Reservists’ Families Flood Trauma Support Centers

By Al-Ahed News

The number of visits by spouses of enemy reservists to psychological support centers in academic institutions has quadrupled, according to a report published Tuesday [July 22, 2025] by the “Israel” Trauma Coalition [ITC] on the “Israeli” website “Walla”.

The site reported that, amid the war with Iran, visits during the second half of the academic year surged from 690 to 2,816.

“A similar trend was also recorded among employees of educational institutions and within the 'Arab community',” the report noted.

According to the data, visits by administrative staff tripled—from 1,792 to 5,413. Among the so-called "Arab community," the number of visits doubled from 3,157 to 6,422.

Meanwhile, in socially and geographically peripheral areas, visits rose from 6,159 to 11,365. Among academic staff, the number increased from 4,957 to 8,753, and among displaced individuals, visits grew from 10,774 to 15,251.

The report further stated, “Reservists themselves also sought psychological support at a much higher rate. Data shows a 41% increase compared to the first half of the year—from 12,922 to 16,806 cases. In the Haredi community [ultra-Orthodox Jews], an even greater rise was recorded, from 1,416 to 2,112.”

Walla added that, “Support centers do not have complete certainty regarding the cause of this increase, but point to the ‘Rising Lion’ operation, which began on June 13 and lasted about two weeks—coinciding with the start of the exam period—as a possible factor.”

Talia Levanon, Director General of the ITC, said, “During the operation, we witnessed a significant rise in visits from the spouses of reservists seeking calm and non-judgmental support.”

According to Levanon, “The new report reflects a reality. We are seeing a growing number of requests from reservists’ wives—a young group of women and mothers—facing challenges related to their husbands’ enlistment in the reserve army.”

“These challenges appear in relationships, parenting, and personal resilience. Academic institutions continue to offer fast and professional responses to all students across the country through resilience centers,” she concluded.