Breaking the Cycle of Trauma in Israel

🧠 How Do We Heal After So Much Pain?

The invisible wounds of Israel’s children — and the urgent need to break the cycle of trauma

✍️ By Delphine Miller

Since the massacres of October 7, the war in Gaza, and the Iranian missile strikes during Operation Lion’s Awakening, Israeli society has entered a new mental landscape — one marked not just by fear, but by a deep and lasting emotional rupture.

We often talk about resilience. But today, a more painful question emerges: Are we strong enough to live without trauma — and to keep it from shaping the next generation?

A Fragile Foundation

Israel was never a society built on calm. It rose from the ashes of the Holocaust, and from the exile of Jews from Arab countries like Tunisia, Morocco, Iraq, Yemen, and beyond — all carrying histories of persecution, flight, and loss. The wandering Jew, always chased, finally returned home. But even here, he has not known peace.

The attacks of October 7 brought the war inside our homes. And the missiles from Iran in June didn’t just hit military targets — they pierced through the illusion of safety. The trauma didn’t stop at the borders of the south. It seeped into the schools, into the bedrooms, into the dreams of our children.

👟 “My son sleeps with his shoes on”

That’s what Yael, a mother of three in Herzliya, told me. Her six-year-old refuses to take off his shoes at night — “just in case there’s an alert and he has to run. ”What kind of childhood is that?

It’s not an isolated story.

A study published in April 2025 in the Journal of Child and Adolescent Trauma revealed:

• 69% of children aged 3–7 show signs of PTSD

• 49% of children aged 8–12

• 32% of their mothers suffer similarly

The war isn’t just on the ground. It’s inside us now.

🚨 A Generation on Edge

Dr. Michal Shaked, a psychologist at Schneider Hospital, says it clearly:

“This is no longer about individual trauma. It’s an entire generation growing up in a state of constant alert.”

The recent Iranian attack — more than 550 missiles and 1,000 drones between June 13 and 24 — has reignited the anxiety. Children cry before school. Some stop speaking. Others lash out or go silent. Panic attacks, refusal to separate from parents, and obsessive war drawings are becoming routine in classrooms from Tel Aviv to Ashdod.

The Ministry of Health and organizations like NATAL are sounding the alarm. Trauma-response teams are being deployed — but the waiting lists grow by the day.

🧬 Can We Stop the Cycle?

Israelis are proud of their resilience. And they should be. But we must ask: at what cost?

How much of this resilience is actually silent suffering passed from one generation to the next?

We know that trauma can be inherited — not just emotionally, but biologically. If we don’t act now, our children may carry these wounds into adulthood. And their children might, too.

🛠️ What Can Be Done?

There’s no magic cure. But there is a path forward:

• Talk — at home, in class, with friends.

• Train teachers and parents to recognize trauma early.

• Bring psychologists into every school — not just during crisis.

• Support families long-term, not just in emergency situations.

• Create spaces where fear is acknowledged, not denied — and met with real tools.

We can’t ask children to grow up in a country on constant alert without giving them the means to heal.

✨ Let Them Sleep Without Fear

It’s time to begin a new kind of resistance — one that defends the soul. The sirens may fade. The wars may pause. But the healing must begin now.

Let our children sleep. Let them take off their shoes.

About the author Delphine Miller is a writer and communications professional based in Israel. With a background in journalism and marketing, she covers Israeli news with a focus on society, politics, trauma, and resilience. Her work combines strategic insight, narrative clarity, and a deep commitment to truth.