All Posts

Maslan (מסל״ן) is one of Israel’s nine sexual assault crisis centers, and it carries a uniquely vast mandate: supporting survivors across the entire Negev region. In practice, that means responding to people spread across long distances, with fewer nearby services, fewer available therapists, and far fewer “backup options” when someone needs help urgently.

In a webinar moderated by Maya Lusky, Strategy and Research Manager at ICAR Collective, three practitioners, Liat Eilam, VP of Partnerships and Activities at 121 – Engine for Social Change; Michal Yarom, Deputy CEO at Sheatufim; and Jonny Cline, social impact strategist, nonprofit executive, and advisor, offered a grounded look at what it actually means to work with public institutions in Israel. Not in theory. In practice: ministries, municipalities, HMOs, and all the fricti

Northern Goals Association (יעדים לצפון) has been working in Israel’s northern periphery for more than two decades, with a consistent focus on expanding opportunity for people living far from the country’s political, economic, and institutional centers.

On the second day of the 2025 General Assembly, at the end of a panel called Healing a Nation: Addressing the Mental Health Crisis in Israel, one phrase captured the essence of what we are facing.  Israel is living through is a wicked problem: “a problem so complex that every attempted solution reveals new challenges."

International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women. Trauma raises the emotional temperature in households already under strain; it stretches coping mechanisms thin. And too often, women and children are the ones absorbing that volatility.

The ICAR Collective–Momentum roundtable on September 29th brought together people who rarely sit at the same table. Around it were senior representatives from ~35 key stakeholders in the field. This was only a small sample. The goal was not to celebrate collaboration but to face what isn’t working, and to ask whether a coordinated system of care for soldiers and their families is still possible.

The Niv Nirel Center was founded in memory of Niv Raviv and Nirel Zini, who were murdered in Kibbutz Kfar Aza on Oct. 7. It offers professional trauma care for those who suffer from combat or general army service trauma, including members of Israel’s security forces and their families. Rather than treating trauma as a clinical issue alone, the center builds care around the reality that trauma touches every part of life: the body, the home, the community, and the bureaucracy

On September 12, 2025 ICAR Collective hosted a webinar on post-traumatic growth (PTG) with Dr. Edith Shiro—clinical psychologist, author of The Unexpected Gift of Trauma—and Prof. Eyal Fruchter—psychiatrist, PTSD expert, and ICAR’s Head of Medical & Scientific Affairs.  It was an hour of straight talk with no sugarcoating and real tools.

On September 9th, we gathered at Startup Nation Central in Tel Aviv for a morning that felt both urgent and grounding. The Margaret and Daniel Loeb Foundation, together with ICAR Collective, brought together grantees and donors to look closely at the mental health response in Israel after October 7.

This year, Oct 7th falls on Sukkot. The sukkah, fragile by design, reminds us that life is temporary and uncertain. It reflects where we find ourselves now—as a people dwelling in vulnerability.

Psychoeducation—teaching people about trauma and mental health—can transform confusion into clarity and restore dignity for those rebuilding their lives. Prof. Jonathan Huppert of Hebrew University joined our webinar about normalizing trauma responses, debunking myths around PTSD, and the urgent need for accessible tools that reach people where they are.

Tisha B’Av invites us to pause, grieve, and process centuries of Jewish loss while choosing healing for the next generation. This year, after nearly two years of war, its wisdom feels especially relevant.

Originally published in The Jerusalem Post on June 19, 2025. In a time of war, urgency is expected. Yet when it comes to trauma and mental health, Israel’s response remains fragmented and slow. This op-ed by ICAR Collective Executive Director Gila Tolub calls for coordinated national action to address the mental health crisis unfolding since October 7—before the long-term consequences deepen.

As missiles fell and tensions rose, over 40 NGO leaders and mental health professionals gathered to share what’s really happening on the ground—from caregivers on the edge to systems under strain. This is a snapshot of what they’re seeing, what’s breaking, and what urgently needs support.

Prof. Eyal Fruchter shares why clear, science-based public messaging is one of the most powerful tools we have to support Israel’s mental health.

Suicidality isn’t new in Israel. But since October 7, 2023, it has become harder to ignore. What was once whispered in corners is now...

Shavuot is a holiday with many names: Chag HaBikkurim , Chag HaKatzir , Zman Matan Torateinu . It marks the offering of first fruits, the...

Israel’s 2025 state budget, published in the shadow of October 7, arrives at such a moment. For the first time, mental health is not buried in the fine print. It stands closer to center stage: visible, urgent, and intertwined with our national story.

Mental health needs a new playbook—one that embraces biology, tech, and global collaboration for real progress.

Trauma rewires the immune system—healing must address both biology and psychology to truly help the body let go.

Passover teaches us this: pain doesn’t disqualify us from freedom. It becomes the ground from which freedom grows.-

Israel’s trauma survivors need care tailored to crisis not benchmarks and blame. The real crisis is a fragmented system failing to adapt.