A home in Tel Aviv that suffered a direct hit this week has drawn much attention, but the story of Maya Riftin, manager of the “Dror” Center for Addiction Treatment (operated by the Israel Public Health Association), reflects Israeli reality: Even while her home lay in a pile of rubble, Riftin found the strength to carry on with the help of her patients - those who choose to rebuild their lives amid ruins every day.
The images from Yehuda Halevi Street in Tel Aviv this week left no room for doubt: the destruction was absolute. In a single moment, property, memories and personal security built over years turned to dust. For Maya Riftin, whose home was destroyed that night, the world seemed to stop. Yet, while the dust had barely settled, she was already back somewhere else: at the “Dror” addiction treatment Center in central Tel Aviv, which she manages.
Riftin’s choice to support her medical team just hours after her personal loss was more than an act of resilience. It stemmed from her understanding that the daily battle her patients face on the road to rehabilitation is greater and more complex than any missile.
If They Rise From the Ruins, Who Am I Not to Stand by Them?
When asked what gave her the strength to recover from her personal destruction and come to the clinic, she said: “In the first moments, you wake up and feel like everything is crashing down on you. You don't know if it's the cold or the anxiety, but in one moment you realize that everything you had—is gone. You feel like the whole world is collapsing.”
In those moments of helplessness, as questions about insurance, future housing and where to sleep that night flooded her mind, an insight emerged. “After a few deep breaths, I realized that the questions I now have to deal with after this extreme event are the same questions every patient who comes to our “Dror” clinic faces every day. If they choose every day to rise from the ruins of their lives and fight—who am I not to stand by them?”
From ‘Methadone Stations’ to Advanced Medical Centers
The “Dror” clinic network, operated by the Israel Public Health Association under the supervision of the Israeli Ministry of Health, is marking its 37th year of operation nationwide. What began four decades ago as methadone distribution stations has evolved into a network of licensed medical centers providing treatment and rehabilitation for those with the disease of addiction.
More than 18,500 individuals have been treated at “Dror” centers over the years. Thousands have chosen, and continue to choose every morning, to look with hope toward a healthy future with personal and family resilience.
Today, the nine “Dror” centers provide medical treatment and comprehensive psychosocial support to approximately 3,000 patients a year. Long-term pharmacological treatment, common in the Western world, helps transform addiction from a hopeless tragedy into a manageable “chronic condition.” This helps patients clean up from street drugs, break away from dependence on dealers and violent lives on the fringes of society, and reintegrate into their families and the workforce.
A Commitment to Compassion: ‘A War For Life’
According to Yasmin Nahum, CEO of the Israel Public Health Association, Riftin’s story reflects the spirit of the entire organization: “The choice by patients to live with hope inspires and fosters commitment among all our teams, during both routine and emergency situations. The understanding that our patients are fighting a ‘war for life’ challenges us every day to uphold commitment to humanity, compassion and professionalism. Our centers remain open every day, even during war, providing service to 3,000 patients amid fire and sirens, because of the understanding that we must support those who have come to us for help and not let them fall.”
The house on Yehuda Halevi Street was destroyed, but the spirit of its residents remains steadfast. Like the poems of the poet after whom the street is named, it offers a symbol of human resilience: the ability to rise from the ruins to property and soul, and look toward brighter days and a better future - with the individual and the community in mind.
Thank you, Maya, for your dedicated work and the transformation of lives - through all times, and especially in this moment.