In southern Israel, a woman lives in a kibbutz - a place that has been home to her family for generations. On October 7, she was kidnapped from her home, along with her neighbors' two small children, whose parents had been murdered in the house next door. As she was being taken to the border with her captors, they suddenly decided to release her.
Avital ran six kilometers to get home, a 2-year-old child in one hand and a 5-year-old in the other. She describes not being able to feel her body; for hours she would mentally disconnect - a form of dissociation that helped her survive.
Seeking support, she came to the Resilience Center, established by OlamAid, with a friend who is also a survivor of October 7. There, she participates in group as well as individual sessions with OlamAid’s art therapist, who plays a crucial role in her healing journey.
Through creating with clay, she tells her story piece by piece, finding control and distance that allow her to process her pain slowly. Clay is known to be a regulating material; when words fail in post-traumatic situations, sculpting allows the soul to express the unbearable. Avital emphasizes that the Resilience Center offers her a safe and protected space where she can engage with materials that bring relief and release.
Reflecting on her experience, she shares:
"When I come to the Resilience Center, I know I've found a place where I don't have to think about anything worrying. Working with my hands grounds me and gives me back the control over my body that I've lost. It makes me calm. I've been waiting all week just to get into the Resilience Center. I've had all sorts of treatments, and there's a moment in the process of my recovery where words have no place anymore - only for doing and creating. I am grateful for a place for a place that gives me breathing space and peace "
