Matan Was There for Us, Now We are There for Him

It was the summer of 2014 and Operation Protective Edge was in full swing. Matan and his team were sent to a Hamas tunnel in Gaza. The task given to his special forces unit was to locate tunnels and clear them of terrorists. Matan was one of the many young soldiers hit by the booby traps hidden in those tunnels. He experienced the cruelty of war up close.

Since his return, Matan’s most difficult struggle has been to stay in the present and to block out the images of friends who were torn apart and killed before his eyes. The pain of these experiences accompanies him every day. The trauma has resulted in his not leaving his room for six years. The noise of the world scares him and reminds him of the hell through which he waded.

Matan returned home, but his wounds, both physically and mentally, are ever-present. He suffers from a severe post-traumatic disorder that prevents him from leading a normal life. Every tiny sound triggers a psychotic episode. The only solution would be soundproofing, the creation of an isolated acoustic environment that would allow Matan to recover. But the cost of creating such an environment for Matan is steep.

The Ministry of Defense has refused to pay the costs, and Matan’s family cannot afford the renovation.

For us, Matan is a “Lone Soldier” even though he lives with his parents in Israel. After his final mission, after he had defended us all against the forces of terror, he was left in a state of perpetual loneliness…

Only with your generous help are we able to support and realize projects like this! We thank you from the bottom of our hearts!

Support Matan and Israel’s “Lone” soldiers today!