A seasoned non-profit organization is helping Israeli victims of terrorism find cheer this holiday season. OneFamily, a unique charity organization founded in 2001 to assist victims of terrorism within the Jewish state, is gifting iPads and stands to IDF soldiers who have been wounded in the Israel-Hamas war.
“These people sacrificed their bodies to protect Israel, to save good from evil, and believed that protecting their country was more important than saving their personal lives,” said Naomi Nussbaum, executive director of OneFamily. “And now they are in a terrible, broken state. With the iPad and stand, which they can place on a counter next to their beds, they can tell it to put on a video or [make a] video call.”
Israel has “thousands of severely injured soldiers,” Nussbaum explained, “and these are wounds that will last forever.”
“They will not be fine in a couple of months, but they have to redo their life plan.”
OneFamily comes alongside Israeli victims and families of terrorism with emotional and financial support, helping them reintegrate into society. The organization provides survival benefits, PTSD therapy, support groups, and even a coordinator who provides one-on-one support.
It was founded after the terrorist bombing at a Jerusalem restaurant in 2001 that killed 16 and injured another 130.
OneFamily’s workload has quadrupled since the Oct. 7, 2023 terrorist attack. Recently it assisted Sigal Shemer, whose son was killed at the Nova Music Festival on Oct. 7. Shemer told FoxNews that terrorists “came inside the country and killed and murdered and raped and burned a lot of people, innocent people.”
“We have been caring for victims for 23 years,” Nussbaum said. “Our kind and professional approach was in place long before the tragedies of October 7 happened, ensuring swift and effective aid during the crisis. And our loving coordinators befriend each victim for life, and the continuity over time is a key component of what we do.”
Photo Credit: ©Instagram/onefamily_canada
Michael Foust has covered the intersection of faith and news for 20 years. His stories have appeared in Baptist Press, Christianity Today, The Christian Post, the Leaf-Chronicle, the Toronto Star and the Knoxville News-Sentinel.
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