The psychological impact is widespread, complex, and long-lasting — affecting civilians, soldiers, children, families, and healthcare professionals alike.
Based on a Jerusalem Post article from December 2025, “A record 32% of Israelis say they need professional mental health assistance, the highest figure since tracking began, according to Maccabi Healthcare’s 2025 Israel Health Index. Among soldiers, the need is even higher at 39%, with nearly half reporting sleep disturbances.”
Hadassah International is mobilizing global support to strengthen the capacity of the Hadassah hospitals as it responds to this unprecedented need. Through strategic philanthropy, international partnerships, and professional collaboration, Hadassah International is helping ensure that world-class mental health care remains accessible to all who need it.
A Nation Living with Trauma
Mental health professionals at Hadassah describe Israel today as “a nation that has undergone trauma.”
Nearly every individual has been directly or indirectly affected — through loss, displacement, injury, or prolonged uncertainty.
National data underscores the scale of the crisis:
- A 54% increase in anxiety diagnoses and a 37% rise in depression symptoms among adolescents aged 12–17
- Approximately 1 million Israelis expected to require mental health support
- Tens of thousands of children formally recognized as victims of hostilities
- Widespread symptoms including sleep disorders, anxiety attacks, withdrawal, academic decline, and family stress
As daily life resumes, the psychological aftermath is only now emerging. Hadassah clinicians refer to this period as “the second phase of the war” — when suppressed grief, fear, and trauma surface and demand professional care.
Jerusalem: A Unique Mental Health Challenge
Jerusalem is both Israel’s largest and youngest city, with more than half its population under the age of 18. It is also disproportionately affected by poverty, terror, and displacement.
As the primary public provider of mental health services in the Jerusalem region, Hadassah hospitals delivers more mental health care than all other providers combined. Demand has surged beyond existing capacity.
Hadassah International is working to help HADASSAH HOSPITALS bridge the widening gap between need and available resources — ensuring care remains accessible regardless of financial means.
Clinical Leadership at the Front Line
Mental health care at Hadassah is delivered by multidisciplinary teams across multiple campuses and settings, including outpatient clinics, emergency services, rehabilitation units, and community programs.
Key areas of care include:
- Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
- Trauma and Crisis Intervention, including immediate post-event psychological care
- Group and Individual Therapy for civilians, reservists, and families
- Specialized Pediatric Services, including infant psychiatry and post-trauma care
- Integrated Mental Health Support within rehabilitation for the physically wounded
These services are delivered by psychologists, psychiatrists, social workers, therapists, and physicians — many of whom are themselves navigating personal and professional exposure to trauma.
Expanding Capacity: A Strategic Priority
The scale of need requires a two-pronged response:
- Increasing Clinical Capacity
Hadassah International is supporting efforts to:
- Recruit additional trauma specialists
- Extend clinical hours for existing staff
- Reduce waiting times for therapy and psychiatric care
- Ensure sustained, long-term treatment pathways for severe trauma
- Advanced Professional Training
Many clinicians require specialized training in war-related trauma. With philanthropic support, Hadassah is expanding evidence-based training in:
- Trauma-focused psychotherapy
- Child-Parent Psychotherapy (CPP)
- Psychodynamic and resilience-based approaches
- Group therapy models for soldiers, reservists, and caregivers
This investment multiplies impact: trained clinicians become mentors and trainers, strengthening the entire system over time.
Building for the Future: Pediatric Mental Health
Children and adolescents are among the most vulnerable populations. Without timely intervention, trauma risks becoming intergenerational.
Hadassah hospitals is advancing plans for a dedicated Pediatric Psychiatry Pavilion at Hadassah Hospital Ein Kerem— a purpose-built facility designed to dramatically expand capacity for child and adolescent mental health care in Jerusalem.
Partnering for Recovery
Mental health recovery is not immediate. It requires sustained commitment, professional depth, and long-term vision.
By partnering with Hadassah International, supporters play a direct role in strengthening Israel’s mental health system — helping children heal, families recover, and communities regain resilience.
Together, we are not only responding to a crisis, we are rebuilding the foundations for long-term recovery and human strength.
Global Impact through the Hadassah Global Mental Health Initiative
The partnership opportunities outlined here are grounded in real-world action already underway. In Israel and internationally, Hadassah International is helping strengthen the Hadassah hospitals’s response to an unprecedented mental health crisis following the war and the rise in antisemitism—supporting care delivery, professional collaboration, and community resilience.
Learn more about the scope and reach of this global effort.
