Three Years Later: We Remember. We Stand Together.
Three years have passed since October 7, 2023—a day that forever changed Israel, the Jewish people, and so many families and communities around the world.
At Neve Hanna, the impact was immediate and deeply personal. Children already carrying difficult experiences suddenly faced a new reality of sirens, uncertainty, fear, and loss. The people who care for them faced those same fears while continuing to provide the stability, reassurance, and sense of home our children needed.
Three years later, we honor those forever changed by October 7. And we remain beside those who continue to heal.
We remember the lives lost, the fallen IDF soldiers, the hostages and their families, our Israeli brothers and sisters whose lives were forever changed, and all those who continue to carry the pain of October 7.
For the children of Neve Hanna, healing does not happen all at once. It happens in the everyday moments—in feeling safe, being heard, sharing a meal, celebrating Shabbat, returning to a familiar routine, and knowing there are people who will continue to show up for them.
That is the promise of Neve Hanna: to keep showing up.
As American Friends of Neve Hanna, we remain committed to standing with our children and the remarkable people who surround them with care, compassion, and love every day.
Three years later, we carry the memories with us.
But we also carry something else: the determination to keep building, caring, believing, and choosing hope.
We are deeply grateful to the many friends, families, Rabbis, FJMC International Men’s Clubs, WLCJ Sisterhoods, and communities who responded when the Neve Hanna Emergency Fund was established in the days following October 7. Your generosity provided critical support when it was needed most—and the fact that people continue to give three years later is a powerful reminder that our children have not been forgotten.
Thank you for standing with Neve Hanna then, for standing with us today, and for helping ensure that our children never face the future alone.
May the memories of those we lost be a blessing.
We remember. We stand together.
Am Yisrael Chai.
Janet and Irwin, Co-Presidents
American Friends of Neve Hanna
Three Years Later:
A Reflection from Neve Hanna
FROM TRAUMA TO MEANING:
Raising Jewish Children in Israel After Three Years of War
by Rabba Liron Rosensaft Levy
Neve Hanna Children’s Home
Every Friday evening, a few minutes before sunset, I watch our children gather around the Shabbat table. Some arrive laughing, some quietly, and some still carrying the weight of a difficult week. Then the candles are lit, blessings are recited, and voices begin to sing. For a little while, every child knows they have a place. After three years of war, I have come to believe that these simple moments of belonging are among the most powerful acts of healing we can offer.
At Neve Hanna, the reality of war has met children whose lives were already shaped by loss, instability, and broken trust. Long before they heard the sound of sirens, many had learned that the world could feel uncertain.
As their rabbi, I often ask myself: What does Judaism have to offer these children now?
Read more!