Bereaved families

Music festival survivors, victims' relatives discuss PTSD, substance abuse, mental health effects

A public event commemorating Hamas's October 7 massacre united over 500 individuals as they addressed PTSD, substance abuse, and other mental health effects after surviving or losing relatives.

|ByMILLA WOLMAN
A panel at the "Managing the Balance" conference exploring the connections between PTSD and substance use, September 8, 2026.
Rabbi Ephraim Duchman, Director of Development of Colel Chabad, distributing gifts to children as Mrs. Rochel Marton looks on.

Picking up where he left off

After the passing of her husband, Rabbi Yitzchok Marton, Rachel Marton led the Chesed Menachem Mendel Fund, expanding the organization he built to help over 1,000 bereaved families in Israel

|ByALAN ROSENBAUM, IN COLLABORATION WITH CHABAD
AMERICAN FLAGS and flowers mark victims’ names at the 9/11 Memorial and Museum in New York City. Families say the site is sacred ground that should be a place of mourning, not a ground for political division.

'Let us have our peace': Fearing disruption at Ground Zero, 9/11 families ask Mamdani to stay away

US AFFAIRS: Families of 9/11 victims are urging New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani to skip the 25th anniversary ceremony at Ground Zero, saying his presence could disrupt their day of mourning.

|ByMATHILDA HELLER
An illustration of Israelis attending a memorial service for the October 7 massacre in Hayarkon Park, Tel Aviv.

October 7 remembrance ceremony crowdfunding tops NIS 700,000 on first day of campaign

Organizers said this will be the largest publicly funded memorial event in Israel’s history. Approximately 4,905 donors were responsible for over 38% of the total goal.

|BySIDNEY BLASCO

October Council marks 1,000 days since October 7 massacre, calls for state commission of inquiry

The press conference was attended by bereaved families, hostage families, survivors, and representatives, who called on Israel's public to demand the establishment of a state commission of inquiry.

JUNE 25, 2026ByURI SELA
A PRESS conference marking 1,000 days since the October 7 massacre, June 25, 2026.

IDF chief Zamir visits with family of Armored Corps officer killed by Hezbollah in s. Lebanon

Zamir spoke with Ben Simhon's parents, his widow Ariella, and his five brothers, all of whom are or have been combat soldiers.

JUNE 21, 2026ByYONAH JEREMY BOB
IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Eyal Zamir visits the family of murdered soldier Lt.-Col. Dor Ben Simhon, June 21, 2026.

Ben-Gvir appoints bereaved family members as official inspectors under terrorist death penalty law

The official inspectors will play a central role in overseeing the conditions of the terrorists sentenced to death, and are granted supervisory powers regarding the implementation of the law.

JUNE 17, 2026BySHIR PERETS
NATIONAL SECURITY Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir leads Otzma Yehudit faction meeting at the Knesset, on Monday.

Reservists Party holds primaries ahead of elections, bereaved families among candidates

Yoaz Hendel’s Reservists Party held digital primaries as it prepares for upcoming elections, with candidates including IDF reservists, bereaved families, and wounded veterans.

JUNE 16, 2026ByKESHET NEEV
Yoaz Hendel testifies during a hearing of the civil investigative committee on the October 7 massacre, in Tel Aviv, August 8, 2024.

Court overturns Education Ministry ban on educational pro-peace program

Since the closure imposed on the West Bank and Gaza Strip at the start of the Gaza War, the program has been operated by Israeli facilitators only, according to the ruling.

JUNE 15, 2026BySARAH BEN-NUN
Palestinians, Israelis and politicians attend a joint Israeli-Palestinian Memorial Day ceremony, organized by peace groups and held amid far-right threats against participants, on the eve of Israel’s Memorial Day in Tel Aviv, April 20, 2026.

Sometimes healing begins with movement

In my daily encounters with bereaved families, it becomes clear again and again that grief does not remain only in the heart. It is very present in the body as well.

MAY 27, 2026ByDR. MORDECHAI BEN ARI
Movement and physical activity play a meaningful role in coping with loss.

OneFamily brings 1,000 bereaved Israelis together for Remembrance Day

OneFamily’s Remembrance Day ceremony for fallen soldiers and victims of terror brings hundreds of bereaved together.

MAY 2, 2026ByJERUSALEM POST STAFF
Laly Derai (R) and Liat Smadga, co-hosts and bereaved mothers: ‘Tonight, we stand here together with one shared wish: to keep moving forward, to carry their memory with us, and to build a more connected, united, and whole Israeli society.’

IDF to present findings of investigation into Israelis entering Bint Jbail's active warzone

An IDF investigation into four Israelis' entry into Bint Jbail during the ongoing conflict is set to be presented to Northern Command Chief Maj.-Gen. Rafi Milo.

APRIL 28, 2026ByAMIR BOHBOT
IDF troops operating in southern Lebanon on April 25, 2026.

Former Gaza hostage Eli Sharabi reflects on Independence Day, family loss

Eli Sharabi, who survived Hamas captivity, shares his emotional journey after the October 7 massacre, revealing how Independence Day now holds deeper meaning as he honors his murdered family.

APRIL 22, 2026BySHIRLY GOLAN
Eli Sharabi was abducted from his home in Kibbutz Be’eri during the Oct. 7, 2023 attack and survived 491 days in Hamas captivity.

After 11 years, Hadar Goldin's family marks Remembrance Day with closure

Lt. Hadar Goldin's sister told KAN Reshet Bet that this is the first Remembrance Day that the family feels it can mark, given his remains were returned from Gaza after over 11 years in captivity.

APRIL 21, 2026ByJAMES GENN
IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Eyal Zamir salutes as he stands with the family of fallen soldier Lt. Hadar Goldin at his funeral in Kfar Saba Military Cemetery, November 11, 2025.