Safe Harbor

Who We Are - The Naval Officers CommunityNaval Officers Course graduates are the combat officers commanding the Israeli Navy’s vessels - people who bore full responsibility for their crew and ship through long, complex missions at sea, facing pressures with no civilian equivalent. The course lasts approximately two and a half years, and graduates commit to approximately eight years of regular service. Migdalor Association, founded in 2014, unites approximately 3,500 of them: CEOs, tech company founders, and senior professionals across all industries. In the Iron Swords war, Migdalor alumni fought on every front, in regular and reserve service. As leaders within Israeli society, a commitment was born: to harness this human capital for the benefit of those who were hurt - IDF disabled veterans, and PTSD survivors in particular. Safe Harbor - The StoryThe Iron Swords war left behind a historic wave of PTSD casualties. The IDF Rehabilitation Department projects that by 2030, approximately 100,000 disabled veterans will be recognized - roughly a third suffering from psychological trauma. These are numbers the public health system was not built to handle alone. Migdalor alumni saw this as a call to action: to use what we know best - the sea, and make it a tool for healing. “Safe Harbor” is the project born from that commitment: sailing sessions for PTSD survivors, led by certified skipper-officers from our community. Not as an external service - but as the personal commitment of those who were there. The skipper accompanying the participants is a professional mentor and guide for the veterans, having commanded under pressure and knowing the sea as a second home. The sea - our natural environment , becomes the tool for healing and rehabilitation. how does it work?Each group completes a program of 12 two-hour sailing sessions spread across approximately four months. Every session takes place on a single yacht, with two certified skipper-officers from the association alongside a clinical psychologist. The power lies in repetition: going out to sea on the same day and at the same time - in a marine environment that creates an atmosphere unlike any therapy room, and restores to participants the routine they were missing, as a first step toward reclaiming control of their lives following psychological injury. Participants who persist and wish to continue can receive a Sailor-30 certification from the association, completing the program not only with recovery, but also with a practical maritime qualification. Current Status and GoalWe currently run a first cycle: 30 participants across 6 boats. The feedback and demand justify significant expansion. Our goal: 15 boats per cycle, three cycles per year - a total of 270 combat veterans per year. project budget• Sailing sessions - cost per session 450 ILS, total annual cost 243,000 ILS • Program coordinator - monthly salary 12,000 ILS, total annual cost 144,000 ILS • Clinical psychologist support - 20 monthly hours at 500 ILS/hr, total annual cost 120,000 ILS • End-of-cycle gifts (skippers + participants) - 120 gifts at 80 ILS each, total annual cost 28,800 ILS • In-session refreshments - 30 ILS per person, total annual cost 16,200 ILS • Sailor-30 certification - cost per certification 7,000 ILS, total annual cost 420,000 ILS Total Annual Budget - 972,000 ILS• To send a single participant out to sea - a donation of approx. 3,600 ILS is needed • To send a full boat out to sea - a donation of approx. 21,600 ILS is needed • To fund a full cycle of activity (15 boats) - a donation of approx. 324,000 ILS is needed We welcome every donor who connects with this program and its important mission to contribute their part - any amount, large or small, goes directly toward helping PTSD survivors recover and return to full lives. Thank you for your partnership.