“Our ‘normal’ jobs are as teachers, youth counselors, and in partnering with municipalities to solve local problems,” says Mirit Sulema, Dror Israel educator and Director of International Engagement. “In emergencies, we pivot to meet critical needs. Since October 7th, we’ve been helping evacuees, returnees, and frontline communities. During the Iran bombings, we returned to the shelters, evacuee centers, and hospitals. We don’t know what next week will look like, so we are ready to mobilize wherever we are needed. Israelis, especially the youth, have been dealing with trauma upon trauma, and even as we try to return to normal, there is so much uncertainty. Mental health is suffering and trauma-informed programs are needed everywhere.”
Living in the Communities they Serve
At the heart of their approach is the communal living model of the Educators Kibbutz. Over 1,300 mission-driven educators live together in 14 intentional communities called Educators Kibbutzim, in which educators serve local and regional needs. Living in some of Israel’s most economically and socially challenged mixed neighborhoods, these trained educators live and work together, supporting each other while embedding in and helping to improve life in their surrounding communities. Amplifying impact through their daily work in educational and community initiatives, they partner with government and local municipalities, running programs for children and families, training teen leaders, and bridging gaps between populations.
This presence, which proved crucial in the organization’s rapid response to October 7th, provides the foundation for sustained healing that transforms entire communities.
According to Barak Gal, “we are establishing new Educators Kibbutzim in the North and South, as well as expanding existing ones. Hundreds of young educators are stepping up to join us. They want to live purposeful lives and do their part in rebuilding Israel. These new Kibbutzim become the catalyst for national renewal.”
Committed to a Shared Society
Dror Israel serves Jews, Arabs, and Druze; they are in cities and rural areas. Their associated Youth Movement, known in Israel as NOAL, serves 90,000+ youth in 650 chapters, and is Israel’s only youth movement to include Arab and Druze chapters and joint programs to bring Jewish, Arab, and Druze teens together.
Most Dror Israel educators have degrees from Beit Berl Teachers College, which offers special programs in advancing youth at risk and social change through education. Dror’s network of high schools, boarding schools, and pre-Army mechina serve mostly at-risk youth, and NOAL focuses on values-based programs and teen leadership training, with an emphasis on taking personal responsibility for oneself and one’s community. During most summers Dror Israel runs camps for thousands of children ages 6-18 throughout Israel. Dror infuses the values of personal and communal responsibility, while also emphasizing shared society. Teens receive special leadership training, and as leaders, run groups for the younger kids.
Extensive Experience in Emergency Response
The organization is no stranger to emergency response. In past wars, Dror Israel established daycare centers and emotional first-aid programs, most recently in Poland for Ukrainian refugees. During Covid lockdowns their educators and teen leaders delivered medicines and food to elderly shut-ins. With schools closed, they provided online classes and group chats to keep students connected. They helped keep hospitals up and running by providing daycare for the children of essential healthcare workers, so nurses, doctors, and others could go to work. In the aftermath of October 7th, Dror Israel has helped nearly 70,000 Israelis in the North and South, organizing communities in evacuation centers, setting up daycare, creating makeshift schools, running teen programs and trauma support for those most heavily affected by the war.
Through NOAL Dror Israel trained over 1,000 teen “junior counselors” to assume leadership roles in their communities, equipping them with emergency “kits” to run activities for younger children in bomb shelters. And once communities began returning home, Dror Israel has accompanied them, once again partnering with the government to reestablish schools and community centers, restart preschool and teen leadership programs, and provide emotional-educational support programs to address deep-seated trauma from the Hamas massacre and prolonged war.
Filling in the Education Gaps Caused by War
Trauma-informed training for teachers and school leaders has proved essential. Through their schools network, Dror Israel is training teachers and school leaders throughout Israel to identify trauma and how to address it in the classroom. Over 3,000 educators have already attended workshops on trauma-focused education and emergency pedagogy.
Inbal Ron, Director of Dror Israel Educational Centers Schools Network, is a pioneer in building healing and resilience initiatives for Israel’s youth: “The war has created significant educational gaps due to school closures, sirens and time spent in shelters interrupting class structure, and just the overwhelming psychological distress. Many children lost relatives, lost their homes. And even returnees struggle to return to something like ‘normal.’ We help teachers and principals create educational environments where children can find hope amidst all they have endured, focus on learning, and feel supported as they deal with their trauma.”
The recent barrage of missiles from Iran has left many thousands of Israelis without homes; they will likely remain in hotels and other centers for an extended period of time. Once again, Dror Israel is fulfilling their mission as educators, community builders, and emotional first responders. Their members have personally connected with their over 200,000 program participants throughout the country in one-on-one outreach, which strengthens resilience and helps them identify immediate needs for mental health support and safe shelter, while also providing important IDF Home Front Command safety instructions.
Although schools throughout Israel are reopening, Dror Israel is on call in hospitals to provide daycare for children of essential health workers, as well as to provide online classes for thousands of students. And, its educators and teen leaders have once again deployed to the evacuation centers and hotels, running activities for children to maintain some normalcy while also giving stressed parents a break, and helping in the distribution of donations of clothing and other supplies. Even with the ceasefire, they don’t know exactly what will happen next, and yet, they remain ready. The needs across the county are increasing every day, and Dror Israel is committed to being there for as long as they are needed.
Mirit Sulema sums it all up: “Our communities know they can count on us. We were there before the war, and since October 7th. We are there today. And we will be there far into the future.”