Beit Halochem
Each centre offers a wide choice of physical and social activities, housing an auditorium, multipurpose gymnasium, classrooms, fitness rooms, occupational and physical therapy units, trauma therapy units, a cafeteria, offices and a social wing.
Beit Halochem UK is a registered charity that was established in 2012 with the aim of raising awareness and funds for the Beit Halochem rehabilitation centres in Israel, and Israel’s wounded veterans and victims of terror.
Sport is an effective means to foster positive health and wellbeing, social inclusion and community building for people with a disability. Whether as recreation or something more competitive, there is a reason why sports are recommended for both able bodied and disabled individuals: because they help one feel as though they are a part of something. It is where many important social skills are learnt, including acceptance of the disability, support of comrades, and the value of competition.
Beit Halochem, meaning ‘House of Warriors’, or ZDVO (Zahal Disabled Veterans Organisation), was established in Israel in order to look after wounded Israeli veterans and to provide them with a rehabilitative infrastructure where they receive respite and the opportunity to regain the dignity and quality of life they deserve. The organisation also looks after civilian victims of terror attacks. Today, the 51,000 Beit Halochem members are given a new lease of life at our four rehabilitation centres based in Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Haifa and Beer Sheva. They remain members of the organisation for the rest of their lives. With help from donors, a fifth and final Rehabilitation centre is being built in Ashdod. This new facility will accommodate 6,700 veterans (together with their families, this amounts to more than 14,500 people).
Research has revealed that the more the veterans participated in sport after they had been injured, the significantly better their quality of life was. A large number of veterans who have taken on new adaptive sports at Beit Halochem have gone on to achieve Paralympic success and compete in worldwide Paralympic games including in wheelchair tennis, wheelchair basketball and swimming.
The Beit Halochem centres provide a blend of exceptional rehabilitative services including physiotherapy, hydrotherapy and chiropractic treatments conducted along-side social and specialised sport options, educational programmes and a vast range of creative activities.
Roei Ben Tolila, member of Beit Halochem “This is the place where, for the first time since my injury, I could anticipate a future. I realized that I could be both disabled and happy. I am part of a team of fighters on the court of life. Beit Halochem has made that possible. What I saw there changed my entire world.”
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Funds Raised By Beit Halochem UK Since Its Establishment In 2012 Total Funds raised by BHUK……………………………………………….. £18,658,056 Total Funds Transferred to Israel ………….…………………………… £15,570,066 Total fundraising and operational costs ……………..…………… 16.5%
Beit Halochem’s Fight Against The Global Pandemic
Running costs The annual running costs of our rehabilitation centres in Israel is approximately US$24 million. The budgeted costs for the centres are funded in the following ways:
40% 40% 60% 60%
Israel Ministry of Defence and membership fees paid by the wounded veterans
Assisting – Food Packages More than 3000 food packages and over 1600 shielding kits were distributed to those veterans and their families that were deemed the most vulnerable. The project was led by the support staff at Beit Halochem as well as many volunteers which included many of the Beit Halochem disabled veterans. In addition, 500 families who suffered from financial distress received long term (four months) financial support to help them purchase basic necessities.
Donations raised through the Friends Offices (including Israel) around the world
Israeli Government, a unique approval plan was granted to allow the four Beit Halochem facilities in Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Haifa, and Beer Sheva to continue operating. This agreement insured that the Beit Halochem members were able to receive their rehabilitation programmes and treatments.
Supporting – PTSD
The Strengthening Programme:
Supporting and assisting those members who suffer from PTSD is of paramount importance and this need increases significantly during times of crisis. Beit Halochem was able to meet the needs of these veterans by providing the following services.
This group therapy programme continued during 2020 and provided the participants with the tools needed to overcome their daily challenges, assist them in changing their behaviour patterns and enable them and their family to have a better quality of life. The course follows the 12 Step Programme that is recognised globally and is used as an impactful rehabilitation tool both for the individual and their family members.
The Achiad Programme: This unique social support group enabled participants to support each other on a day-to-day basis. As part of the programme those veterans suffering from PTSD would meet regularly to form an intimate community that became their second family. During the meetings, specialist support staff were on hand to give advice and mental health support.
Beit Halochem – Activities Following lengthy discussions during the summer of 2020 between the Management of Beit Halochem and the
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Some Of The Projects Funded By Our Generous Donors The Paralympic Aquatic Rehabilitation Complex At Tel Aviv’s Beit Halochem: After twenty months of extensive construction and renovation works, one of the most modern swimming and rehabilitation facilities in Israel was opened at Tel Aviv’s Beit Halochem Centre in 2016. The Olympic Pool and state-of-the-art Hydrotherapy Pool is being used by all our disabled veterans and Paralympic swimmers. The Hydrotherapy Pool is providing over 1500 rehabilitation treatments a month to disabled veterans – triple the previous capacity. Additionally, the specialised equipment, such as the underwater treadmill and platform that allow patients with weight bearing issues to comfortably rehabilitate their walking while reducing the stress on their bodies, is helping numerous disabled veterans regain strength, flexibility, and mobility. The warmer water temperature in the hydrotherapy pool allows for optimal rehabilitation for the veterans and provides a comfortable work environment for the therapists.
Architecturally, the aquatic complex of pools and the unique aluminiumribbed domed roof covering the whole facility are truly exceptional. The entire centre, featuring a “green” energy conservation machine room with a chiller (heat recovery) facility, provides energy for both pools and the main building, reducing the Tel Aviv Beit Halochem energy costs by nearly 75%.
The Fitness Hall In Haifa: The Haifa Beit Halochem Centre houses a sports hall for ball games, 2 swimming pools, toddler’s pool, hydrotherapy pool, a new fitness hall, dry and wet saunas, classrooms, workshops, an events hall, rest rooms for the severely disabled and a cafeteria. The newly built Fitness Hall is 300 sq.m and is fully equipped with specialised, state of the art instruments serving the severely disabled.
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The “Coming Of Age” Trip During the summer of 2014, following Operation Protective Edge, approximately 600 young wounded IDF soldiers became members of Beit Halochem. Many of them sustained permanent disabilities forcing them to enter a life-long rehabilitation process that is often extremely painful and complex. The Young Members Club at Beit Halochem became a haven for many of our younger veterans, providing them with a vast range of activities suitable for their needs and interests. These activities brought the young veterans together from all over the country which helped to create a bond and camaraderie so vital for their rehabilitation.
The inaugural trip included a challenging and incredible two-day hike in India, culminating in one of the Himalayan mountain ranges. A team of professionals accompanied, guided, and mentored the participants on the journey, providing support and the tools to cope with the physical and mental difficulties that surfaced during the journey. Summary sessions after their return to Israel took take place to help them process the experience and provide them with the tools needed for them to look forward to the future.
It was during this incredibly difficult time where the hopes and dreams of these young men and women were shattered that the idea of the Beit Halochem ‘after the army trip’ was conceived. This ‘rite of passage’ for most Israelis, the once in a life-time trip to India or South America after their army service, was denied to these young, wounded veterans who instead were rehabilitating and getting to grips with their new reality. The two-week trip provided our young veterans with a life changing empowering experience as well as a rehabilitative journey that enabled each of them to discover his/her strengths whilst overcoming physical and mental obstacles along the way.
The trip was deemed so successful that it has become an integral part of the Beit Halochem rehabilitation programme for our younger members.
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Scholarship Projects For Excelling Athletes: Scholarships for Excelling Disabled Athletes aim to support, encourage and motivate those veterans who have qualified to take part in international competitions and the Paralympic Games as well as those who have shown that through continued sports activity their rehabilitation has benefitted, and their physical and mental condition improved. Scholarships are awarded to outstanding disabled veterans in all fields of sports who have had significant achievements and major results as well as to coaches who have stood out in their dedication and training programs. Scholarships are also offered as an incentive to young disabled athletes who exhibit perseverance and seriousness, showing progress over a period of at least three consecutive years.
In a moving ceremony at Tel Aviv’s Beit Halochem in 2019, 88 Scholarships totaling $144,700 USD (NIS 500,000) were distributed to excelling athletes and coaches for their athletic achievements.
Academic Scholarships: Beit Halochem members can apply for a scholarship in a subject and institution of their choosing. The scholarships are for one year and veterans can reapply each year if they wish. Veterans must prove they have already studied for one academic year to demonstrate their commitment.
letter and updated information on their progress. The donor receives the full details of the scholarship recipient including the name of the institution or University and the faculty. Donors are invited to attend the scholarship distribution ceremony and to personally hand out their donated scholarship to the recipients.
Between 500-600 wounded veterans receive scholarships each year. In 201920, 496 Academic and Professional Training Scholarships were handed out totaling $617,000 USD to Beit Halochem veterans. The amount of the scholarship (between US$1,000-1,500) depends on the disabled veteran’s disability and socio-economic situation coupled with the amount they have already paid.
The UK office has raised significant funds for this project from individual donors, schools, and Synagogues/ communities.
Funds for academic scholarships are raised within Israel and through the Beit Halochem fundraising offices globally. Each scholarship recipient receives the donor’s name and any further information the donor wishes to provide and many of them send a personal thank you
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The 12-Step PTSD Programme: In Israel, there are over 5,000 people who took part in wars and activities, that are recognised with PTSD. The estimates are that there are a lot more that are not recognised. Beit Halochem understands the seriousness of this insidious condition, and in recent years special emphasis has been placed on creating programmes and activities specifically aimed at assisting those members who suffer from PTSD.
As part of the personal and the group process, the participants go on two two-day journeys each to assist the participant to regain their self-worth by overcoming and completing physical and mental challenges as well as uniting the group. Further to the weekly group sessions, each participant has a personal counsellor that is there to assist daily, according to need, via phone and face to face meetings.
The strengthening programme via the 12-step programme, which consists of a group assistance framework, is a unique and new programme in Israel that provides IDF wounded that suffer from PTSD with tools that assist them change their life patterns and routines and by that enables them to move forward and put the past behind them, as much as possible.
By the end of the programme the participants are in a new place, where they believe in themselves and their abilities to proceed with the rehabilitation process - both with the practical tools they received and together with the group of equals that became a real family. Funds donated by Beit Halochem UK donors will help fund the 2021/2022 programme.
The strengthening programme is a communal supportive framework that rehabilitates and enables the wounded to belong to a group of equal people and undergo a significant process both personally and as a group. The programme provides a unique toolbox to succeed with the day-today life chores and assignments and developing relationships. This programme is conducted in partnership with Tao Therapy College lead by Dr Avi Mizrahi, who is the leading institution in Israel for the 12 Step Programme. As part of the programme there are over 30 weekly sessions, 5 hours long each. During these sessions, the participants undergo all the steps and learn how to regain their strength with each step and complete their assignments.
Ohad Roisenblatt, member of Beit Halochem “It is not about where and when you were injured, it’s about how you’re trying to overcome your difficulties. I am a different person than who I was before and it takes time to understand what it means and that’s PTSD, the difference between what you were and who you are now. Beit Halochem played a significant role in helping me achieve this.”
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Lower Ground Floor 7 Golders Park Close London, NW11 7QR Charity Reg No 1146950
www.bhuk.org info@bhuk.org | 020 8 458 2455
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