No One Left Behind: Urgent Need for Mental Health Action in Israel

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Yesterday, we were heartbroken to learn of the tragic passing of Shirel Golan z”l, a 22-year-old survivor of the October 7th Nova music festival massacre. Shirel, who endured unimaginable trauma on that terrible day, succumbed to her emotional wounds on her 22nd birthday. The immense weight of her trauma and the lack of timely, effective mental health care became unbearable. Her brother, Eyal Golan, shared his anguish, writing that she was “murdered twice by the State of Israel”: once on October 7th, 2023, when her spirit was shattered, and again on October 20th, 2024, when her life ended due to the untreated effects of her trauma.

This devastating event underscores the dire need for urgent mental health care in Israel, not only for trauma survivors but for those suffering from other mental illnesses as well. While Shirel’s story is one of severe PTSD after the terror attack, it reflects a broader crisis in Israel’s mental health care system. This crisis leaves far too many without the support they need for mental health conditions such as depression, anxiety, and other disorders. Mental health illnesses, including trauma-related disorders, must be treated with the same seriousness and urgency as physical illnesses.

Tens if not hundreds of thousands of survivors like Shirel are battling severe emotional scars, as are many others who suffer from depression, anxiety, and other mental health disorders. Tragically, the mental health care system in Israel is failing to meet their needs, leaving many to suffer in silence. As Eyal so poignantly noted, had survivors like his sister received even 5% of the care and attention given to the families of hostages, Shirel might still be with us today. Her death was preventable, but the systemic failure to provide proper mental health care when it was urgently needed made survival impossible.

Mental Health Care in Crisis: Addressing Trauma and Other Mental Illnesses

Shirel’s passing highlights the tragic consequences of the gaps in Israel’s mental health system. Survivors of trauma, like her, as well as individuals suffering from other mental health conditions, often face long waiting lists for therapy or psychiatric care. But those suffering from mental health issues—whether it’s trauma, depression, anxiety, or any other mental illness—cannot afford to wait. Mental illness must be treated on par with physical illness. Just as a person having a heart attack would not be asked to wait weeks or months for care, those experiencing mental health crises require immediate intervention.

Trauma and other mental illnesses cannot be put on hold. Emotional wounds can be as deadly as physical ones if left untreated. Survivors of trauma and those suffering from serious mental health conditions need consistent, accessible care, not endless delays. The current system is leaving far too many people—especially those affected by the traumatic events of October 7th—to suffer alone, without the support they need to heal.

Grassroots Action: A Call for Immediate Community Support

While Israel’s mental health system struggles to meet the overwhelming demand, we cannot wait for the government to fix everything. Grassroots action is urgently needed to support those suffering from trauma and other mental health conditions, ensuring they receive the care they need before it’s too late.

Here are several key areas where immediate grassroots action can make a difference:

1. Crisis-response networks for Survivors and Individuals with Mental Illness
   Communities can organize hotlines, peer support networks, and crisis response teams that offer immediate, accessible help to those experiencing mental health crises, whether due to trauma or other mental illnesses like depression or anxiety. Quick-response mental health professionals or trained volunteers can be a lifeline for those who feel they have nowhere to turn. These resources must be made available urgently as we respond to physical health crises.
2. Accessible Mental Health Care—Without Delays
   Mental health care, including treatment for trauma and other mental illnesses, should never involve waiting months for help. Grassroots efforts can push for policy changes that reduce waiting times and ensure mental health care is as readily available as physical health care. It’s crucial to continue advocating for more government funding and resources for mental health services. People in crisis cannot afford to wait.
3. Holistic and Peer-Led Healing Programs
   Healing from trauma, depression, anxiety, and other mental health conditions doesn’t only happen in a therapist’s office. Holistic healing programs, including art therapy, movement therapy, and peer-led support groups, provide alternative pathways for healing and processing emotions. These kinds of programs can be organized at the community level, allowing survivors and others to explore a variety of healing approaches.
4. Education on Trauma and Mental Illness
   Many people who struggle with mental illness or trauma feel isolated, partly because those around them may not recognize the signs or understand what they are going through. Communities need education on how to identify and support people struggling with PTSD, depression, and other mental health disorders. When we educate families and communities about the realities of mental health challenges, we create a more compassionate, supportive environment.
5. Support for Families of Trauma and Mental Illness Survivors
   Families, like Shirel’s, are often deeply affected when a loved one struggles with mental illness or trauma. They carry the weight of trying to help but often feel powerless without proper guidance. Grassroots efforts can create family support programs, offering resources and strategies to help family members navigate the challenges of supporting a loved one with mental health issues. No family should feel alone in this fight.

Mental Health on Par with Physical Health: The Time for Change is Now

Trauma and mental illness are as real and as dangerous as physical illnesses, and they must be treated with the same urgency and care. Shirel’s passing is a painful reminder that, without access to timely and appropriate mental health care, lives will continue to be lost. Whether it’s trauma from a terrorist attack, depression from ongoing life struggles, or severe anxiety, these mental health challenges require immediate attention—just as physical ailments do.

We must demand that mental health care be seen as essential and that mental illnesses such as PTSD, depression, and anxiety be treated as urgently as a broken bone or a life-threatening infection. Until the government takes action to make this care available on demand, we cannot sit idly by. Grassroots initiatives must step in to bridge the gap, ensuring that survivors like Shirel and countless others receive the help they need when they need it.

Honoring Shirel’s Legacy: No More Lives Lost to Mental Illness

Shirel Golan’s passing is a tragedy that should never have happened. Her story, like the stories of so many others who have succumbed to untreated mental illness or trauma, must spur us into action. We cannot afford to lose more lives to a system that treats mental health as a secondary concern. We must advocate for a world where mental health care is available without delay where people in crisis are treated with the same urgency as those suffering from physical ailments.

As Kohelet, which we read this past Shabbat teaches:

“עת לבכות ועת לשחוק, עת ספוד ועת רקוד”
“There is a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance.”
(קהלת ג:ד)

This is a time for mourning—for Shirel, for the over 1,200 lives lost on October 7th, including 38 children, and for the 101 hostages who remain in captivity. But it must also be a time for action. We must honor Shirel’s memory and the memory of others by ensuring that mental health care is treated on par with physical health care. Whether through government reform or grassroots support, we must work toward a future where no one is left behind in their struggle with trauma, depression, or any other mental illness.

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Shirel Golan z”l, יהי זכרך ברוך. May your memory be a blessing and a call to action, reminding us of the urgent need to treat mental health with the same seriousness, urgency, and care we give to physical health.