This week, almost 200,000 Israe- li children received new back- packs and went on outings before they enter first grade on September 1 – a very ordinary event. But what occurred in Jerusalem’s Bloomfield Science Museum was extraordinary, thanks to the OneFamily organiza- tion, which supports families – wives, husbands, parents, siblings, grand- parents, and more – of terror victims and those who have fallen in war.

The nonprofit was founded after the August 9, 2001, terror attack in which 22-year-old suicide bomber Izz al-Din al-Masri blew himself up at a Sbarro branch in downtown Jerusa- lem, killing 15 people and wounding more than 130.

OneFamily was founded by Marc Belzberg, a prominent Canadi- an-born businessman, and his Bel- gian-born wife, Chantal. They have seven children. Their daughter Michal, who was then 12 years old and is now 35 and married with chil- dren, was preparing to celebrate her bat mitzvah in Jerusalem when she heard the news of the suicide bomb-ing and insisted that her parents can- cel the large party that the family had planned. Instead, she decided to donate all the monetary gifts she received to help the survivors and the families of the victims. She also asked that friends and relatives donate to the fund instead of bringing presents.

The Belzbergs came on aliyah and turned the fund into a charitable organization that rapidly raised money for victims of terrorism direct- ed against Israeli civilians and sol- diers who have fallen in war.

The family donated $100,000, did some Internet advertising, and hired a firm to help decide on a name. Within six months, it amassed $2 mil- lion from an outpouring of support from Jewish communities around the world. The world was waiting for some way to help Israel, and this pro- vided the mechanism, Marc recalled.

Chantal told In Jerusalem that “when we give a backpack to bereaved children starting first grade, we are not just preparing them for school; we are wrapping them in love, in memory, and in belonging.

We are saying: ‘Your story matters.’ And we will be here to carry the weight with you. This simple act becomes a bridge between loss and hope, between sorrow and strength.

Healing doesn’t happen in isolation; it happens in connection, in com- munity, and in moments like these, when we remind each other that even through heartbreak, there is still love, still pride, and still a future worth walking toward.”

OneFamily offers a comprehensive menu of therapeutic programs, and medical, financial, and legal help suited to each family member and is delivered in a family atmosphere of trust and togetherness. There is an array of therapeutic programs designed for orphans, bereaved parents and siblings, widows and widowers, and the wounded them- selves. OneFamily advocates for and assists victims in accessing entitle- ments from government and official sources.

Chantal said that OneFamily offers the relevant families rehabilitation programs and therapeutic assistance as long as it is needed. Its centers serve as “safe spaces” for victims and their families, ensuring that they always have a place to go where they can feel at home. The national headquarters is a three-story house on Rachel Imenu Street in the capi- tal’s Greek Colony.

“The first year or so, I was very active,” Marc said, “but it became too much to handle, too painful. My wife has more emotional strength than I do – she can cry and laugh, cry and laugh again.”

AS ISRAEL’S largest national support organization for bereaved families, OneFamily holds an annual ceremo- ny in the summer for children from bereaved families who are about to begin first grade and supports their families as well.

In addition to the backpacks and organized fun events for the children before school starts, they invite sib- lings, parents, and grandparents – all those who carry this grief together – to participate. This year’s event brought together 400 participants at the Bloomfield Science Museum in Jerusalem, which was open only for them, for a full day of customized activities for all the bereaved.

The goal of the event was to empower these children and cele- brate this significant milestone. It included science workshops and educational activities to make them smile and provide a positive learning experience.

Tzeela Gez was murdered by a terrorist in May while en route to the hospital to give birth to her fourth child. One of her children is entering first grade in the fall. For children throughout Israel, this is a major milestone, as the jump from preschool to elementary education frameworks is significant.

Shir Elmaliach, the widow of 30-year-old Gilad Elmaliach, who fell in southern Lebanon last year while serving in the reserves after being called up on Oct. 7, told In Jerusalem: “The emotions are mixed. The organization is preparing the ground for us, for the moment when our child goes to first grade without his father. It embraces us and stands by us through every moment. The backpack itself isn’t really the point; maybe it’s the metaphorical “‘bag- gage’ we’ll carry for life. But the sym- bolism is powerful, and the event is beautiful and moving.”

A Torah scholar who studied con-struction engineering, and a wonder- ful father, Gilad “had a great soul,” Shir said. “He went to the reserves joyfully. Despite our family challeng- es of raising five children – the oldest is nine and the youngest a baby – he was happy to give of himself to the country, with full faith in God, because he believed we are part of something much bigger, on a path toward redemption.”

Shir first met OneFamily volunteers when they went to the shiva, and then they reappeared a few weeks later offering any help. No organi- zation had given them a list of the fallen; they searched for the families and arrived unasked.

Tzofia Engelman, wife of Yishai Engelman, who was critically wound-ed in the war a year ago, said: “My daughter is six, starting first grade, and OneFamily organized this event especially for children who’ve been through so much and are now facing this major milestone. They also made sure her siblings didn’t feel left out. They understood I couldn’t come to the event with just one child – we all had to be together. My daughter is so excited – and so are we.”

After several hospital stays during Yishai’s rehabilitation, “we arrived at Hadassah Medical Center on Mount Scopus, where OneFamily volunteers greeted us with warm smiles, expla- nations, and deep empathy. They helped us begin this stage, and they haven’t left our side since. They’ve been with us for birthdays, work- shops, and activities for the kids – no one else sees them as children of a wounded soldier who need extra care and attention. They’re even helping us plan our daughter’s upcoming bat mitzvah. As the wife of a wounded soldier, there is a support system for him, but sometimes the family gets left behind.”

“OUR ACTIVITIES have almost tripled since Oct. 7,” Chantal said. “Our cen- ters have on-site psychologists, grief counselors, and therapists who are trained in trauma counseling. We provide daily classes and workshops. Our Bayit Cham Welcome Centers in Beersheba, Ra’anana, and Jeru- salem give a sense of warmth, fam- ily, and celebration of life. We hold their hand every step of the way, rekindling hope and rebuilding the future.”

At first, “volunteers have to per- suade the families that the week-long camps we provide can help them by enabling them to meet other kids like them. OneFamily hopes to receive more funding from the government than the small amount we have been receiving, but we also work hard to get donors. We train volunteers to work with families from Metulla to Eilat,” Chantal said.

The organization provides every- thing from cash, furniture, and toys to therapy, psychological assistance, day camps, retreats, and friendship to all who are eligible and want it. “When we made the decision to real- ly take on this responsibility, we knew that the OneFamily name would be the guiding principle from which every plan and every difficult deci- sion would flow,” Chantal said. “At every turn, we ask ourselves, ‘Are we taking care of every person in the same way we would if they were our brothers or sisters?’”

Everyone at OneFamily takes that thought process to the forefront of their minds many times every day, she said.

“They’re part of our family.”