Tali Schori: Support families of Israeli soldiers

On this Family Day, we stand with the families of the men and women serving in the IDF and security forces. While soldiers stand on the front lines, their families carry a different kind of burden at home. For hundreds of thousands of families, home is no longer just a place of rest; it has become another front, a space of ongoing uncertainty and tension.

Parents live with a sense of anxiety that has no clear ending. Spouses and life partners juggle household duties, childcare, and careers on their own for extended periods. Siblings live with a mix of pride and ongoing stress, and grandparents provide steady support while managing their own worries. The weight is constant, yet it remains largely unrecognized.

Data from the field helps us build a clear picture. About 20 percent of mothers of combat soldiers have experienced significant professional harm since the war began, and one-third of reservist families report financial hardship. This is not temporary stress. It is a prolonged condition that reshapes family life, financial stability, and day-to-day functions.

Research conducted together with the Ruppin Academic Center further revealed that mothers of combat and combat-support soldiers are experiencing ongoing trauma that affects all areas of life, including daily functioning at home and at work. Many report persistent anxiety with no defined endpoint and no formal recognition, highlighting the urgent need for structured support systems for military families.

We know that when families receive guidance and the right tools, they become an anchor for those serving and for society as a whole. They are better able to recognize signs of distress, maintain a healthy routine, and protect stability inside their homes. The stability of the family is not separate from national security; it is the foundation of it.

That is where we come in. HaNefashot HaPoalot was founded to build the missing infrastructure for families of soldiers, providing the support systems they truly need. We work across five core pillars — resilience, employment, community, rights advocacy, and education — offering resilience programs for family members, employment support for mothers and spouses whose careers were disrupted, guidance in navigating rights and available resources, and community networks that reduce isolation and strengthen long-term coping.

Our mission is to ensure that no family walks this long and challenging journey alone, giving them the meaning and strength they need to move forward, maintain stability, and build resilience for themselves and for their soldiers.

Your contribution enables us to expand this work today, opening additional resilience groups, providing occupational support to families facing financial hardship, and strengthening community frameworks across the country.

National resilience begins at home. Join us. Let’s be their home. No family left behind.