On October 7, the Hamas terrorist group attacked a music festival in Reim. At least 260 Israelis are killed. Since then, survivors have developed post-traumatic syndromes and have difficulty finding places of help.
In a large reception hall north of Tel Aviv, between 300 and 400 young people are welcomed every day. They are survivors of the Tribe of Nova festival, three weeks after the Hamas attack which caused the death of at least 260 civilians, mainly young people who came to enjoy the festival.
Survivors today develop post-traumatic syndromes: insomnia, depression, ultra-vigilance. To help them, volunteer therapists founded the “Merav Marpé” (place of care, in Hebrew).
A soft light descends from the high ceiling, to the right of the massage tables, to the left on a platform of cushions and music. Here, everyone comes to do just what they want, explains Ela, one of the volunteers: “The idea of this place is that they are the ones who have to choose, we don’t force them to do anything. They can just be there, present, or enjoy a massage, or meet a psychologist. Here it’s a place where they can come, and be themselves.”
Young people present every day for three weeks
By escaping, often, from anxious parents. Kfir is seated at a table, chatting. This 23-year-old young man has been spending his days here for ten days. He still struggles to tell how he escaped the terrorists: “We ran and were saved by civilians who rescued us after we had covered more than 15 kilometers. Since then I started to feel a deep fear, I am constantly on the alert, it’s “also why I can’t sleep, it’s difficult to unwind. Here, people make me feel good.”
“They shot me and I ran like I had never run in my life”
Shiatsu, relaxation, or simple “hugs” with other survivors, here everything is put in place to avoid isolation and depression.
A rare place to support mental health
Guila, one of the founders of Merav Marpé: “We have a boy who celebrated his birthday. They left in a group of thirty, they came back in twos. The other 28 died. The second survivor committed suicide on Friday. The other said to me ‘I’ I did the death march with him, he decided to leave me alone, so why am I alive?’,” confides the volunteer.
This young man has no other place to come and tell his sorrow. Unlike the kibbutz survivors, who were relocated together, the festival-goers were scattered. And the government has put few structures in place. “When you are in shock, you can go to the emergency room but that is not always the appropriate place for mental health. We are a country where nine million people are going to need support. The community model would be the only one that will be able to help us continue.” A similar reception center could soon see the light of day in Eilat, on the shores of the Dead Sea.
Israel: a place of care for survivors of October 7 – Report by Faustine Calmel and Fabien Gosset