
Offering Support to Survivors of October 7th
Written on | Israel at War, Tel Aviv University
TAU Social Work student Ella Roim works with survivors, says all Israel is helping recovery.
As Israel struggles through a war set off by one of the worst events in its history, families from victimized communities have been evacuated from their homes and are just beginning to process what they experienced. Many are staying in venues in Tel Aviv (including in the Tel Aviv University dorms), where psychologists and social workers have been brought in to help redress their needs. One such counselor is Ella Roim, a second-year master’s student at TAU’s Bob Shapell School of Social Work. She also works with at-risk girls while training as a clinical social worker for youth. When the war broke out, Roim was assigned to a Tel Aviv hotel to work with evacuated families from Sderot, a small city near the Gaza border which was already the target of constant rocket attacks for many years before terrorists infiltrated on October 7th. Calming the Chaos “The first step has been making sure the evacuees’ most basic needs are met. Food, clothing, baby formula, toiletries. Here and there, I get the chance to talk with them and hear what they’re feeling,” Roim says. She and her fellow workers’ main task thus far has been gathering donations and recruiting volunteers. Roim says that for the first few days, things were chaotic. Sderot is a community with many children, and parents are so emotionally and physically exhausted that helping the children stay calm is extremely difficult. On top of that, both children and parents are in a state of panic as they grapple with the recent trauma and with the uncertainty of when they will be able to return home—and whether their homes are even there anymore. “Right now, they feel like refugees.” During her talks with the survivors, Roim hears repeated expressions of fear and disillusionment. “We Israelis always felt that we were being kept safe, and that we could live our lives because we trusted the army. These people waited hours in fear for the IDF to show up…for them, that trust has been broken.” Some of the victims have trouble eating and sleeping, Roim says, and some continue to have flashbacks.Related posts




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