Ten months after the Hamas attack of October 7, Israel's sons, daughters, fathers, and friends are still going off to war, or being held hostage inside Gaza.
Many in the Jewish community describe feeling, "frozen in time," since the day it all began.
"The morning of the seventh, everybody remembers, like where they were at that moment," explained Yael, a military spouse.
Active duty and reserve soldiers alike, immediately packed their bags and responded to a call that had not yet come.
"He just picked up his, you know, his gear, got all his things for reserve duty. His friend from his crew pick him up and they drove straight to the base," Yael told CBN News.
"He got ready in like five minutes, and he gave me a hug, and he said, 'I'll take your car, and I'll bring it back...' The next time I saw my car, it was three and a half months later," recalls Amira, the mother of a reservist.
Family members left behind to wonder, worry, and hold down the homefront, then and now.
"It's been a really rough time, a really restless time, a very insecure time. A time where dad, most of the time, is not at home, and also when he is at home, we're not sure when they will call him in to go back to the reserve," said Christel, another military spouse.
When her husband deployed, Yael, also a reservist, felt most useful at the military base. A dentist by trade, she put her skills to work, despite being pregnant with her first child."Like we're all let's say dentists, teachers, I don't know, lawyers, but then we have like this separate parallel person where we're in the army, and this is our job in the army when we're medics and we're officers, and it's like a whole different person, and you know how to be this person and this person and you can switch between these two different people," she explained.
PHOTO: Israeli soldiers are seen at a staging ground near the border with the Gaza Strip, in southern Israel, Tuesday, April 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Tsafrir Abayov)
Amira used art as an outlet for her fear and anxiety after her son deployed.
"I started just dotting the leaves, and I saw that I was dotting away, and suddenly four hours passed and I hadn't thought of anything. So honestly, all I did for the first month is dot leaves for about 12 hours a day. I have thousands of beautiful leaves dotted and that was my therapy," she told CBN News.
What started as a distraction for her mind, became an inspiration for others overcome by war, when it was featured in a Knesset exhibit on the resilience of soldiers and families.
"I see for my friends, you know we're all going through the anxiety, sleepless nights...taking medication, having panic attacks, trying to be strong when the boys come back from the army, and you know, holding ourselves together, and as soon as they leave...we fall apart again," Amira said.
With her husband still cycling through deployments, Christel knows that feeling all too well. Still, she puts on a brave face for her four children each day.
"At one side, life just keeps on going. You know, the children were in school, now they have vacation. They have like, a program that they do things in vacation, and then suddenly there will be rockets fired...and you're saying, 'Hey, kids we're okay, everything is fine,' and you know, you know, it's not okay, you know. It's not fine, and you're all the time acting," Christel explained.The nation, surrounded by enemies, is familiar with living under constant threat, although, this fight is putting the resilience of the Israeli people to the test, making it necessary for outside organizations to step in and provide critical support.
PHOTO: An Israeli soldier pays respect at a memorial for victims of the bloody Oct. 7, cross-border attack by Hamas on the eve of Israel's annual Memorial Day, in Tel Aviv, Israel, Sunday, May 12, 2024. (AP Photo/Oded Balilty)
Throughout the war, the Atalef Foundation has worked to meet the needs of Israel's most elite special forces unit and also their families. Christel, Amira, and Yael, are all a part of this community.
"I know the Atalef Foundation very, very well throughout the years, and constantly they were reaching out to try to do like, you know, different projects and support groups and there was like a phone call that you could always call, also for you know, if you want to ask questions, if you want to know what's going on," said Yael.
"(They) give psychological sessions for the women, organize nights out. I was at a night out, I think in March, they took us to some kind of stand-up, nice performance. It was really nice and I met the other women, and I guess it was the first time that I actually went out since the seventh of October," said Christel.
The foundation's sister organization, American Friends of Israeli Navy SEALs, has raised millions for soldiers and their families since this current war began. That includes support for 500 spouses managing their homes, families, and careers alone; and a reintegration program for when their loved ones finally do come home.
Click HERE to learn more about the Atalef Foundation.
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