When the War Ends, the Healing Begins

Over several years, the overall morale in Israeli society has been aggravated by the ongoing conflicts, and mental health has become a big concern for large sectors of the population. Thanks to generous support for CBN Israel, it has been possible to offer psychological support to hundreds of Israelis since the CBN Israel Resilience Center launched one year ago, with outreach growing alongside the needs of the community.

Regarding the center's mission, Yonathan shares, "Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life," Proverbs 4:23. "The focus of our center is that each of us, every one of our beneficiaries, will learn and know how to guard what needs to be guarded above all else. I’m someone who gets emotional about this because I’m part of this nation, and our therapists are, too. We feel it to our bones. The six grandchildren I have are all growing up in a state of war—explosions, sirens, dad in the reserves. My youngest granddaughter was born in a bunker. We are still at war; we haven’t been able to close the circle. It’s not something that ended and then we started treating; we are treating in the midst of it."

"My case, as difficult as it may be, as bad as it can get, is not an isolated case," Yonathan explains. "There are other people going through the exact same thing, and not only is it in our group, in our society; it’s also something that has tested men in Scripture. And then we can learn together with people from the Scriptures, from this stories, how to cope with the difficulties. The body of Messiah can also contribute in the professional field, and that is the message of the Resilience Center."

"The most important thing is that we manage to help them rebuild hope, which sometimes is no longer there," Yonathan continues. "We have amazing therapists, professionals of a very high caliber, and beyond that, we have our faith as a very important tool for resilience. Both believers and nonbelievers can see this contribution in us, professionally and also in the support and background of our faith. It is not for nothing that Paul wrote about weeping with those who weep; we need to be there to identify with them and understand what the need is. We are a minority in Israeli society, and we have few therapists."

"I would say that today we work with about 40 therapists across the country, spread all over the country," Yonathan concludes. "That’s my dream—that there won’t be anyone looking for us where I have to say, 'I’m sorry, right now I don’t have a therapist for you.' And this is so Messianic, like the Messiah who took on flesh to be with us. This center needs to be a place for anyone who needs to receive strength and resilience to keep going. We will not leave Israel, and we will strengthen the nation so that they understand that we, as believers in Yeshua, can bless them."