In One Line - Habayit

They cared for us in our deepest pain. Now it's our turn to care for them. After the October 7 massacre, soldiers, reservists and volunteers were called to Shura, an Israeli military base where the victims and fallen soldiers were identified and prepared for burial. For days and nights, they carried out one of the hardest tasks imaginable: identifying the dead, preserving their dignity and enabling families to lay their loved ones to rest. They performed what Jewish tradition calls chesed shel emet: an act of kindness for someone who can never repay it. Behind every identification was a family waiting for an answer. They stayed to give them that answer. But for some, what they experienced at Shura continues to follow them long after they returned home. Images and memories return at night. Sleep is disrupted, concentrating at work becomes difficult, and even simple moments with their children demand energy they once took for granted. For some, the difficulties began immediately. For others, they emerged only after months of continuing to function and look after everyone else. And around each of them is a whole family living with the effects. A partner trying to understand what he is going through while taking on more and more of everyday life at home. Children who sense that something has changed in their father. Parents worried about their son. Brothers and sisters who listen, stay close and want to help, but do not always know how. They, too, need a place where they can talk, ask questions and receive support. When we say "those who served at Shura and their families," we mean all of them. For them, we are establishing HaBayit - "The Home" - a resilience center for those who served at Shura and their families. The center is being created to provide professional, confidential care and ongoing support: individual mental health therapy, couples and family therapy, support for family members, and guidance in accessing the benefits and services they are entitled to. A place to turn to even when it is hard to explain what happened, or when someone does not yet know what kind of help they need. Among those who served at Shura are soldiers and volunteers from Haredi (ultra-Orthodox) and other religious Jewish communities. For them, seeking help is also shaped by faith, family life and the community they come from. The center is being built with an understanding of that reality, so they can receive professional care in an environment that respects their way of life and helps them feel comfortable seeking support and continuing treatment. We are raising NIS 2.5 million to establish the center and develop its treatment and support services. Through the donation options, you can choose to fund a specific form of care: an individual therapy session for a soldier, couples therapy, a series of therapy sessions, support sessions for family members, or a therapy and recovery program. Your donation can give someone a place to begin treatment, help a couple face their challenges together, and give a family a dependable source of support as they work toward everyday life again. The people of Shura were there for our families. Now their families need us.