Our Mission: Creating Healing Experiences for Israeli Reservists
After the horrific events that took place on October 7th, Sayeret Golani has over 1,500 reserve soldiers that have left their families and homes to protect the frontlines and defend the State of Israel and the Jewish people.
The Yair Foundation is creating Nature-based Therapeutic Retreats for these elite infantry reservists who have been thrust into conflict zones with unprecedented urban warfare and haven't had the time and space to adequately recover or find support to process what they've been through.
The Yair Foundation’s mission is to provide IDF reservists a safe, restorative environment far from the conflict in Israel to rest, process their experiences, and to acquire the emotional tools to support re-engagement into civilian life in a positive, healthy, and constructive manner. The therapeutic group experience in a natural setting, provides reservists with the opportunity to share their experiences with each other in an emotionally safe and calm environment, to process emotional fatigue loss of friends and family and physical impacts of engaging in battle while supported and guided by professionals.
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Why We Do It
The Benefits of Nature-based Therapy
Nature-based therapy (also known as Ecotherapy) is a promising complementary approach for treating combat-related stress, anxiety and PTSD among veterans. Through activities such as guided hikes, horticulture therapy, and nature retreats, nature therapy has been demonstrated to alleviate stress, relieve symptoms of post-traumatic stress, and foster overall mental well-being. For IDF soldiers, this therapy offers a non-clinical, grounded environment for processing trauma and reconnecting with a sense of inner peace. Given the sustained impact of conflict on the mental health of IDF soldiers, nature therapy can help mitigate the lingering effects of trauma, support family reintegration, and aid in maintaining stability in daily life and employment.
Post-Combat Early Intervention
Prolonged exposure to high-stress combat environments increases the risk of PTSD, depression, and severe anxiety among soldiers. These impacts extend beyond the individual, affecting spouses, children, and other family members, who also experience the stress and uncertainty tied to these deployments. Many reservists struggle to balance lengthy reserve duties with civilian employment, emphasizing the urgent need for trauma-informed, supportive interventions tailored to the experiences of IDF veterans, reservists and active-duty soldiers.
I fought with the Sayeret Golani unit of the Golani Brigade in the 1982 First Lebanon War, and I am familiar with the after-effects of battle experiences. Post-service support at that time was minimal. Although no stranger to the toll that war can take on soldiers, I've witnessed the unprecedented impact of the current War of Iron Swords in Gaza and incursions against Hezbollah in Lebanon. In this conflict, the longest since the War of Independence, soldiers spend extended periods in battle zones, living in constant fear, enduring sleepless nights, witnessing both injuries and deaths of comrades and the unfortunate impacts on Gaza civilians.
Reflecting on my experiences, I began formulating the Yair Foundation, a program that I wish had existed when I was 22, returning from Lebanon: A sanctuary away from conflict, where battle-fatigued soldiers can rest, recharge, and find peace with their experiences, facilitating their process of reintegration into society and equip themselves with healthy ways to move forward. "
- Micha Lang, Founder, Yair Foundation
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Our Nature-based Retreats
Over the course of a week, 14 Israeli reservists will participate in a Nature-Based Therapeutic Group Retreat in the quiet and serene setting of the Finger Lakes region of New York State. During the week, participants will be supported and guided by two social work professionals from NATAL, an Israeli organization with extensive experience in providing mental health support to victims of trauma, who will accompany them throughout the retreat. Activities will include nature walks, group discussion and sharing sessions, meditation, equine and horticultural therapy, and a visit to Niagara Falls.
Healing Through Nature
A wealth of studies has demonstrated that nature experience is associated with psychological well-being. These include investigations of single as well as cumulative occasions of nature contact and range from experimental to observational designs. The forms of association include evidence that links nature experience with increased positive affect; happiness and subjective well-being; positive social interactions, cohesion, and engagement; a sense of meaning and purpose in life; improved manageability of life tasks; and decreases in mental distress. . .
(Bratman, G. et al. Nature and mental health: An ecosystem service perspective. Sci. Adv. 2019; 5 : 24 July 2019 (AAAS))
To learn more about research on the value and Impact of Healing Through Nature, please visit this page
2025 GOAL
Serve 56 Reservists at 4 retreats
2025 Retreat Schedule:
May 4 - 10
August 10 - 16
October 12-18
November 16-22
We need your help to raise $320,000 by Spring 2025 to fund these 4 retreats
Basic costs of each Group Retreat of 14 reservists and 2 professionals include:
Airfare from and to Israel
Ground transportation
Room & board at Peace Weavers, a retreat center in the Finger Lakes Region of New York state
Professional services
Participating in activities at the EquiCenter, a non-profit ranch that provides therapeutic equine and horticulture programs, in conjunction with US military veterans.
A group trip to Niagara Falls
Who We Serve: Sayeret Golani Reservists
Our initial participants for our retreats are reservists of Sayeret Golani, the elite reconnaissance commando unit of the Golani Brigade.
After the surprise attack on Israel in October 2023, the Golani Brigade has fought in many battles in the War of Iron Swords. On October 7-8, 2023 the Golani Brigade played a central role in stopping the terrorist attack led by Hamas, in so doing, the brigade lost 72 soldiers ─ 42 from the 13th Battalion and 30 from the 51st Battalion.(Source: Swords of Iron: IDF Casualties Ministry of Foreign Affairs ) Since then, the Brigade has taken part in the ground operations in Gaza and Lebanon.
Golani Brigade soldiers have fought in many battles, focusing on special operations, including the Nukiv operation (1962), the Battle of Tel Facher in the Six-Day War (1967), the Battle of the Mount Hermon (1973), the Entebbe operation (1976), the Battle of the Beaufort (1982), Operation Defensive Shield in Ramallah (2002), and the current Swords of Iron War operations within Gaza and Lebanon since 2023.
What is Sayeret Golani?
Golani is one of the IDF’s oldest and most prestigious infantry brigades. Its elite unit, ‘Sayeret Golani’, was established three months before the founding of the State of Israel and has played an integral role in every Israeli military conflict, including the War of Independence, Six-Day War, Yom Kippur War, the Lebanon Wars and now the War of Iron Swords. Sayeret Golani uses a grueling selection process. Upon completion of the selection phase, potential commandos are trained in a vast array of necessary skills. Training lasts about a year and four months and only the most capable soldiers graduate to be Sayeret Golani warriors.
After weeks of combat in Gaza and our rushed discharge, I returned home in the most unimaginable condition. We didn't have our usual service ending ceremony, and I didn't have a chance to say goodbye to my buddies. We drove across the border into Israel, returned our gun, protective vest, helmet and gear, and off we went to our respective homes. When I was invited to a retreat to process my war experiences with my fellow unit friends, I knew this opportunity would give me some precious time to reflect, heal and find some closure. A group of us, along with a trained trauma counselor, flew to Greece for a week. While sitting on a sandy beach by the blue waters of the Mediterranean, we formed a strong support group and shared our experiences and the hardships we carried. We gained perspective, skills and tools to cope with what we witnessed. This journey was most uplifting, and together with my friends, gave me strength to move forward.
- Sergeant Alon (Sayeret Golani Unit Dagan,August 2021)
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Our Partners
The key to our success is our partners. Each one plays a pivotal role in our success. Please contact us if you’re interested in becoming a partner organization.
Amutat HaNamer, also known as The Flying Tiger Foundation, is a community comprising all current and former Sayeret Golani soldiers, as well as their families, including bereaved families. The organization serves the three special units within the Golani brigade of the IDF. Namer identifies and invites reservists appropriate to participate in the Yair Foundation retreats and manages related logistics in Israel.
NATAL is an apolitical non-profit organization that offers psychological and emotional treatment and support to victims of trauma due to war and terror. Since its establishment in 1998, NATAL has provided psychological assistance to individuals in Israel from all sectors of society, irrespective of age, gender and ethnicity. NATAL offers a unique model of multidisciplinary psychological support, both direct and indirect, and has affected the lives of over 500,000 people. NATAL is a recognized expert in the field of psychological trauma and aims to advance the resiliency of Israeli society. As a partner of the Yair Foundation, Natal provides professionals who run all aspects of the activities during retreats from nature hikes to group discussions. They will also accompany the participants to and from Israel.
Thunder Mountain Peace Sanctuary. Peace Weavers is a 250+ acre retreat center located in a pristine, quiet part of the Finger Lakes Region (New York) with over two decades of experience hosting a range of retreats with a health and wellness focus on both body and mind. The property also serves as a wildlife sanctuary and has a beautiful spring-fed lake, an apple orchard and forests. As a partner of the Yair Foundation, Peace Weavers hosts our retreats, providing the space for our participants and facilitators to sleep and eat as well as a nature-based and serene environment to conduct retreat activities.
NEWS
Summer 2025 Retreats
We're setting our sights high for 2025, with a commitment to run four retreats for our reservists. This ambitious goal is only possible because of supporters like you.
Every contribution, no matter the size, brings us closer to making these retreats a reality.
Spring 2025 Fundraiser in New York City
Update coming Soon
Donations of any amount are welcomed with our gratitude. Thank you for your generosity in supporting the future well-being of our reservists.
Ready to Make a Difference?
We're excited to explore how we can work together. Whether you have a specific idea in mind or want to learn more about partnership opportunities, we'd love to hear from you. Contact us today to start a conversation about how you can get involved with our cause. Let's join forces to support those who've served and create a brighter future for our reservists.
Micha Lang, Founder, Yair Foundation
Micha.lang@yairfoundation.org
+1 646-450-0535