ICEJ steps up efforts to help Israelis needing trauma care

Since the war with Hamas started last October 7, the demand for mental health care in Israel has surged, especially for those suffering with some form of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Experts are warning that one-in-three individuals impacted by the conflict will grapple with trauma symptoms for years to come.

Thus, trauma therapy programs are urgently needed for thousands of Israelis who have directly experienced harrowing events, as well as for those who lost loved ones, first-responders and paramedics called to scenes of carnage, released hostages, children in distress and many others. In response, the ICEJ has stepped up our efforts to support a range of trauma therapy and recovery programs in Israel.

One such initiative is a new recovery home we funded in Migdal HaEmek that serves as a haven for those experiencing acute trauma symptoms, including front-line responders, survivors of the Nova music festival massacre, kibbutzim victims, and veterans from previous wars. The Christian Embassy provided the initial start-up funding to completely renovate and furnish the home, which is now self-supporting and uses creative therapy methods to help people find their balance in life more quickly.

Elsewhere, we have sponsored animal and agricultural therapy for various trauma patients, such as farming projects and horse-back riding sessions at several locations. The ICEJ recently bought two therapy horses for one such stable and paid for a covering over the riding rink at another. We also have sponsored horse-riding sessions for hundreds of recovering youths and the stories of children quickly regaining their balance are quite touching.

For instance, a young boy named Erez was held hostage in Gaza for 50 days and managed to survive mentally by remembering his times riding his favorite horse “Dingy”. After his release, Erez was so glad to be back on Dingy again when the ICEJ sponsored rides for a group of impacted children.

A five-year old boy from Kibbutz Urim, near Gaza, had been locked up for 12 hours in the family safe room on October 7, which left him living in fear. His mother noticed how he had stopped singing out loud all the time, like he used to do. But after returning to the kibbutz recently to visit the stables as part of an ICEJ-sponsored animal therapy program for children, he began brushing a horse and started singing aloud again for the first time, leaving his mother in tears.

The ICEJ also is involved in many other trauma therapy programs, such as special training courses for medical professionals dealing with severely injured patients and Jewish-Arab tensions in the work place. We are helping to fund a new trauma recovery center in Jerusalem, as well as an innovative new project that hopes to provide trauma patients with virtual reality headsets they can take home which instantly offer soothing imagery and audio to ease symptoms when trauma episodes occur. These devices seem to help more people at lower costs than traditional therapy sessions, and also allow specialists to monitor patients remotely from home.

Israel’s need for effective trauma care solutions is both immense and urgent, and the demand will be here for years to come. Please consider a generous gift to the ICEJ’s Israel in Crisis fund as we continue to reach out to a hurting nation.

Donate today at:  give.icej.org/crisis