I made aliyah 12 years ago and have a professional history as an operations manager in many fields (particularly startups), as well as childcare. 

Today I am the founder and CEO of Chayal’s Angels, a brand-new nonprofit organization in Israel, treating and healing soldiers stationed across the northern borders. (Chayal is Hebrew for “soldier.”)

Through the generosity of numerous therapists, we operate a traveling holistic healing clinic and try to give each soldier multiple individual treatments each day, to care for mind, body and soul.

We are aiming to open standing clinics for the reservists to attend where they can receive treatments and healing workshops as well as have access to good nutrition, social workers and psychologists.

I was due to be in the south on October 7th, but a few days before I canceled my plans due to lack of energy. Instead, I found myself at home, in a state of shock trying to work out where my friends were and what was happening, before realizing sitting here wasn’t helping anyone and jumping in the car the very next morning, to see how I can help. 

I believe we can all do something; we all have talents, and every single one is useful now. I have people helping keep track of our funds, running PR, marketing, etc. – as well as hands-on therapists who perform massage, physiotherapy, acupuncture, and energy healing, to name just a few.

Chayal’s Angels has a plan for the next few months through to the next 20 years. We have a lot to do to help heal our reservists, because the trauma and injuries that they are experiencing now will take years to heal. 

Right now we are making sure to head to them wherever they are stationed, to ensure they get through this war and are supported in every way we can. Their future, as well as ours, will be a long healing journey.

At a time like this, you can make an impact by just getting up and doing something, as sitting and waiting for others to do it doesn’t help. Get up. Figure out what your role here is and act on it. 

I started by just driving soldiers, equipment and hot meals to bases, 14 hours a day, then I recognized some other needs for a service such as ours and ran with it when I saw no one else was doing that yet.

I gain motivation and inspiration from the spirits of the soldiers and their amazing attitude. They are paying a heavy price for all of us right now, and I’m making sure that we will be able to repay them for years to come. They are the reason I do everything.

Having long-term back issues myself, nerve damage, and mental-health battles over the years, I have faced many challenges and I know that I can help others face theirs. Helping others helps me to stay on track, so we will keep making sure the soldiers are getting physical, mental and emotional support by working on their mind, body, and soul. We will stay by their side every step of the way and when this war is over, we will be there even more for them.

I hope that from this situation we gain a true understanding of trauma and the after-effects of PTSD. Seeing the Jewish people at war with each other these past years has broken my heart over and over. I hope we can make Israel more secure and peaceful, create a brand new government and a new, stronger, more united state.