The safety of our chayalim is uppermost in our minds. This is always the case, but especially on a day like today when we woke up to the horrific news that 24 chayalim had been killed in combat. Each a world of his own. Each an unfathomable loss. We daven daily, multiple times, that they should return home safe and sound, in mind, body, and spirit.
The events of October 7 have exposed all of us to atrocities that we could never have imagined would take place in Israel in the year 2023. We are all horrified. But, shocking as the events are for us, we don’t have to strain our imaginations to understand the traumatic scenes and events that our chayalim are currently being exposed to. Traumatic experiences are part and parcel of fighting a war. We have limited, if any, control over these things. However, the negative short- and long-term effects of these traumatic experiences can often be mitigated if dealt with in a timely and proper fashion. Since the outbreak of the war, mental health professionals of the IDF have been working round the clock to tend to the emotional needs of our chayalim on all fronts.
The mental health system of the IDF is made up of Mental Health Officers (Kaban – Katzin Bri’ut Ha’nefesh) and psychiatrists. On day one of the war, the Army set up a center with a combat response treatment team to provide targeted therapeutic treatment to soldiers who have difficulty functioning due to traumatic experiences of the war. It is a psychological first aid center that aims to return the chayalim to a level of functioning in which they can return to the battlefield as soon as possible. Returning to routine, even if it is fighting, helps the chayalim cope and prevents long-term dysfunction. Under normal circumstances, the center would have opened its headquarters on an army base in Re’im in the western Negev, located near Kibbutz Re’im. But this was not possible, as the base had been infiltrated by the enemy. Since the need for mental health care was urgent, they set up an impromptu center on another base and then moved it to Re’im several days later.
In the field, medics are expected to identify which chayalim are having trouble and connect them with the Kaban (Mental Health Officer). A chayal has the right to turn to a Kaban whenever he wishes. The mental health system also operates rehabilitation centers, which serve as a respite for the troops in the field and support the soldiers on the Homefront. The centers are staffed by experts in combat fatigue.
A decision was made to reinforce units that had suffered many losses and traumatic incidents with extra Mental Health Officers (Kabanim) who provide treatment through individual conversations and group interventions. The Kabanim stay as close to the unit as possible to provide intervention close in time and place to the traumatic event. The staff is dealing with situations that were not seen in other wars. As the massacre took place inside Israel, non-combat soldiers have also been traumatized and need treatment.
A chayal who comes to a mental health center is evaluated by a Kaban. He is given a new uniform, shoes, pajamas, and food. He takes a shower and goes to sleep. After his physical needs have been met, he meets with a professional. Often, that’s all the chayal needs. Sometimes, the chayal needs a bit more time. If he still cannot return to the front after a few days, they will send him to work on the Homefront to keep him active. If he needs further treatment, he will go to a rehabilitation center.
Not all chayalim with combat fatigue come to the centers. Chayalim are trained to help one another in the field. If a chayal needs more support than can be provided by the medics, field doctors, and his fellow soldiers, he will be sent to a center within 24 hours.
On the first day of the war, the Army opened a 24/7 hotline staffed by experienced Kabanim. The hotline is geared toward chayalim, but occasionally a parent of a soldier in distress will call on his behalf. As of January 8, approximately 3,100 phone calls came into the hotline. Approximately 9,000 chayalim were treated for combat fatigue. Of those chayalim, 75 percent of them returned to the front.
I know of a unit that tragically lost one of its chayalim during a mission. The unit was given a new mission immediately. The goal was to keep them busy. Routine helps them deal with the trauma. The chayalim were unable to attend the funeral of their friend, but at the time of the funeral, they spoke to each other about the friend they had lost and what they would be taking from him and integrating into their own lives. They had a similar discussion during the commemoration of their friend’s shloshim. The fighting is tough, but the chayalim support each other. Commanders support each other. They hug each other often.
The mental health of family members of chayalim is, at times, also taken into consideration. I know of a couple who got married a few weeks before the war. The husband is in regular army (not reserves), which means he barely goes home. It’s not an easy way to begin a marriage. His new wife found this situation unbearable. The husband was discharged, and the couple is going for therapy twice a week.
A commander described the days he spent at a base on his way home from Gaza, where he had been stationed for several months straight. Shortly after he had arrived, he noticed someone wearing civilian clothes and instinctively reached down for his gun. For a moment, he believed that he was in the presence of a terrorist. In Gaza, terrorists dress in civilian clothes.
Each chayal was given a bed (itself a luxury) on which he found a towel, pajamas, soap, and shampoo. While relaxing in pajamas, the chayalim moved from one pampering station to another. They could visit a barber, a pedicurist, and a tailor. The commander participated in workshops that explained how to process and reframe what he and his chayalim had experienced, enabling him to use this information to help his chayalim. Having been surrounded by ruins and destruction for so long, the chayal marveled at the beautiful greenery he noticed on the road while traveling home.
We hope our chayalim will soon return victorious and will no longer need these mental health services. Please continue to daven for the recovery of the sick, the release of the remaining hostages, and the success and safe return of all the chayalim and security personnel.
Suzie Steinberg, (nee Schapiro), CSW, is a native of Kew Gardens Hills and resident of Ramat Beit Shemesh who publishes articles regularly in various newspapers and magazines about life in general, and about life in Israel in particular. Her recently published children’s book titled Hashem is Always With Me can be purchased in local Judaica stores as well as online. Suzie can be reached at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and would love to hear from you.
