Maccabi World Union Emergency Campaign
Balance – A Place to Breathe
On October 7, Hamas terrorists infiltrated Israel into the Gaza envelope area, killing 1400 people, injuring thousands, and taking hostage over 200 Israelis, including babies, children, and the elderly. One of the most affected sites was the Nova Music Festival, near Kibbutz Re’im, where three thousand young people were celebrating life and peace.
Terrorists arrived at the festival spraying the thousands of attendees with gunfire as they tried to escape through an open field. By the end of the massacre, 350 people were murdered, and hundreds of others were captured by the attackers or wounded by the gunfire. The survivors of this massacre have experienced deep trauma and most of them have suffered losses of close ones.
Since the beginning of the war, Maccabi World Union (MWU) has opened the doors of the Kfar Maccabiah in Ramat Gan to anyone who has been displaced since the horrific attacks of October 7, and the ongoing violence in the country; and has built a tent city aimed to be a venue for healing retreats for Nova survivors.
"Balance – A Place to Breathe"
The professional support program, called "Balance – A Place to Breathe", was established by Maccabi World Union in cooperation with the non-profit "Safe Heart", which includes about 400 psychologists, psychiatrists, and certified clinical instructors with experience in working with traumatic experiences, and the "Brothers in Yoga" association, which was established to treat people coping with post-traumatic stress disorder on security grounds through yoga classes.
During its first phase the program is intended for victims of the Nova Party, and in the second phase will be expanded to include families and individuals affected by the October 7th massacre.
“Balance – A Place to Breathe” is currently the only program in Israel that includes overnight accommodation. The therapeutic process includes a 3-day retreat, weekly meetings via Zoom, and a concluding face-to-face meeting. In the retreat, 20 to 30 participants will undergo group dialogue and sharing circles, which will be led by clinically certified therapists, psychologists, social workers, trauma-informed yoga classes, experiential workshops, and music, all in a safe and nourishing space in the glamping tent site in Kfar Maccabiah.
Since embarking on the program, 4 cohorts already completed the retreat, and the 1st cohort completed the whole process. The impressions and feedback from close to 100 participants are positive and allow constant adjustments and improvements.
Your Support
The retreat is fully subsidized and free of charge for participants. The cost for the organizers is $15,000 USD per 3-day retreat.
Any help towards supporting the ongoing effort for the Nova party survivors will be greatly appreciated. A US tax receipt will be supplied.
To send your donation by wire transfer, please click here.
To send your donation by check, please see address below.
We thank you for your consideration.
Michael Siegal
President MWU
Amir Peled
Chairman, MWU
Amir Gissin
CEO, MWU
If you would like further information or questions about how to help support this campaign, please contact:
Deb Lichtenfeld
Maccabi World Union, Inc. 520 8th Avenue, 4th Floor, New York, NY 10018
