Why “HaGomel”?

HaGomel comes from the Birkat HaGomel, a Jewish prayer of thanksgiving and gratitude to be said by an individual in community after one has survived a traumatic, potentially life-threatening experience.

Our Founder and President, Elya Braden, was drawn to this prayer as a name for this nonprofit when she read an article about the healing properties of this prayer for sexual abuse survivors, and the value of their being seen and embraced in community.

Although the HaGomel prayer has its origins in Judaism, HaGomel is a non-religious organization.