Healing Israel Begins With Israel’s Families

When the War Comes Home.
He fights for Israel. She fights for their family.
Orot Healing helps them recover — together.

The elite soldiers of Duvdevan risk their lives in silence. Their wives and children pay the price in silence, too.

The Duvdevan Unit—one of Israel’s most elite IDF forces—is the real-life inspiration behind the hit series Fauda. These undercover operatives integrate fully into hostile environments, often for months at a time. They pose as enemy combatants, even form intimate relationships with locals—all to protect Am Yisrael.

A single misstep could have devastating consequences.

To survive, Duvdevan soldiers are trained to suppress emotion and detach from their families. Even in the face of personal loss, they cannot stop to grieve.

Wives shoulder the weight—managing households, raising children, and wondering daily if their husbands are still alive. When those husbands come home, their families don’t recognize them. They are emotionally distant, struggling with invisible wounds. Marriages fracture. Children feel the loss. There is no roadmap for healing.

When families break down, the cost isn’t just personal — it’s national.

Israel’s Mental Health Crisis

Despite their sacrifices, these heroes and their families face a broken mental health system:

Soldiers and reservists receive woefully insufficient mental health support in frequency and continuity; those entering therapy may never see the same therapist twice.
Their wives receive no government mental health support at all.
Couples receive no government resources to heal together.

That’s where Orot Healing comes in.

"The gaps between us feel immense. I have been gone for over 600 days since October 7, in and out of Gaza with a moment’s notice. When I finally return, we struggle to communicate, which shook our relationship. We forgot what it feels like to be connected, to be partners, to be a family. I don’t recognize myself. Our marriage is at the brink of collapse. We need help."

The Only Yearlong Trauma-Recovery Program for IDF Couples

With clinical leadership from Dr. Leetal Caidar Benzvi, an expert in combat-related trauma and the developer of a unique, evidence-based therapeutic approach that integrates individual, couples, and trauma-focused treatment, our program offers care that is clinically rigorous and deeply attuned to their lived experience. Dr. Benzvi is also the wife of a Duvdevan veteran, bringing a rare depth of understanding to this work. Read Dr. Benzvi’s articles: Bringing the Heart Back Home and “Hope After War: A Journey Back to Each Other.” (Times of Israel).

Our Innovative Solution

Orot Healing brings together three essential pillars: 1) immersive healing within a supportive peer community, 2) year-long support that gives couples a lifeline back to connection and hope, and 3) data collection led by Orot Healing to ensure this work strengthens mental health care in Israel now and into the future.

"We desperately want to reconnect—with ourselves, with our love, and with the meaning we share as a couple. We also hope to gain a lot from the group dynamic. We believe that the group process is a crucial part of this journey."

Year-Long Support

In Israel, participants experience:

Individual and couples therapy: Ongoing support from the same therapists ensures momentum and progress.
Monthly therapeutic workshops: These gatherings reinforce healing practices, provide a sense of community, and strengthen family bonds.

Transformative Retreat

The journey includes a 10-day retreat in California, away from the trauma triggers, and an opportunity to rediscover each other. Studies show that leaving one's usual environment is one of the most powerful ways to initiate lasting change. During these ten days, reservists and their spouses intensify the transformative work of reconnecting and healing.

At this retreat, participants experience:

A safe, nurturing environment: Complete removal from trauma triggers to focus on healing.
Intensive therapeutic work: Guided by highly trained Israeli therapists, soldiers and their spouses begin the deep work of reconnecting and healing.
Formation of lasting support networks: Bonds formed during the retreat create a foundation for long-term recovery.

This retreat is more than just a break from routine. It’s a life-changing experience that sets the stage for rebuilding relationships and rediscovering hope.

"This program came to us at just the right moment—during a very difficult period at home. The opportunity to share this experience with other couples going through similar challenges adds another layer of support. It offers a sense of belonging, openness, and a space where we can fully commit to the process."

This yearlong structure ensures that families in pain are never alone on their path to recovery.

Together, as a community of couples trying to find their way back to each other, they realize that they are not alone. They form lasting bonds with others who understand their journey, creating a support system that extends beyond the program itself.

The ripple effect of healing is powerful. Together, we can restore the foundation of society—one family at a time.

The Power of Your Support

Each donation provides Duvdevan reservist couples with the tools to heal, reconnect, and rebuild. It’s an investment in hope, resilience, and the future of Israeli society.

Program Costs

The total cost per couple, per year, is $14,000, which covers:

Year-long direct therapy program in Israel
Intensive 10-day California retreat
Therapeutic group workshops in Israel

For the current group of 32 participants, the total annual program cost is approximately $225,000.

We are in the final phase, and need to raise $60,000 to complete the full yearlong program.

“This program gave our marriage another chance. We arrived exhausted and distant, and left feeling closer, hopeful for the future, and with tools we can actually use in daily life.”

“I came in very skeptical about circles, sharing, and emotional openness. Somehow the program as a whole cracked something open in me that had been stuck for years, and I found myself talking, drawing, writing, and crying in ways I never knew I could.”