ABOUT
FORTIFY ISRAEL
Our Mission
Empowering local educators to provide trauma-focused interventions that restore mental health and build resilience in Israel’s next generation.
Our Story
In the first weeks of the war, the Israeli government evacuated thousands of families from their homes in the Gaza envelope. Yet, many other communities not far from Gaza—under constant fire, albeit not forcibly cleared—received next-to-no government support.
Some families in those cities chose to temporarily relocate, forgoing their steady incomes and communities in exchange for shelter from rocket fire. Other families hunkered down and stayed in their homes under heavy barrage. Yet now, as most have returned and Israelis brace themselves for this protracted conflict to continue into the foreseeable future, these communities are grappling with the challenge of everyone 'getting back to life.’
Fortify Israel was founded in the wake of October 7th to support the holistic rehabilitation of these Israeli communities by building resilience in the next generation.
Certainly, the physical needs of these communities abound—and government and nonprofit organizations have sprung into action, rebuilding homes and helping families recoup lost income. Mental health services for the masses, however, remain unavailable. Local trauma centers are understaffed, only offering urgent therapeutic care to individuals experiencing severe distress. Thousands of children and young adults have no address to which they can turn to process their difficult experiences. Fortify Israel aims to ensure that these traumatized populations—specifically, kids and teens—receive necessary interventions to restore mental health and build resilience.
Fortify Israel develops curricula and runs educational workshops for community educators to provide trauma-informed care and administer trauma-focused interventions. By training our school partners to infuse existing programming with therapeutic activities designed to help kids process their emotions, we aim to equip children with the tools to live beyond the trauma of the present.
Fortify Israel aspires to address these overlooked needs, helping everyone affected by this war to get back to life.