For the second time in less than a year, Israel is under missile attack from Iran. With the nation in emergency mode, the Hadassah Foundation’s grant recipients are scrambling to continue offering critical services and meet emerging needs, even as their staff and leadership, like the people they serve, are under considerable stress. Thankfully, none of our grant recipients have reported any fatalities or injuries so far – their teams and the communities they serve remain unharmed. However, the CEO of one of our grant recipients literally lost her home when her Tel Aviv apartment building was leveled this weekend. In addition, the office of the Association of Rape Crisis Centers in Israel (ARCCI), also in Tel Aviv, suffered damage on Saturday night.
Below is a sample of what we’ve heard so far from our grant recipients in these challenging times:
Responding to Trauma
Women’s Spirit, Association of Rape Crisis Centers (ARCCI), Eden Association, and other organizations that serve and advocate for survivors of violence know that the stress of war not only reawakens trauma from previous incidents, but leads to higher rates of new violence.
“Unfortunately, the renewed war is triggering increased anxiety, stress, and traumatic memories among many of the women and girls we serve,” observes Ronit Shoval, the CEO of Eden Association. In response, her organization is continuing to operate all its therapeutic offerings and is increasing therapy hours and resources when possible.
The June 2025 war with Iran led to an 18 percent increase in calls to ARCCI’s crisis support hotlines compared to the same period last year, and the organization is prepared for a new surge. Since Friday, ARCCI and the crisis centers under its umbrella have expanded their hotline visibility on social media and added volunteer shifts to ensure continuous, professional support. “We are in close contact with all our rape crisis centers nationwide and are monitoring needs on the ground in real time,” CEO Orit Sulitzeanu reports.
Navigating Emergency Economic Needs
Israel Women’s Network (IWN) reports that its emergency response center has been flooded with calls since the war began. “We have had the equivalent of a month’s worth of emergency calls in 3 days!” writes Tal Hochman, IWN’s executive director. “Women are calling about employment rights during emergency shutdowns, unpaid leave, reserve spouse benefits, small business collapse, compensation claims, and the legal protections they need in order to survive this moment.” The IWN is working to, among other things, scale up hotline capacity, increase legal staffing, and extend its multi-lingual outreach. It is also preparing to press for policy changes based on information gathered from hotline calls — what Hochman describes as “real-time data that allows us to identify systemic failures.”
Highlighting the Contributions of Women Soldiers
More than 30 female air crew have participated in Israeli air strikes in Iran so far, according to Ynet. Forum Dvorah, which promotes gender equity in the national security and foreign policy sectors, has been promoting awareness of these women’s contributions, as well as the contributions of women in the technical support teams, including those in command positions. Getting the word out is important because over the past few months, numerous politicians and commentators have publicly argued that women should not serve in combat – and some have even suggested that women should not serve in the army at all. At the same time, the military is expanding all-male units, seeking to integrate Haredi and other religious men who say their religious observance precludes them from serving alongside women. This raises concern that the growing gender segregation will reduce advancement opportunities for women.
Keeping Gender Equity on the Agenda
“Gender equality is always pushed aside in emergencies,” says Yael Yechieli, the CEO of the 5050 Initiative, which seeks to dramatically increase the number of women elected to the Knesset this year.
In the weeks before the war, nationally known comedian Adi Ashkenazi began promoting 5050 through a television special and other appearances, encouraging thousands of people to sign a petition calling on Israel’s political parties to commit to gender-equal election tickets. In partnership with Hanan Alsanah, the co-director of Itach Ma’aki, the initiative stepped up its organizing within Arab society, bringing the 5050 message to a major anti-violence protest, publishing multiple op-eds, and organizing a public letter to party leaders signed by 50 Arab women leaders. Yechieli doesn’t want to lose momentum now, particularly as analysts predict that the national elections may be called earlier than initially anticipated.
“These repeated states of emergency only reinforce how vital it is that women are present around decision-making tables,” she says. “When critical decisions are being made about security, recovery, and the future of our society, women’s voices must be there — not as an afterthought, but as equal partners.”