Rehabilitation of a Country - Panel

The panelists are:

Ayelet Nahmias-Verbin – Chairwoman of JReady and The Fund of the Victims of Terror of the Jewish Agency, former Labor Party MK, an alumna of the Faculty of Law at Tel Aviv University

Dr. Amir Blumenfeld – Physician for Hostages and Families Contact Point, former IDF Trauma Chief, an alumnus of the Coller School of Management at Tel Aviv University

Yossi Matetyahu – CEO of Zahal Disabled Veterans Organization, an alumnus of the Faculty of Social Sciences at Tel Aviv University

Dr. Yael Itzhaki Braun – Senior Lecturer and the Head of the Undergraduate Program at the Bob Shapell School of Social Work, an alumna of the Faculty of Social Sciences at Tel Aviv University

The panel moderator is Prof. Karni Ginzburg – Head of the International Crisis and Trauma Program at the Bob Shapell School of Social Work at Tel Aviv University, an alumna of the Faculty of Humanities, the Faculty of Social Sciences and the Bob Shapell School of Social Work at Tel Aviv University.

Ayelet Nahmias-Verbin shared on the panel: “On the 500th day, we submitted to the President’s wife the annual report of the Fund of the Victims of Terror of the Jewish Agency, which indicates an investment of 85 million NIS from the Jewish people’s philanthropy funds, in various channels of assistance for Israelis who were severely affected by the events of 7/10. Rapidly after the disaster, we realized in the fund, which was established during the Second Intifada by the Jewish Agency, with the support of our communities, that the channels of individual assistance that are aimed at the rehabilitation of each family are important, but must also create a tool for community-group rehabilitation. Thus, over 4,500 people have participated in the resilience programs we’ve built. Alongside the return of the kidnapped, the ability of all civil society to work together in the future of the resilience of Israeli society is the light and hope”.

Dr. Amir Blumenfeld: “It is possible to grow from the terrible trauma of October 7. To this end, a clear vision and a comprehensive action plan in the field of health and mental health are required. In the immediate term, we must work to establish an effective and accessible rehabilitation system for victims and their families, along with strengthening community support systems. In the long term, we must lead a revolution in the treatment of physical and mental trauma, while developing innovative technologies and models and specialized training of professionals. Through national commitment and systematic cooperation, we can turn the crisis into an opportunity to build a stronger and more resilient society”.

Dr. Yael Itzhaki Braun shared: “In rehabilitation processes, it is important to emphasize rehabilitation at the community level. Creating a collective memory of the loss, strengthening the sense of trust and emphasizing the strengths of community can form the basis for the community rehabilitation that we need”.
Yossi Matetyahu said that “the wounded men and women of the IDF and the security forces fight the battle after the battle every day, in a long process of physical and emotional rehabilitation, their full rehabilitation is only possible when Israeli society embraces them back into all worlds, including optimal integration into full employment”.

Prof. Karni Ginzburg noted: “Optimal rehabilitation cannot be the task of the individual alone. Various circles are involved in the rehabilitation process, from family or friends through formal services, to the community. This is especially true when disasters strike communities, as we saw on October 7 and thereafter. The rehabilitation process of individuals and communities are intertwined and support each other, this is the power of communities”.

Sigalit Ben Hayoun, Head of the Tel Aviv University Alumni Organization, added: “The past year and a half have presented us with new challenges that we have never known before, war and abductees who are still waiting to return home. We are waiting for the abductees to return home, to begin and create rehabilitation for them and their families, for IDF soldiers, for those evacuated from their homes, and for the entire people of Israel. University alumni of all professions are joining the work of rehabilitating diverse populations, and we’re very proud and grateful to them for that”.