Dec 23, 2025

Federation Helping Traumatized Israelis Through Surf Therapy

Your Federation support is fueling innovative and essential treatment for Israelis traumatized by the recent war through HaGal Sheli (My Wave) surf therapy. The decade-old program is opening a new center on Zikim Beach near the Gaza border where, noted HaGal Sheli CEO Yarom Waksman, “the pain from October 7 is still raw, where 19 lives were brutally taken away.” Released Gaza hostage and HaGal Sheli participant Karina Engel shared, “Before October 7, Zikim Beach was the place to have a good time. Now it’s the safe place I can put all my thoughts and my pain.” The research-backed surf therapy method teaches people to use the sea as a means of coping with inner turbulence. “It’s strengthening communities in one of Israel’s hardest-hit regions — one wave at a time,” said Waksman.