How WIZO UK has been helping to heal a nation stuck in trauma
Rosa Doherty speaks to one of the therapists working with children and families in Israel
► SINCE OCTOBER 7, Israel has been a nation in trauma. One of the charities which has been on the frontline of supporting some of its most vulnerable citizens is the social welfare charity WIZO, which is supported by its UK arm, WIZO UK.
Nurit Rones Rauschback, coordinator of the therapeutic team at WIZO’s Beit Hakerem school in Jerusalem, says young people are experiencing PTSD, have fallen behind in school, and there are fears that drug abuse and mental health conditions will rise in the wake of October 7.
Speaking to the JC about how the charity supports some of its serviceusers, Rauschback says: “You don’t have to be an expert to understand this. The event is not over. How can you treat PTSD when we’re not ‘post’ yet? We’re still living in the trauma — hostages are still in Gaza, soldiers are dying every day, and there are missile attacks.”
The social welfare charity’s UK branch wants to raise £1 million as part of an emergency campaign for those in WIZO shelters for abused women, schools and day centres.
The charity said that following October 7, money raised this year would go towards emotional and psychological therapy needed “to heal the wounds of a traumatised nation, together with emergency needs created by the impact of the war”.
Since the terror attacks that plunged the country into conflict with Hamas, WIZO has been providing specialised therapists in classrooms for group discussions and one-on-one meetings for students.
In WIZO’s Beit Hakerem school, which supports children with moderate to severe learning and behavioural issues, before October 7, students received therapy one to two times per week. Since October 7, the pupils have needed more regular sessions.
Rauschback says: “One student was missing from school for the first two months after Oct 7. His mother didn’t want to send him. He was suffering from anxiety attacks, thinking about going on buses to school.”
The student lived in an area of Jerusalem where the population was integrated with a lot of Palestinian Arabs, and he was scared about the prospect of more terrorist attacks, including bus bombings.
Rauschback says: “We worked with the mother first and then the child, via Zoom and phone calls. It took weeks of working with her and him, but finally, he came back to school a few weeks ago.”
In one of the group therapy sessions, he finally shared what he had experienced on Oct 7.
Rauschback tells the JC: “He lives right next to a Palestinian village. They were terrified that there would be an attack from there. A tree caught on fire from the fireworks that the villagers set off to celebrate the [October 7] attack. The fire and the loud explosions and the proximity of the village were terrifying. They spent four days under their beds. They were sure the terrorists were coming for them.”
She says: “It took [this pupil] two months just to speak about this trauma. Imagine living in terror for four straight days, thinking your life was in danger. It’s not something a child can handle.”
It isn’t just the children and adults who use WIZO’s services who have been directly impacted, but their staff too. One employee lost a very close friend at the Nova festival.
Rauschback explains: “At first, the friend was listed as missing, and our staff member shared her worry, lack of sleep, loss of appetite and terror with us. Then she was notified that his body was identified, and she had to deal with immense sadness, loss and grief.”
WIZO supported her with grief counselling, but Rauschback says the grief “is still fresh”.
As for her own situation, she says: “My son is serving in Gaza and I have to still find the strength to put that aside and support these children and my staff.” Reinstating routines has been important in making students and WIZO staff feel secure and stable. Rauschback says: “We talk a lot about resiliency in Israeli culture because it’s a very important quality that we must have, living here. Flexibility is what allows people to be resilient. There are some people who are born like this, and some people who need to learn this.”
Learning the skills needed to cope can be a challenge for the young people that WIZO supports, many of whom have already experienced trauma due to neglect or abuse. Rauschback says: “October 7 was another nail in the coffin for these kids. Almost all of them have been through trauma, broken homes, parents who do not prioritise them, parents who are illequipped to be parents, parents who themselves are experiencing trauma from violence, poverty, drugs or alcohol.
She says that October 7 “reopened the trauma” for many of the people they support. “We have students who have been abused, sexually abused, abandoned, some who are wards of the state because social services removed them from a dangerous home life.
“October 7 brought to the surface emotional distress and past traumas. All the talk of rape reopens the wounds for many of the students who have been sexually abused.”
Since the attacks and the ensuing war, WIZO staff have witnessed an increase in incidents of emotional outbursts and violence, says Rauschback.
“Their level of emotional resilience is so low to begin with, that this enormous thing is just too much for them to handle.” Rauschback said.
One tactic has been getting the children to use their imagination to get through the things they are finding difficult.
“Children are particularly good at this. For example, in interviews with the hostages who were freed, they were asked: ‘How did you manage to survive each day?’
“Some said they imagined the moment they would be reunited with their loved ones. Some imagined the great food they would eat when they returned home. Their imagination kept their spirits up.”
She says the impact of October 7 would “impact us for many generations to come. This is a historical event unlike anything that Israel has experienced before.”
Rauschback says Israelis have been grappling with fears about safety ever since October 7.
“Our sense of security was completely shattered. Even your home isn’t safe. No one is. They are thinking: ‘The army can’t keep me safe; police can’t keep me safe; my parents can’t keep me safe.’ How are children supposed to feel safe in this country after what happened?”
WIZO UK chair Annabel Steltzer, who is responsible for raising funds to support the charity, says: “I think before October 7, people might have been forgiven for thinking Israel is a thriving nation, which is economically sound, but not now.
“The war has had a huge impact on the economy and services, and there is recognition of the great need in this moment in time, and people want to help.”
October 7 brought to the surface past trauma
Trauma & Hope — a panel event — an intergenerational perspective exploring the legacy of unhealed wounds & how we can thrive from adversity February 19