As the war between Israel and Hamas rages on, local psychotherapist Pamela R. Weissman’s new book is timelier than ever.
“Your World: A Book of Comfort For Parents, Teachers and Caregivers To Benefit Kids of All Ages” was inspired by ideas and emotions germinating in Weissman’s head and heart long before the book came to fruition.
“One day when my eldest grandchild was about 4, she came home from a playdate looking ever so slightly disillusioned with her little world,” Weissman said. “So my daughter-in-law and I asked her what was wrong. She told us somebody [at the playdate] did something that was not nice. I said, ‘But we’re here for you.’”
Initially, Weissman felt her response to her granddaughter was insufficient, but she later realized simply being there for others is sometimes the best response to life’s challenges.
That’s when she knew she needed to write a book — her first — offering that simple but profound message.
While looking and reading like a children’s picture book, the self-published, 52-page “Your World” is meant to be experienced, says Weissman. The book’s lessons, warm and nurturing tone, and ethereal illustrations by Jerusalem-based artist Alli Fisher intend to bring comfort to readers.
Weissman, who uses the book with her adult clients, believes “Your World” — which is part prose and part poem — will also be beneficial as a “learning tool” for educators and mental health professionals.
At its core, the book is a way of introducing readers to the sad reality that life cannot be experienced without pain.
“While it’s good to have challenges because it can help you prepare for the outside world, it still hurts when you get out there, says Weissman. “There are going to be some injuries.
“I’m a person who’s very aware of the past, present and future. I know that [Jewish] history is part of the present in the lives of my children and grandchildren,” says Weissman, a congregant of Suburban Orthodox Toras Chaim Synagogue. “My grandchildren are so innocent. But one day, their eyes [are] going to open and see what this book is telling them: that there are three types of pain that are inevitable – historical pain, familial strife to some degree and the typical anguish about whatever happens out there as we grow older and experience the world.
“Inevitably, they’re going to see prejudice. They’re going to see horror. They’re going to see this thing called war. It kills me that they have to see this. I want to protect them, and [writing this book] is the only way I can. The message ‘I am there for you’ in the face of all these realizations and challenges became the mantra and message of ‘Your World.’”
A Metuchen, New Jersey, native and graduate of Israel’s Bar-Ilan University, Weissman refers to “Your World” as a “declaration of dependence” because the book encourages readers to lean on each other when life gets painful.
She says that’s particularly critical for friends and relatives residing in Israel and in the Diaspora at this time. Weissman hopes her book can bring comfort to those suffering in the wake of the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks.
“I have many friends living in Israel and they have children on the front lines,” she says. “They could use this book and hold this book, and I hope it gives them some comfort. But for those of us at a little bit of a greater distance, I think [the book makes] room for discourse where the parent is looking at the child and listening to the child, knowing the child’s limits. It doesn’t have to be intense. It’s just letting the child know, ‘I’m here.’”
For information, visit pamelaweissman.com
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