Brothers for Life - 2023

Who We Are

Brothers for Life (“BFL”) is a non-profit organization created and run by wounded IDF officers and based on the unique model of “injured soldiers helping newly injured soldiers.”

BFL is currently working with over 1,300 injured soldier s and their families.

Our Mission

To empower injured combat soldiers to reclaim their lives, fulfill their dreams, and continue to serve and inspire the Jewish nation.

What We Do

• From the moment an IDF soldier is injured, our hospital visitation teams deploy to the hospital to connect the soldier to BFL, assess his immediate needs, and begin the mentoring process.

• We provide critical medical support to soldiers who are severely wounded and chronically suffering, including second-opinion consults, cutting-edge medical devices, and surgeries performed by leading US physicians and surgeons.

• We provide over 25 different soldier-run programs, with a specific focus on PTSD counseling and mentoring.

• We provide comprehensive financial support, including direct financial aid, financial counseling and a free loan fund.

• We provide educational scholarships, vocational training, internships, and job placement.

• Through delegations and other programming worldwide, we inspire thousands of young Jewish students around the world with the ethical values of injured IDF soldiers who are now committed to helping their fellow soldiers.

BFL Changes Lives

• We are serving over 1,300 injured soldiers and their families, and we are adding 8 to 10 wounded veterans every month.

• 98% of our members report that BFL has markedly improved their well-being.

• 95% of our BFL members now feel more connected to their friends and family.

• 60% of our members were strongly motivated by BFL to begin academic programs.

• 68% of our members feel motivated to help other injured soldiers who are suffering.

How Can You Help?

Brothers for Life is looking for partners who want to help wounded combat soldiers reclaim their lives after injury.

The cost of rehabilitation per soldier for one year is approximately $6,000.

A group of BFL advisors has stepped forward to underwrite our administrative and fundraising costs, allowing 100% of your donation to go directly to the services and programs assisting our injured soldiers.

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Meet Our Soldiers

Below are two BFL members whose active participation in BFL programs has helped them rebuild their lives:

Emmanuel Zerah (27 years old)

Emmanuel served as a sergeant in Yahalom, the IDF’s Special Operations Engineering Unit. In 2018, a series of mass demonstrations and clashes began in Gaza. In their aftermath, the border fence would often be laced with explosives and Emmanuel’s bomb unit would be called in. Time seemed to stand still when an innocent-looking object Emmanuel was passing to his commanding officer exploded, sending deadly shrapnel through both his hands. Emmanuel was airlifted to the hospital. Emanuel lost all his fingers on his left hand, sustained shrapnel in his leg, and his hearing was severely damaged. While at the hospital, a Brothers for Life team met him and assured him that they would help him and his family through his recovery and beyond.

Today, Emanuel lives in Jerusalem with his wife, Miriam, whom he met after rehabilitation. With the help of an academic scholarship from BFL, he is now an electrical engineering student at the Hebrew University. In 2022, Emmanuel was flown twice to Dubai as part of BFL’s Medical Project, where his hand was restored with custom-made prosthetic fingers. Emmanuel has the fine motor skills to do many of the things he did before his injury. He now devotes his free time to relearn how to play the guitar, which was his passion before his injury.

Or Barby (29 years old)

As a first sergeant in Egoz, a special commando unit, Or took part in many active combat missions within Gaza. During Operation Protective Edge, he saw 30 of his unit members wounded and three of them killed. After his military service, Or began to suffer from nightmares, flashbacks, insomnia, anxiety attacks, and depression, and his life started to spiral downhill. Therapy and medication weren’t helping, and when he was unable to stop his nightmares, Or attempted to avoid sleeping for a year and a half. That landed him in a psychiatric hospital. When he was diagnosed with severe PTSD, a military friend urged him to join Brothers for Life.

Or began the process of healing by allowing others to re-enter his life and help him. As a powerlifter, Or joined BFL’s MMA project, where he fell in love with the sport again. Or is the current Israeli champion. He worked with BFL’s “Dogs for Fighters” project to train his German Shepherd to be his therapy dog. He graduated with honors in social sciences from Yezreel Valley College. Today, Or lives in a small village in the north of Israel with his fiancée Adi. With the financial assistance of BFL, he purchased equipment for the exercise studio he owns and leads a workout project for other injured soldiers from BFL. He no longer needs to take medication.