Supporting Our Soldiers
Psychological Support Program
The Netzah Yehuda Psychological Support Program serves Haredi soldiers through three pillars: psychotherapy, social work, and rabbinical mentorship — available 24/7, before, during, and after service.
About the Program
Many Haredi soldiers have experienced deep psychological scarring — from rejection by their families and communities for choosing military service over yeshiva life. These preexisting challenges created a unique crisis when soldiers faced the horrors of October 7 and the ensuing war.
The IDF, recognizing it had no experience treating these complexities, turned to Netzah Yehuda to develop the infrastructure needed to treat Haredi soldiers experiencing psychological difficulty and post-trauma.
— Three Pillars
How We Help
Psychotherapy
Licensed psychotherapists available 7 days a week, 24 hours a day — ready to respond immediately. For many soldiers, Netzah psychotherapists are the first call when leaving Gaza.
Social Workers
Over 300 soldiers received support before enlistment, during active service, and after discharge — including financial support, rights navigation, and family reconciliation.
Rabbinical Mentors
Rabbinical mentors visit over 40 IDF bases daily, providing emotional support, running Shabbat programs, building morale, and solving personal problems.
— The Challenge
What Our Soldiers Face
Many Haredi soldiers are classified as lone soldiers — estranged from their families due to their IDF service — with no family support to help them face trauma.
Soldiers returning from Gaza would turn on their phones to find no messages from family or friends — only messages from Netzah Yehuda staff. This exponentially increases feelings of abandonment.
In several cases, lone Haredi soldiers had NCOs and officers who were also lone Haredi soldiers — meaning the entire chain of command was simultaneously experiencing extreme psychological difficulties.
Many new soldiers enlisted during the war without any support from family or friends, facing the psychological challenges of military service completely alone.
Many Haredi soldiers come from low socio-economic environments which created deep preexisting psychological challenges.
A significant number of Haredi soldiers have experienced sexual abuse, leading to additional and complex psychological issues.
— Personal Stories
Voices from the Field
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Corporal “Aleph” — Givati Brigade, Gaza
A soldier in the Haredi Tomer Company experienced extreme psychological trauma in Gaza. Whenever his unit came out for a brief respite, the Netzah psychotherapist was the only person who had left him messages asking how he was doing.
“Those messages were like a wall of steel supporting him.”
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Haredi Officer — Gaza
A Haredi officer was coordinating treatment for one of his soldiers when he asked if he could speak for himself. He had been sent into a Gaza hospital to search for kidnapped Israelis and discovered a soldier’s remains. He had no one to turn to — as commander, he was expected to support his soldiers while suffering himself.
Our psychologist helped him face his trauma and overcome it.