Rebuilding Emotional Strength Across Israel
The long-term psychological effects of the recent conflict have created an unprecedented demand for treatment and support across the country.
Through the Israel Rehabilitation and Resilience Fund (IRRF), IMFoC helps deliver trauma care and resilience programs for children and adults who continue to experience deep emotional distress.
The Israel Rehabilitation & Resilience Fund
A Nationwide Mission to
Rebuild Israel’s Emotional Strength
Israel is facing the most severe mental-health crisis in its history. The trauma of October 7 and the never-ending war has left tens of thousands of children, families, first responders, educators, and entire communities living with fear, grief, and long-term psychological injury. From young children unable to sleep through the night to parents struggling to support their families, to first responders carrying unbearable emotional weight, the need for structured, accessible, and long-term therapeutic support has never been greater.
IMFoC created the Israel Rehabilitation & Resilience Fund (IRRF) to meet this urgent national need. Over the next four years, the IRRF will strengthen mental-health recovery across Israel by funding trauma therapy for children and families, emotional-resilience programs in schools, collective healing frameworks, suicide-prevention infrastructure, and mental-health support for first responders. These life-saving efforts are delivered on the ground in partnership with trusted Israeli organizations, including the Arbel Institute, SAHAR Online Mental Health Support, ZAKA Search & Rescue, the Sderot Foundation, and the Gvanim Association.
Together, we are building a nationwide continuum of care, from early prevention to crisis intervention to long-term healing, ensuring that every child, parent, and community affected by trauma has a path back to safety, stability, and hope. Your support helps transform pain into resilience and gives Israel the strength to heal.
Currently Fundraising
In collaboration with Arbel Institute
Support IMFoC’s initiative to strengthen schools and communities by providing trauma-informed training and guided emotional-support programs delivered with Arbel, helping educators and families recover and rebuild after crisis.
In collaboration with SAHAR
Help IMFoC strengthen life-saving online mental-health support delivered with SAHAR, offering anonymous crisis chat and proactive outreach that protects vulnerable youth and adults experiencing acute emotional distress.
In collaboration with ZAKA Search & Rescue
In collaboration with Sderot Foundation
Help IMFoC provide essential mental-health and family-therapy services for Gaza Envelope residents through the Sderot Foundation, giving parents and children the tools to cope, recover, and regain emotional stability after trauma.
In collaboration with Gvanim Association
Support IMFoC in providing early-childhood therapy, animal-assisted treatment, and guided-healing programs through Gvanim, helping young children and families cope, recover, and build resilience after ongoing trauma.
In collaboration with SAHAR
24/7 Crisis Online Chat Support
Anonymous Emotional Support for Youth and Adults in Distress
Across Israel, thousands of people—especially children, teens, and young adults—are quietly struggling with anxiety, trauma, loneliness, and suicidal thoughts. Since October 7, emotional distress has surged, and many individuals now reach a breaking point long before any traditional mental-health service can intervene.
IMFoC is committed to strengthening Israel’s emotional resilience by supporting round-the-clock crisis-chat services delivered through SAHAR, Israel’s only 24/7, anonymous online mental health platform. This partnership ensures that anyone in distress can access immediate, confidential support at the moment they need it most.
Emotional crises often unfold silently—through late-night messages, isolated web searches, or hidden posts on social media. Young people aged 10–30 represent 70% of those seeking help, making early, anonymous access essential for prevention and stabilization.
Since October 7, demand has skyrocketed. Calls for help rose from 36,000 to 53,000 crisis cases in a single year, with more than 1,000 lifesaving emergency reports filed by SAHAR’s trained volunteer teams. Without online intervention, many of these individuals would have nowhere to turn.
IMFoC supports this critical safety net so that every cry for help is met with trained, compassionate responders—day or night.
What This Initiative Offers
24/7 Crisis Chat & WhatsApp Support
This project helps expand free, anonymous, real-time emotional support in Hebrew and Arabic, offering immediate help for those experiencing panic, trauma, depression, grief, or suicidal thoughts.
Digital Outreach for Hidden Crises
Through SAHAR’s proactive “Outreach Patrol,” distress posts are identified across social media, enabling responders to reach individuals before their situation escalates—addressing 8,500 online crisis posts in 2024 alone.
Email Support & Moderated Forums
These services provide safe, supervised spaces for ongoing emotional support, especially for those who struggle to speak openly during live conversations.
Next-Generation Mental-Health Technology
Through our partnership, we also support the development of lifesaving tools such as:
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AI-based crisis detection (digital “MRI” for emotional risk)
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PTSD early-warning models (“psychological EKG”)
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An AI triage companion to stabilize users during wait times, mirroring a mental-health version of an emergency-room nurse.
These tools expand reach, improve detection, and save lives long before crises escalate into tragedy.
Impact
Through this initiative, our project strengthens Israel’s nationwide mental-health safety net by helping:
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Enable 400 trained crisis volunteers and professional supervisors to respond instantly
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Provide 53,000 crisis interventions in a single year
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Support children, teens, and young adults, Israel’s most vulnerable demographic
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Deliver continuous, anonymous care in two languages, across every region
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Identify and intervene in hidden online crises that might otherwise go unnoticed
Every stabilized conversation, every de-escalated crisis, and every life saved reflects the urgent need for 24/7 digital access to mental-health support.
Be the Reason Someone Survives
IMFoC is committed to ensuring that no person in Israel faces an emotional crisis alone. By funding, monitoring, and evaluating SAHAR’s lifesaving digital support services, we can help provide immediate compassion, guidance, and intervention at the very moment someone reaches out for help—often in their darkest hour. This partnership strengthens Israel’s resilience today and safeguards the emotional well-being of its future generations.
In collaboration with Arbel Institute
Emotional-Resilience Training for Educators and Communities
Strengthening Educators, Communities, and Children Across Israel
Across Israel, teachers, school principals, counsellors, and families are still carrying the emotional weight of October 7 and the long months that followed. Classrooms are filled with children who have witnessed fear, loss, and instability—while the adults guiding them are struggling with the same trauma. IMFoC is committed to strengthening these communities by expanding access to mental-health support and resilience-building tools where they are needed most.
To ensure this work is implemented effectively on the ground, IMFoC is working in partnership with the Arbel Institute, which delivers the specialized psychological training and guidance required for this initiative.
Read more about the Arbel Institute
What This Initiative Offers
Training for Educators, Principals, and Community Leaders
IMFoC is working with Arbel to deliver trauma-informed workshops that equip key figures in schools and communities with practical tools to recognize distress, support children and families, and refer individuals for professional care when needed.
Trauma-Processing Groups for Adults and Educators
The initiative includes guided processing groups, led by qualified psychologists through our partner organization. These sessions offer safe spaces for teachers, staff, and community members to share, reflect, and rebuild emotional resilience.
Year-Long Support for High-Risk Schools
In schools most affected by the crisis, IMFoC’s program provides ongoing psychological accompaniment—ensuring principals and teams have consistent support throughout the year as they lead children through recovery.
Rapid Response During Emergencies
With the help of our partner’s nationwide network of psychologists, IMFoC ensures that affected schools and communities can receive immediate emotional support following traumatic events—often within hours, when it matters most.
Impact
Through this initiative, IMFoC is helping to rebuild emotional stability for:
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Hundreds of schools and community institutions
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Thousands of educators, counsellors, and community leaders
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30,000+ teachers are responsible for the well-being of hundreds of thousands of children
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Dozens of trauma-specialized psychologists operating across Israel through our partner network
This work strengthens the support systems that children depend on every day—helping entire communities begin to heal.
Trauma is Not a Child's Play
IMFoC’s mission is to safeguard Israel’s physical and emotional well-being. By ensuring that educators and community leaders receive the tools and support needed to guide children through trauma, IMFoC is helping build a stronger, more resilient next generation.
Together with our partners, we are committed to standing with Israeli communities today, and empowering them to rebuild for tomorrow.
In collaboration with the Sderot Foundation
Family Therapy & Emotional Recovery for Gaza Envelope Residents
Community Mental-Health Support
Families living in Sderot and the surrounding Gaza Envelope have endured years of sirens, explosions, displacement, and loss. Conditions that have profoundly affected parents and young children alike. Many families are struggling with PTSD, anxiety, sleep disturbances, behavioural regression, and the emotional aftermath of October 7.
IMFoC is committed to strengthening these families' emotional recovery by supporting community-based mental health and family therapy services delivered in partnership with the Sderot Foundation. These programs give parents and children the tools to cope, rebuild stability, and begin healing together.
The chronic trauma experienced by children in this region has long-term effects on development, learning, and emotional well-being. Many parents feel overwhelmed and unequipped to support their children through ongoing fear and instability. While the government provides individual therapy for young children, parents receive no parallel support, a significant gap that weakens the impact of any treatment. IMFoC's initiative helps fill this gap by expanding access to guided therapy and family-strengthening programs designed to stabilize homes and foster resilience.
What This Initiative Offers
Parental Support Sessions
Many families lack the tools to understand and respond to their children's stress reactions. This project supports guided parental therapy sessions, delivered alongside children's treatment, to help parents navigate trauma, rebuild routines, and support emotional recovery at home.
Parent–Child Dyadic Therapy Groups
By participating together in structured therapy groups, parents and young children learn to communicate emotions, rebuild trust, and strengthen family bonds. These sessions reduce waiting lists, offer scalable support, and help families process trauma in a safe, guided setting.
Community-Based Family Counselling
Many households still face fear, nightmares, behavioural issues, and the aftermath of displacement. IMFoC and Sderot Foundation support therapeutic programs that provide emotional guidance, coping tools, and family-focused interventions, helping parents create stable, supportive environments for their children.
Impact
Through this initiative, the project is helping families in the Gaza Envelope:
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Access emotional support during a period of extreme psychological strain
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Strengthen parent–child relationships disrupted by trauma
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Reduce untreated anxiety and PTSD symptoms in young children
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Equip parents with tools to maintain balanced, resilient homes
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Reach hundreds of families through group formats and parallel sessions
The Early Childhood Resilience Program alone is designed to support 400 families and provide 50 group therapy interventions, directly addressing one of the community's most urgent mental-health needs.
Guiding Families Forward
IMFoC is dedicated to raising funds to help families in the Gaza Envelope rebuild their emotional foundations and restore stability in their daily lives. By expanding access to trauma-informed family support, delivered through our partner on the ground, we are investing in long-term resilience, healthier homes, and a stronger future for children growing up under threat.
The Unimaginable Story:
A ZAKA Volunteer Shares a Heartbreaking Experience
In collaboration with ZAKA Search & Rescue
Strengthening Mental Health Support for First Responders
IMFoC, in collaboration with ZAKA Search & Rescue, is working to enhance the mental health and well-being of volunteers who face immense psychological challenges in their work.
Following recent traumatic events and the daily demands of rescue missions, it has become clear that comprehensive mental health support is essential for ZAKA’s first responders.
ZAKA volunteers are often exposed to highly stressful and traumatic situations, including mass casualties and disaster response. These experiences can lead to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety, depression, and burnout. IMFoC’s initiative supports medical psychologists in providing innovative mental health and resilience-building programs.
What This Initiative Offers:
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Immediate Crisis Response: 24/7 psychological first aid for volunteers after high-stress missions.
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Advanced Trauma Therapy: Evidence-based treatments, including Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), and Virtual Reality (VR) therapy.
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Resilience Training: Workshops designed to equip volunteers with emotional resilience and coping strategies.
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Family Support Services: Counselling for the families of volunteers, fostering a supportive network.
Future Impact
This program ensures the immediate well-being of ZAKA’s current volunteers and establishes a framework for long-term support. By proactively addressing mental health, IMFoC is helping to secure the resilience and strength of ZAKA’s team for years to come.
In collaboration with Gvanim Association
Early Childhood Therapy, Animal-Assisted Treatment & Collective Healing
Child & Youth Trauma Recovery
Children and families in the Gaza Envelope have faced years of sirens, explosions, and chronic stress. Conditions that deeply affect emotional development, behaviour, and family stability. Young children lack the cognitive tools to process ongoing fear and traumatic events. Without intervention, these early experiences can lead to long-term emotional challenges, behavioural difficulties, and developmental delays. Parents, meanwhile, often struggle to support their children while coping with their own trauma, creating a cycle that affects the entire household.
IMFoC’s initiative in collaboration with Gvanim Association helps break this cycle by expanding access to therapeutic programs proven to strengthen resilience and restore emotional balance.
What This Initiative Offers
Early Childhood Trauma Treatment
This project supports therapeutic programs that help children ages 0–6 cope with trauma, rebuild emotional security, and develop healthier responses to stress—drawing on structured parental guidance and dyadic parent–child therapy sessions that reach 400 families annually.
Animal-Assisted Therapy
Through our partnership, Gvanim Association helps deliver animal-assisted therapy for children ages 5–16. These sessions use trained animals to reduce anxiety, improve emotional regulation, and create safe pathways for expression, an approach widely used in Sderot’s Resilience Center.
Collective Healing Groups (“Ohel Avraham”)
The project supports community-based healing spaces where groups that share similar losses participate in guided workshops and retreats. These collective sessions foster connection, resilience, and shared recovery for families and adults still processing the events of October 7.
Restoring Hope and Stability
IMFoC remains committed to supporting trauma-affected children and families in the Gaza Envelope. By expanding access to early-childhood treatment, animal-assisted therapy, and collective healing, implemented through our partner, the Gvanim Association, we are helping restore stability, strengthen resilience, and give young lives the chance to heal and grow.
🎗️ Your Donation, Their Hope
Your Support Matters
By donating to IMFoC, you are directly contributing to initiatives that enhance emergency services and support first responders' mental health and resilience.
The communities affected by war, particularly children, require urgent support to rebuild their lives.
Where Help Meets Hope
One Fund. Many Lifelines
Your generosity can take many forms. Every contribution brings us closer to our goal of providing swift and effective emergency response.
By supporting our work, you enable us to provide vital resources, psychological counselling, and social services that promote well-being and improve lives.
Make a Difference Today
Every donation, no matter the size, makes a difference and helps ensure a brighter, safer, and healthier future for Israel.
Frequency
One time
Monthly
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Optional Ways To Give
IMFoC welcomes both one-time and monthly contributions.
Donations can be made online by credit card on our secure website, by eTransfer using donate@imfoc.org as the contact email, or by cheque payable to the Israel Magen Fund of Canada and mailed to 41 Alvin Ave, Toronto, ON M4T 2A7.
We also accept gifts of publicly traded securities and Israel Bonds. For assistance with giving options, please contact us or call 416-801-9067.
