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 before 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.
About American Friends of ELEM: ELEM is Israel’s leading nonprofit organization dedicated to the treatment and rehabilitation of youth in distress from all sectors of society. It serves more than 12,500 youth annually, addressing issues such as domestic violence, substance abuse, neglect, bullying, homelessness and sexual exploitation. Through innovative care models, counseling, mentorship and job training, ELEM builds non-judgmental relationships with youth, helping them reintegrate into their communities and society.
