In the days following October 7, Israel moved quickly into emergency mode. Sirens, funerals, military briefings, and national resolve dominated public attention. The country focused, rightly, on survival.
What received far less attention was what happened after the emergency ended.
Hundreds of children woke up to a reality that no longer included one or both parents. There was no moment of closure and no public ritual for what came next. Their grief did not erupt all at once. It settled quietly into bedrooms, schoolyards, and long stretches of silence where childhood used to live. There is no national blueprint for how a child processes trauma of this magnitude. No single moment when loss is “addressed.” Healing, if it happens at all, unfolds slowly and often invisibly. For many of these children, the most difficult period did not begin on October 7. It began afterward.
In the months that followed, Israel Orphans of 10/7 emerged to address a gap few were talking about: the long-term emotional recovery of children who lost parents to terror and war. Not the first days. Not the public mourning. But the years that follow, when attention fades and the work of rebuilding a child’s inner world truly begins.
Central to that effort is Israel’s first and only Play Therapy Center created specifically for children affected by the October 7 attacks and the ongoing war. The center does not resemble a traditional therapeutic environment. There are no desks, no clinical assessments, and no formal sessions. Instead, children enter a space that feels familiar and safe, where healing takes place through structured play-based therapies including art therapy, cooking therapy, dog therapy, horse therapy, and other experiential modalities. To the children, it feels like play. In practice, it is carefully guided therapeutic work.
All services are delivered by licensed clinicians who shape each activity to feel natural and non-threatening. Children are never told they are “in therapy.” There is no pressure to speak, explain, or perform grief. Healing happens gradually, at a pace their nervous systems can tolerate.
The impact has been unmistakable. Children who initially arrived withdrawn, fearful, or unable to communicate are beginning to re-engage with the world around them. They are expressing emotions, rebuilding trust, and rediscovering moments of joy. These outcomes have made it clear that play is not a luxury for traumatized children, but a clinical necessity.
The response to this work has reached far beyond the therapy center itself. Videos of the organization’s dog therapy sessions with the children began going viral online. What resonated was not spectacle or messaging, but the quiet normalcy of the children laughing, reaching out, and interacting without fear.
Therapeutic care is paired with practical support. Israel Orphans of 10/7 provides monthly financial stipends to families suddenly navigating life as single-parent or guardian-led households. This assistance helps stabilize daily life, allowing caregivers to focus on their children’s emotional recovery rather than immediate survival.
The success of the Play Therapy Center has underscored a pressing reality. The need far exceeds current capacity. Two additional therapy hubs are planned for next year, with the long-term goal of reaching every child impacted by October 7 and future acts of terror. Expansion is not aspirational. It is essential. Funding directly supports licensed clinicians, therapeutic tools, and the creation of safe spaces where healing can continue. More information and support can be found at Causematch.com/healingourheroes.
This December, Israel Orphans of 10/7 will launch Healing Our Heroes, a two-week crowdfunding campaign focused on the widows, children, and young survivors whose resilience rarely makes headlines. The campaign aims to raise $1.5 million to expand play therapy centers and sustain long-term care.
These children are not symbols of tragedy. They are individuals navigating loss long after the world has moved on. While much of Israel’s story since October 7 has centered on strength and endurance, theirs is a quieter form of courage, one that unfolds in classrooms, therapy rooms, and moments of play reclaimed.
As the country continues to rebuild, one question remains. Who stays when the emergency ends?
For these children, the answer matters.
To learn more or support the Healing Our Heroes campaign, visit Causematch.com/healingourheroes.
This article was written in cooperation with Israel Orphans of 10/7