Mental Health

Men in a cave: Why awareness is our way out to the light

A medtech founder shares five awareness practices for mental and physical health that restore balance and reduce daily stress.

Awareness practices for health — person meditating in natural light, symbolic exit from Plato's cave.
New Shlomi initiative uses sensory cues and soft architecture to support recovery from trauma.

Shlomi initiative uses sensory design, soft architecture to support trauma recovery in children

Galit Gurevich, whose husband served in the reserves, found crucial support during a dif!cult period through one of  JDC’s vetted digital mental health tools empowering thousands of Israelis to build resilience

Confronting Israel’s mental health emergency

Couple smiling at each other.

New study reveals how the brain prepares facial expressions before we move


Israel sees spike in PTSD and suicide among troops as war against Hamas, Hezbollah persists

Israeli studies show that the Gaza war and conflicts in Lebanon and Syria have taken their toll on the mental health of soldiers.

IDF soldier illustrative.

The war that never pauses: How rolling trauma is shaping Israeli life - opinion

In the past, we were used to thinking of trauma as an event with a beginning, middle, and end. The ongoing war and the current tension surrounding Iran break this sequence.

An illustrative image of a man in therapy.

'Pillar of the community': Mourning loss of lone soldier Joshua Boone, family pushes for IDF burial

Since Boone’s death was just over two weeks after his reserve service officially ended, the Defense Ministry does not recognize him as a fallen soldier under existing criteria.

Lone soldier Josh Boone from Idaho.

'The Seven Facets of Healing': The compassionate companion - book review

Rabbi Leo Dee does not write about trauma from a theoretical distance, nor is the book solely a memoir. Instead, he combines his own experience within a broader human framework.

Fitness and friends are two of Rabbi Dee's seven facets of healing.

Supporting Israel’s soldiers: Alon Center helps reservists rebuild their lives

The Alon Center helps Israeli reservists navigate life after combat by providing support for the soldiers and their families.

Alon center team (from L): Co-directors Adi Zarka Schwartz and Doron Shabti with IDF educator and Home Front support officer Sher Roval, in Tel Aviv.

Embrace the wins: When life turns upside down, focus on what you can control

'I am grateful, as always, to all of my readers and ask everyone to include my three-year-old grandson Yishai ben Shayna Miriam in your prayers. Together we all can and will make a difference.'

Illustrative photo.

For the first time in Israel: Advanced treatment for OCD that does not respond to medication

An innovative surgical technique for patients with severe, treatment-resistant OCD has been tried for the first time in Israel at Rambam Hospital. It opens a new therapeutic option in extreme cases.

During the procedure, electrodes are inserted into deep areas of the brain and connected to a subcutaneous electrical pacemaker

The psychology of knowing and how we decide when to ignore information

Sometimes we avoid information, and sometimes we deliberately seek painful information. Both avoiding useful and seeking painful information help manage emotional readiness and needs.

PROF. YANIV SHANI

Knesset bill seeks military burial for Israelis whose suicide tied to IDF service

Under the proposal, discharged soldiers and reservists who took their own lives as a result of combat stress or other psychological harm incurred during service would be eligible for military burial.

IDF soldiers prepare for Remembrance Day at the graves of fallen soldiers at the Har Herzl military cemetery, April 23, 2023.

Health index 2025: 39% of IDF soldiers report urgent need for mental health care

Among IDF soldiers, the picture is even more severe, with 39% reporting a need for mental health support, 26% expressing concern about depression, and 48% reporting sleep disturbances.

IDF soldiers demolish the home of terrorist Jamil Samara in Burkin, October 22, 2025.

Mentally ill man steals car with infant in back seat at Hadera hospital, baby returned unharmed

Security alerted police, who arrived quickly, arrested the suspect, and returned the infant to the family unharmed.

The Hillel Yaffe hospital in Hadera.