All those fears of reprisal and bias attacks are adding to the mental toll this war is taking on loved ones here in New Jersey.

Jewish and Palestinian leaders throughout the state say their communities are suffering.

Combating feelings of despair, helplessness and exhaustion.

Our mental health writer Bobby Brier looked into how religious and local officials are taking extra steps to offer care and comfort.

Bobby Brier joins me now.

It's great to have you back, Bobby.

You know, whether you are directly connected, reading the headlines from afar, there's so much pain here.

These are such horrific stories and images.

What did you hear from the community leaders you spoke to about just exactly what people are grappling with?

Yeah, the grief, the pain, the fear and really a sense of helplessness among so many right now in New Jersey is immeasurable.

The community leaders and religious leaders that I spoke to have really pointed to the the need for folks to be in community right now in a sense be around people who are also going through a similar experience, especially for those who have family in the region, whether those family members are still in that region or now they're returning home.

It's so important for people to be amongst each other, to be speaking about the issues and to continue to have ongoing conversations about this war.

And we know Americans are not only among those who died in the Hamas attack, but there are folks who are hostages.

There are Americans and New Jerseyans who are trapped in Gaza.

So that type of anxiety and not being able to get in touch with their family, I mean, how do they even begin to remedy the level and the severity of crisis that this is?

Yeah, community leaders and religious leaders, mental health professionals that I spoke to pointed to exactly that.

It's just an extremely difficult time right now.

Some of these resources that have been offered to kind of cope with a lot of this has been things such as pastoral care.

It's a type of counseling that offers mental health support with compassionate listening in addition to spiritual resources.

But there's also been open community forums, essentially where large groups of people can gather to just really vent and voice how they're feeling.

And that in and of itself is a form of healing.

And that's been offered by both community and religious leaders throughout the state.

What about just for families?

It's inevitable.

Obviously, the media coverage is everywhere.

There's a lot of misinformation out there.

What's the recommendation being made for folks who have young children who may see this inevitably may see it and have questions?

How do you tackle such a big issue and keep their mental health intact?

Absolutely.

Medical professionals throughout the state that I've spoken to have really pointed to the fact that this really families and children need to take a break from some of the social media that they're seeing to ration their exposure or limited.

And while they're doing that, to have conversations about what they're seeing in the news for people to gain a better understanding.

One mental health professional called it a better sense of an education around the issues that are going on in order to have a better idea of of what to look at and what to look for.

So these are issues that are continuing to come up for families every day.

Of course, most people have a cell phone right now and are seeing these images again and again.

So whether it's taking a break from social media or having a more robust conversation around these issues are the two biggest things that families and children could be doing right now.

And it sounds like, of course, that these religious leaders are keeping their doors open extra wide right now so that people can get in touch.

Absolutely.

Bobby Brier, thank you so much.

Really important topic.

Thank you.

Thank you Briana.