Tema Klausner, President of World Emunah; Noy Leyb, a lone soldier, reservist, and international pro-Israel influencer, and Lt. Col. (Res.) Dganit Sanker-Lange, former Head of the Human and Community Division at the Tkuma Directorate and former Director General of the Ministry of Aliyah and Integration, participated in a panel discussion at the Jerusalem Post online conference, “A Nation in Trauma.”
Each discussed how they coped with the events of the past two years, both organizationally and personally. Klausner pointed out that Emunah’s staff was greatly reduced due to reserve callups and had to depend on older staff members from previous years who helped. In addition, the organization’s largest therapy center is in Sderot, which was attacked by Hamas on October 7. “We created a program,” said Klausner, “by which therapists learned how to be therapists within their own crisis. That model was taught throughout the State of Israel to help the professionals deal with their trauma while also being effective caregivers.”
Leyb said that one of the biggest challenges he had to face was going from military life to civilian life. “One day you’re fighting terror, and the next day you go back to your own life as if everything is supposed to be fine.”
Lt. Col. (Res.) Sanker-Lange said that three things need to be done to build national and social resilience – acting decisively, working together, and establishing laws that will apply for the long term, regardless of which political party is in power.
Klausner said that an important component of resilience is that people need to understand what they are going through, know that they are not in control, and then embrace those feelings.
“It means I’m more empathetic, I’m more sympathetic, and I’m motivated to help my people.
Sanker-Lange said that she defines resilience as the ability to prepare for another crisis and envision what our common future will be like.
Written in collaboration with World Emunah