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IDF Widows and Orphans Organization

In a photo taken on February 21, 2024, Revital Shamir with her 4-year-old son Lavi and newborn girl Ori are at their home in Havat Yair (Yair's Farm). Revital's husband Mordechai was killed in military service while fighting Hamas terrorists at Kibbutz Re'im on October 7, 2023. (Chaim Goldberg/FLASH90)
April 21, 2026, 11:27 am
‘He didn’t fall in vain’: On Memorial Day, two young IDF widows discuss life after death
Alma Levin Fridman and Revital Shamir talk about their husbands, families and communities, sharing their grief – and their stories – with the compatriots their partners fought for
By Jessica Steinberg
Four widows whose husbands' bodies are being held hostage in Gaza. From left, Hadas Adar, widow of Tamir Adar; Saphir Zohav Hamami, widow of Asaf Hamami; Yaffa Rudaeff, widow of Lior Rudaeff, Ela Haimi, widow of Tal Haimi in Tel Aviv on March 11, 2025. (Avishag Shaar-Yashuv/IDFWO)
March 19, 2025, 6:50 pm
With new Gaza fighting, 4 IDF widows worry the bodies of their fallen husbands won’t return
Women from the IDF Widows and Orphans Organization whose spouses are among the 35 dead hostages in Gaza call for ‘the immediate release of all hostages — living and dead’
By Diana Bletter
Attendees at the IDF Widows and Orphans "Stronger than the Wind: Embrace, Strengthen and Support" conference in Kfar Saba on September 17, 2024. (Nir Davidson/IDFWO)
September 18, 2024, 8:03 am
Struggling with a new reality, the war’s 260 new widows find support in a new sisterhood
The IDF Widows and Orphans Organization’s ‘Stronger than the Wind’ event offers ways for widows to heal their hearts and find joy even though they’re ‘devastated’
By Diana Bletter
IDFWO Chairwoman Tami Shelach with scholarship recipient Malki Inbal, in Tel Aviv on May 28, 2024. (Loco Group/courtesy)
May 28, 2024, 6:04 pm
Hundreds of scholarships and grants handed out to IDF orphans and widows
Annual IDF Widows & Orphans Organization event in Tel Aviv features performance by singer Hanan Ben Ari
By Gavriel Fiske
Children of fallen IDF soldiers celebrate their bar mitzvah at the Western Wall in a collective celebration on April 4, 2024. (Kobi Koenkas/IDF Widows & Orphans Organization).
April 5, 2024, 3:16 am
Through pain of loss, IDF orphans celebrate bar and bat mitzvahs at Western Wall
President Isaac Herzog meets with children of fallen IDF soldiers and security forces at Jerusalem’s Museum of Tolerance, where he commends their heroism
By Maya Zanger-Nadis
A pregnant Shahar Naim holds a picture of her husband Amir Naim, who was killed by Hamas terrorists while defending Kibbutz Erez on October 7, 2023. (Courtesy)
February 9, 2024, 10:47 am
Pregnant war widows carry new life while processing death of their fallen husbands
IDF Widows and Orphans organization launches multifaceted program supporting dozens of women who face giving birth without their partners
By Renee Ghert-Zand
Minister of Culture Miri Regev speaks during a ceremony at the Knesset honoring the torch lighters of the 69th Independence Day state ceremony at Mount Herzl, April 26, 2017. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)
March 18, 2018, 10:11 pm
IDF bereaved parents cry foul over nixed Independence Day choir
Culture minister insists main bereavement organizations pushed for one unified ceremony for all family members to participate
By Stuart Winer
Tami Shelach, chairperson of the IDF Widows and Orphans Organization, left, alongside an undated photograph of her deceased husband, fighter pilot Ehud Shelach, who was killed during the Yom Kippur War. (IDFWO)
October 11, 2016, 4:26 pm
For head of IDF Widows and Orphans group, Yom Kippur a reminder of a love lost
Tami Shelach, chairperson of organization that represents families of fallen soldiers, struggles to discuss her husband, a pilot who was shot down and killed over Egypt in the war 43 years ago
By Judah Ari Gross
Illustrative image of a t-shirt from an IDF Widows and Orphans Organization and Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors joint program. (IDF Widows & Orphans Organization/YouTube)
August 10, 2016, 4:46 pm
Israeli, US groups for slain troops’ families brief White House
Counseling nonprofits meet with administration officials under the Joining Forces Initiative advocacy program
By JTA
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