NATAL recognizes the vital role that women play in the complicated reality that the State of Israel deals with on a daily basis. The Gulf war, the Lebanon war and the constant rocket assault over Sderot and the Gaza periphery over the last decade have significantly altered the reality of war for most Israelis. Combat and destruction are no longer confined to distant borders and the phrase, “turning the home-front into the battlefront” is particularly pertinent to women, as they increasingly find themselves exposed to real dangers in their homes and communities that would previously only have been experienced by soldiers on the frontlines.
NATAL has found that due to these security situations, there is an increase in the number of women that report symptoms of anxiety, stress and post traumatic stress disorder. For example women report that in emergency situations they feel unable to reassure their children and to function properly.
These reports are consistent with literary research that indicates that women, more than men, tend to report post traumatic stress disorder symptoms. For example, Bleich, Gelkopf& Solomon, (2003) found that during periods of suicide bombing, the number of women who report symptoms of post traumatic stress disorder are 5.6 times higher than the number of men. A similar finding was discovered in a study conducted in Sderot and the Gaza periphery (Berger and Gelkopf, 2007) where the rate of women reporting symptoms of post traumatic stress disorder was 3 times higher than for men.
Women play a major role in society. Women more than men tend to form social bonds and cooperate as a team, which in turn has a tremendous influence on attitudes and behavior within the family and can lead to social and economic growth within the wider community. The importance of women in maintaining the institute of the family and their influential role in the community gives them the ability to bring stability, a sense of security and understanding. Because women tend to be more empathetic, patient and open to listening to others, this gives them a relative advantage in finding solutions and ending conflicts. Therefore, community strength is largely based on the way women function in society and this is why it is crucial that we focus on strengthening and empowering women.
During the past few years, NATAL has continued to give many women throughout Israel the tools to deal with the unprecedented situation where the home-front has turned into the battlefront and members of the family unit have transformed into “soldiers”.
NATAL operates several projects within this field:
- Empowering single mothers in the South.
- Strengthening Jewish and Arab women in Acre and Jaffa.
- Strengthening the spouses, mothers and daughters of victims of combat stress.
- “Photography between the Drops” – Strengthening the resiliency of teenage girls at risk living in the “Karmiya” boarding school in the Gaza periphery who are bombarded by rocket attacks.
- Empowering and strengthening new women immigrants from Ethiopia and the former Soviet Union.
For more details about these projects as well as NATAL's other projects and core activities, please go to our website at www.natal.org.il/english .
