From the Heart of the Inferno: How Johanna’s Family Found a Shared Language of Healing
- IMFoC
- Apr 15
- 2 min read
For Johanna Zak Zak, a resident of Sderot and mother of six daughters, the dream of building a home in Israel was a lifelong journey. Having immigrated from France to join her husband, one of Sderot’s founding sons, she was used to the “complex reality” of the south. But on October 7th, that reality didn’t just bend; it shattered.
While Johanna and her family huddled in their home, one of her daughters was serving as a Tatzpitanit (observer) in the Gaza Division, stationed at the very heart of the inferno. The terror of those hours left a psychological mark on the entire family that no physical wall could protect them from.
Breaking the Silence of Trauma
In the aftermath, the household was unrecognizable. The girls struggled with sudden outbursts of anger, a common but painful manifestation of deep-seated trauma. The silence in the home was heavy, filled with things unsaid and pain misunderstood.
That is when Johanna turned to the Sderot Resilience Center.
Their journey began not as individuals, but as a family unit. They needed to understand the “new reality” forced upon them. Guided by a dedicated therapist who has since become a cornerstone of their lives, the family began the slow process of picking up the pieces.
A New Language of Love
The most profound transformation didn’t happen in the clinic, but around Johanna’s own dinner table. Through their sessions, the family learned a new way to communicate. They stopped hiding their struggles and started placing their difficulties “on the table.” Today, the Zak Zak family speaks a shared language of healing:
They can identify the subtle signs of post-trauma in one another.
They know how to support each other’s pain without judgment.
They have replaced anger with a “containing” and open dialogue.
“The center is a ‘bubble’ that provides mental serenity,” Johanna shares. “It restores our stability time and time again.”
For Johanna, the Resilience Center is more than a therapeutic resource; it is a critical lifeline. It is the place where a mother of six, a grandmother of two, and a wife of a city founder learned that you don’t just have to stand before the pain—you can grow through it.
Restoring the Foundations: The Early Childhood Therapy Project
Johanna’s story reminds us that trauma affects the entire family tree, from the grandparents to the youngest child. At the Israel Magen Fund of Canada (IMFoC), we are committed to ensuring that families like Jonah’s have the professional support they need to stay united.
Through our partnership with Gvanim Association, we are funding the Early Childhood Therapy project, specifically designed to help families in the Gaza Envelope navigate the long road to recovery.
How You Can Help
Our initiative focuses on breaking the cycle of trauma through:
Parental Guidance & Dyadic Therapy: Strengthening the bond between parents and children to restore a sense of safety.
Animal-Assisted Treatment: Providing children with a non-verbal, soothing way to process fear.
Community Resilience: Supporting the very centers that Jonah calls her “bubble” of serenity.
When you support IMFoC, you aren’t just funding a program; you are giving a family the “toolbox” they need to speak, to heal, and to hope again.
Help us rebuild the hearts of Sderot. Join our mission today.
