program twice a year for five weeks. It is taking place on Mondays at 10:30 a.m. from Oct. 16- Nov. 13 at Cascade Heights in Longwood.

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

Judy Kahan 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, Judy 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 Judy serves on the board of Share the Care, a nonprofit organization that provides day care service centers for the elderly and supportive services for caregivers. After 25 years of marriage, Judy became a widow at the age of 52. In 2015 Judy married Elliott Davis, who now serves as past chairman of the board of the Jewish Pavilion.

As a caregiver, some people totally devote themselves to caring for another person who no longer functions as he once did. We may move, leave our jobs, give up our independence, and rarely see our family and friends. Our entire life may revolve around comforting and making our loved one feel loved.

When a loved one passes, often we grieve and then the process of finding our way back into the world begins anew.