Displaced families, destroyed homes, fears and trauma are just a few of the issues that will face Israel once, with G-d's help, the current Iron Swords War is won. OneFamily, the organization that has reached out to every terror victim in Israel for the past 22 years to provide individual and group therapy, respite and pampering, problem solving, financial help, warmth and caring, is gearing up for the enormous task awaiting it when the war comes to an end.
Meanwhile, however, as our soldiers wage the battle in Gaza, the basic material needs of displaced residents of bombarded areas must be met, children must be made to smile, and hospitalized soldiers must be made to feel pampered. OneFamily put out a call for goods and volunteers, opened the upstairs kitchen in its Jerusalem office building for baking cakes and cookies and set up tables outside to organize hundreds of varied gift packages containing food products, towels, blankets, cosmetics, treats, toys, games and transporting them to Sderot, Ofakim and Gaza envelope communities.
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English as well as Hebrew could be heard, as young people in Israel for the academic year and families in Israel for the holidays came to join the volunteer crew.
The crowds who came to help so willingly had a OneFamily therapeutic afternoon themselves because doing things for others is always helping oneself.
Children were given the task of drawing cards to be placed in each package.
People streamed in to ask how they can help.
This year was one of dissonance and division in the State of Israel. There were even those who dared to suggest separating this sliver of land into two entities, forgetting the 2000 year old dream of a Jewish state, all because they did not accept the results of elections, forgetting that despite their differences and predilection for controversy, the Jewish people are one family. This past week has shown that the covenant of destiny unites us all. That is seen everywhere, from the IDF soldiers' camaraderie and courage and the citizens cheering them as they travelled to the front, to the newly formed unity government.
OneFamily organization has never lost sight of that ethos. In the coming months, OneFamily will face immense challenges in meeting the needs of Israel's tragically widened circle of victims of terrorist barbarity and the Iron Swords War in the holistic way it has done for the past 22 years. OneFamily's meeting the challenges of wartime is proof that victims of the horror perpetrated on October 7th and those affected by the ensuing war will continue to find solace, strength and tools for rebuilding their lives at OneFamily.
Am Yisrael Chai.
