- September 20, 2024
- 4:31 pm
- Israel
Many Ukrainian children who fled to Israel because of the war faced double trauma – the war in their homeland and the war in Gaza. ELI (Israeli Association for the Protection of Children) plays a key role in supporting these children, helping them cope with difficult emotional experiences and adapt to their new country.
Eran Zimrin, Director of ELI, explains The Jerusalem Postthat “the main problem of the children we work with is panic, confusion and a sense of helplessness.” Many children arrive without their parents, which worsens their psychological state.
“We have many teenagers aged 14 to 16 who arrived without their families, via Europe with the support of the Jewish Agency,” he explains. “The parents often remain in Ukraine, as fathers are unable to leave due to military restrictions and mothers face bureaucratic difficulties.”
The trauma of these children is compounded by the fact that they find themselves in a new country, where the sound of air raid sirens reminds them of the conflict they fled. “They came from one war to another,” Zimrin notes. Most of these children live in boarding schools under the Naale program, adding to their isolation and already difficult adjustment conditions, including a language barrier that hinders their integration into Israeli society.
To overcome these difficulties, ELI provides children with the necessary therapeutic help.
«Our work at ELI aims to help children adapt more easily, offer them emotional support and warmth.“,” says Zimrin.
The organization focuses on creating a “ladder to belonging” for children, allowing them to feel part of Israeli society.
“The therapist is an Israeli who has the patience and understanding to accept all the difficulties that a new immigrant faces in Israeli society,”
— explains Zimrin, adding that it is through this work that children find support and guidance that help them adapt to their new lives.
An additional difficulty in adaptation is the lack of a formed Ukrainian community in Israel. Unlike Russian, French or Ethiopian immigrants, Ukrainian refugees do not have existing support networks.
«The languages may be similar, but they are different, and Ukrainians have no communities to turn to.“,” notes Zimrin.
In this way, ELI therapists become a kind of substitute family and community for these children, helping them not only to cope with the trauma of war, but also to adapt to life in a new society.
“One of our patients is a 16-year-old girl who lost her father and was separated from her mother. She came to Israel with severe psychosomatic symptoms, including paralysis and hallucinations,”
— says Zimrin. He adds that the therapist’s support helped the girl open up her soul, and at one point, during an air raid, she took his hand and felt safe.
“She felt calmer and more secure,” Zimrin recalls.
Through its therapeutic interventions, ELI helps these children not only cope with their immediate traumas, but also provides them with a sense of security and belonging. This is critical to preventing the long-term psychological consequences that can result from such difficult life experiences.
“We don’t just treat trauma; we give them a ladder so they can feel like they belong here,” Zimrin emphasizes.
ELI (Israeli Association for the Protection of Children) https://www.eli.org.il/ — is a non-profit organization that provides assistance to children who have experienced violence, trauma or difficult life situations. The organization provides psychological support and protection to children, helping them cope with the emotional consequences of violence, war, traumatic events and crisis situations.
ELI's primary mission is to prevent and reduce the impact of violence on children, as well as to provide them with emotional and psychological support to overcome difficult experiences. The organization offers various types of therapy, including individual and group sessions with qualified psychologists and social workers, as well as support programs for parents.
In the context of Ukrainian refugees, ELI plays an important role in helping children who have experienced war trauma adapt to life in Israel and cope with the consequences of psychological stress by providing them with the necessary therapeutic and emotional support.
