In the past week, while the unspeakable horror of Hamas unfolded, and the gut-wrenching images tore at my Jewish soul as despair gripped us all, I had been enmeshed in a different, dark world – creating a highly personal video about my own depression, a graphic retelling of a story I had recently published in Lilith Magazine.
“Finding Solace in an Unlikely Spot” told the story of my battle with depression and how I found strength in my Jewish heritage as I visited my family cemetery.
I felt I needed to give voice to the story in a fuller way.
Reimagined as a compelling video that I narrated, it became a different form of storytelling for me, melding personal images, my voice, my words, and haunting music.
Deeply personal and seen through the lens of my Jewish family history, “Perpetual” is a vivid, moving collage that depicts loss, despair, and trauma along with resilience, determination, and hope. Creating this against the backdrop of the tragedy in Israel, my Jewishness felt particularly poignant.
It is my hope that those who watch this will gain a deeper understanding of depression and mental health as a whole.
Let us all take care of one another. We all need perpetual care.