NATAL – Israel Trauma and Resiliency Center

Remembering Ilene Serlin and Israel–Diaspora Connections

• Ilene’s Legacy: Ilene is remembered as a deeply connected, caring, and honest individual who bridged Israeli and diaspora communities, fostering personal and professional ties.
• Israel–diaspora Relations: Ilene exemplified the ideal of personal, heartfelt connection between Israelis and Jews abroad, transcending abstract notions of Zionism.
• Personal Reflections: Participants shared gratitude for Ilene’s support, her emotional intelligence, and her efforts to bring Israeli experiences to international awareness.

NATAL: Mission, Growth, and Activities

• Founding and Vision: NATAL was established in 1998 to address trauma from terror and war, aiming to build resilience and provide treatment for trauma victims in Israel.
• Organizational Growth: Since October 7, NATAL has seen a 600% increase in activity, expanding from 100 to over 500 therapists and from 365 to more than 2,800 clients.
• Populations Served: NATAL works with civilians, veterans, first responders, mental health professionals, displaced persons, hostage families, and more.
• Services Provided:
  • 24/7 helplines for emotional support
  • Clinical outpatient services (including EMDR and neurofeedback)
  • Career development for PTSD sufferers
  • Community resilience programs
  • Research, training, and public awareness campaigns
• Innovations: New models of short-term therapy, expanded supervision, and integrative, holistic care have been adopted to meet surging demand.

Clinical Challenges and Case Studies

• Rolling Trauma: Israel faces “rolling trauma”—a series of overlapping traumatic events without time for recovery, distinct from cumulative trauma. This phenomenon affects all layers of society and impacts national well-being.
• Therapist Support: NATAL prioritizes the well-being of its therapists through support groups, individual supervision, retreats, and wellness activities to combat burnout and compassion fatigue.
• Case Examples:
  • Survivors of the Nova music festival grappling with survivor guilt and loss
  • Families of victims coping with bereavement and redefined family roles
  • Reservists and medics traumatized by exposure to violence and loss of purpose
  • The ripple effect on therapists, many of whom are personally affected by the conflict

Reflections on Trauma Treatment

• Integrative Approach: NATAL employs a range of modalities (CBT, somatic experiencing, EMDR, talk therapy), tailored to individual needs and resilience.
• Therapist Training: Ongoing professional development ensures therapists are equipped to handle diverse and acute trauma presentations.
• Somatic Experiencing®: Emphasized as a key tool, addressing trauma’s physical manifestations and supporting gradual healing.

Societal Impact and Future Outlook

• Community Strain: Ongoing trauma has led to increased aggression, societal division, and a constant state of alert, impacting daily life and national identity.
• Collective Mourning: The loss of young lives and the prevalence of trauma have left the community in a state of perpetual mourning and vulnerability.
• Hope and Resilience: Despite fatigue and pain, a sense of unity and determination persists. The aspiration remains for a more peaceful, secure, and normal future for Israel.

Rolling Trauma

• At NATAL, we are trying to find the right language to describe what we are seeing in the field, and there is much deliberation among our professionals about this. Our Chief Psychologist, Dr. Boaz Shalgi, thought of the term “rolling trauma” recently when trying to describe what he is seeing in his clinic, and through conversations with colleagues. He is conceiving of it in terms of “blow after blow.” The emphasis is on the experience where a person begins to recover from trauma they’ve experienced, begins to rebuild their identity, strength, and connections,—and then another blow comes, and it repeats again.
• Ongoing trauma and cumulative trauma are somewhat different concepts. Both are connected in the literature mainly to complex trauma and C-PTSD. These concepts aim to describe a situation where a person is in a constant state of trauma (for example, a child with an abusive parent, or a person held captive by Hamas), such that they don’t have the possibility to begin coping. They are constantly under attack.
• The concepts are related. But the emphasis Dr. Shalgi tried to convey is the experience of someone who suffocates, and then begins to succeed in breathing and recovering, and who then suffocates again. We’ve already seen many people broken by the war with Iran, because it severely damaged their efforts—successful efforts—to heal from previous trauma.

Conclusion

The meeting highlighted the profound challenges facing Israeli society and its mental health professionals due to ongoing conflict and trauma. NATAL’s rapid adaptation, integrative care, and commitment to resilience serve as a model for trauma response. The legacy of individuals like Ilene, and the dedication of therapists, underscore the importance of personal connection and ongoing support, both within Israel and across the global Jewish community.

Resources

• Zoom presentation by Judith Recanati to Israel Trauma Mission 2025-06-24

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Bio

Jude Yovel Recanati co-founded NATAL in 1998, and has been actively involved since its establishment. Together with her late husband and three daughters, Jude established the Gandyr Foundation in 2004, which aims to strengthen Israeli society with a special emphasis on young adults and youth movements. She is also among the founders of Sheatufim, whose mission is to encourage a more active civil society and philanthropic culture in Israel.

Jude is an active member of the Committed to Give initiative, a social entrepreneurial group that promotes Israeli philanthropy. In addition, she serves on the boards of several organizations working to advance civil society. Jude is the mother of three daughters, and a grandmother of nine.

Jude Recanati with Jeff Saperstein at Natal – June 29, 2025