Beit Arazim: Helping rebuild Israel, one wounded soldier at a time

How Beit Arazim is rebuilding Israel’s leadership from the ground up.

On a quiet stretch of land inside the Hadassah Neurim Youth Village, far from the blare of headlines and the immediacy of war, a tranquil transformation is underway.

It doesn’t look like a rehabilitation center, nor does it resemble a military base. There are no uniforms here, no ranks, and no drills. Yet what is taking shape inside this unassuming campus may prove to be one of the most important social responses to Israel’s post-Oct. 7 reality.

This is Beit Arazim, Warriors for Israeli Hope, a program born not out of crisis management but out of a deeper question: What does a country owe those who have already given it everything?

For Israel, the question is especially acute. Since the Hamas massacre of Oct. 7, thousands of soldiers have returned from combat bearing both visible and invisible wounds. The physical rehabilitation from such wounds is only part of the story. What follows is often far more complex: the challenge of returning to civilian life, of rediscovering purpose, and of finding a place in a society that has itself been transformed by trauma.

Beit Arazim does not see wounded veterans as a problem to be solved. It sees them as a resource Israel cannot afford to lose.

A house built on responsibility

The idea behind Beit Arazim did not emerge overnight. It grew out of a philosophy that has guided the Aderet Leadership Academy for more than two decades.

Founded 25 years ago in Moshav Aderet in the Eila Valley, in the Judean foothills, the academy was created as a pre-military framework bringing together young Israelis from both religious and secular backgrounds. Its aim was not consensus but diversity and commitment: to create a shared civic language rooted in responsibility, service, and the understanding that Israel’s future depends on people who are willing to engage deeply with one another, even in disagreement.

Over time, that philosophy evolved. Nine years ago, Aderet made a bold decision to move its programs into youth villages across the country – to Kfar Silver, Ayanot, Ben-Shemen, and Hadassah Neurim – embedding its students within educational environments serving at-risk youth. Leadership, the academy believed, had to be lived and breathed, not just discussed.

From this approach grew Ma’alot, a long-term mentorship program that guides teenagers from youth villages through high school, into gap year programs, military service, and beyond. Today, more than 200 young people are part of this track, many of whom had never imagined themselves in positions of responsibility.

It was this same worldview – leadership as obligation, not privilege – that laid the groundwork for Beit Arazim.

When the war changed everything

After Oct. 7, the leadership of Aderet faced a reckoning. The scale of loss was unprecedented. Thousands of young men and women returned from combat wounded, physically and emotionally. Israel’s rehabilitation systems were stretched, but beyond the medical need lay a deeper question: What role would these soldiers now play in the life of the country?

The answer was not to create another therapy program or vocational course. Instead, Beit Arazim was conceived as something more ambitious, to be a platform for responsibility.

Its premise is both simple and radical: that those who have borne the heaviest burden of defending the country are uniquely suited to help shape its future.

Participants in Beit Arazim are not treated as patients; they are treated as leaders in transition. The program exposes them to Israel’s public, educational, and security systems; connects them with senior decision-makers; and equips them with the tools to reenter public life with confidence, meaning, and purpose. At the same time, participants serve as mentors to at-risk youth, becoming living examples of resilience and commitment.

In this way, healing becomes reciprocal. The veterans regain purpose, and the younger generation gains role models. Israeli society benefits from leadership forged not in theory but in experience.

A living memorial

Beit Arazim carries a story that encapsulates the spirit of the program.
It is dedicated to two naval commandos: Erez Ashkenazi, who fell in 2003; and Eli Ginsberg, who was murdered on Oct. 7 during the massacre at Kibbutz Be’eri.

The two men were connected not only by service but by family. Both were partners of the same woman, Malki. After Erez’s death, she and Eli built a life together and raised four children. Two decades later, tragedy struck again for Malki when she lost Eli.

Their story is not commemorated at Beit Arazim through plaques or ceremonies alone. It is carried forward through action, through a living commitment to build a society worthy of their sacrifice.

As those involved in the program often say, “This is not about memory; it is about continuity.”

‘I discovered strengths I didn’t know I had’

For participants, the impact of Beit Arazim is deeply personal.

One graduate of the first cohort, who served in the Commando Brigade’s Egoz unit and later in a Golani Brigade evacuation team during Operation Protective Edge, described how the program changed his trajectory. After years of carrying trauma that eventually led to his official recognition as a disabled IDF veteran, he was unsure of how to move forward.

“Beit Arazim introduced me to people who genuinely believed in my ability to contribute again,” the graduate recalled. “Through the lectures, the mentorship, and the exposure to different fields, I discovered strengths I didn’t know I still had. For the first time in years, I could see a future where I was useful again.”

Another participant, Eran, a former platoon sergeant in the Paratroopers Brigade, described a similar transformation. Wounded during his service, he initially struggled to imagine a meaningful civilian role.

“What Beit Arazim gave me was not just tools but direction,” Eran said. “It showed me that even after injury, I could continue serving the country, in education, in public service, in leadership. The people running this program believed in me before I believed in myself.”

These stories are not exceptions; they are the program’s core logic in action.

Supporting our warriors

One of Beit Arazim’s strongest supporters is the Merit Spread Foundation, a leading philanthropic organization setting a new standard in charitable giving. Through its innovative approach to philanthropy, Merit Spread maximizes impact and value for donors, partner organizations, and beneficiaries, and has helped mobilize hundreds of millions of shekels for Israeli and Jewish causes since October 2023.

“At the Merit Spread Foundation, we believe that true leadership is forged in the crucible of challenge and service,” said the foundation’s CEO, Alon Tal. “Beit Arazim represents one of the most inspiring expressions of that belief in action. This project does more than support wounded veterans; it honors their sacrifice by empowering them to reengage with society as thoughtful, resilient leaders.

“In a time when Israel faces unprecedented social and civic challenges, supporting Beit Arazim is a strategic commitment to the future of our civic fabric. By helping these warriors transform their experiences into renewed purpose and public contribution, we are strengthening not only individual lives but the moral and institutional foundations of our nation.”

From pilot to national model

Beit Arazim began as a pilot project. Today, it is evolving into something far more ambitious.

As Israel grapples with the long-term consequences of war, the need for structured, meaningful reintegration of wounded veterans has become urgent. The program is now expanding on several fronts: building formal partnerships with government ministries and municipalities; developing specialized curricula that bridge trauma and leadership; and creating long-term mentorship frameworks to support participants well beyond graduation.

Perhaps most importantly, Beit Arazim is cultivating a growing alumni network, a living community of veterans who continue to support one another professionally and personally. The vision is a lifelong fraternity of service, where experience is shared, leadership is multiplied, and responsibility does not end when a program does.
This expansion requires investment, vision, and long-term commitment. But those behind the initiative are clear-eyed about the stakes. Israel cannot afford to lose the leadership potential of those who have already proven their devotion under fire.

Rebuilding trust, rebuilding society

In many ways, Beit Arazim is about more than veterans. It is about restoring trust between citizens and institutions, something that many feel has been breached since Oct. 7, and there are no better bridges than those who have sacrificed body, mind, and soul for the safety of the country and its citizens.

At a time when Israeli society is searching for unity, stability, and direction, the program offers a powerful message – namely, that resilience is not only about survival. It is about responsibility.

By helping wounded soldiers reenter public life as educators, civil servants, and leaders, Beit Arazim is quietly reshaping the future of Israeli leadership. It is proving that recovery and contribution are not opposites but partners.
In doing so, it is answering one of the most pressing questions facing Israel today: not only how to honor those who fought, but how to ensure that their sacrifice continues to shape the country they defended.

In the end, Beit Arazim is not just a program. It is a statement of faith in people, in purpose, and in the idea that even after unimaginable loss, a society can choose to rebuild – wisely, courageously, and together.■

Aderet Leadership Academy is launching a crowdfunding campaign to scale its mission and empower the next generation of Zionist leaders through educational programs for youth and resilience initiatives for wounded soldiers. https://donate.meritspread.com/en/campaigns/149