For the past three weeks, Israelis have almost become accustomed to the sights of destruction and carnage left by the scars of missile strikes. This morning, we awoke to those sites in Southern Israel in the city of Dimona made famous for being the home to the Negev Nuclear Research Center. Piles of rubble from damaged buildings mixed with twisted metal and shattered glass from cars that lined the dusty streets tell the tale of a night of horror and havoc. Thankfully this scene claimed no lives, but the damage will take the local population a while to recover from.
On the backdrop of destruction stepped President Isaac and First Lady Michal Herzog arrived to witness firsthand the aftermath and to meet those working quietly, and relentlessly, to help a shaken community along the long road of recovery.
Among them was Efrat Suissa, a senior volunteer in United Hatzalah’s Psychotrauma and Crisis Response Unit. Standing near the impact site, she spoke with the President about a different kind of emergency response. One that does not treat physical wounds, but those that linger beneath the surface.
Efrat Suissa, the widow of Yoel Suissa, Z”L, a United Hatzalah Volunteer who died in a car accident, has become a pillar of strength for others in moments of acute distress. Following her family’s personal tragedy, Efrat, who by profession is a social worker, decided to become certified by United Hatzalah as a member of the specialized Psychotrauma Unit.
Upon hearing the news of the initial impact over United Hatzalah’s dispatch system, she moved swiftly to the emergency to provide critical psychological first aid to those caught in the chaos.
“I arrived at the scene and provided initial care to an elderly woman and several children,” she recounted. “From there, I continued to the emergency response centers, where we carried on delivering support. Even now, we are still here, continuing to provide the necessary care.”
Her work, like that of dozens of volunteers in the unit, extends far beyond the initial moments after impact. It is a sustained effort to stabilize, to listen, and to gently guide individuals back from the edge of shock and fear.
A central part of that effort, particularly in the hours following traumatic events, is the use of therapy animals. Alongside fellow volunteer Tzofit, Suissa described how they are able to communicate with panic stricken victims through the comfort and care provided by these specially trained canines.
“We meet people who are having difficulty speaking or processing what they’ve experienced,” she explained. “For some, simply sitting with the dog, touching them, creates a sense of calm. From there, we can begin the process of emotional regulation and support.”
The interaction is subtle, but powerful. In the presence of a calm, responsive animal, barriers begin to lower. Children who moments earlier were inconsolable find a point of focus. Adults who struggle to articulate their fear begin, slowly, to engage. It is, both literally and figuratively, a bridge over troubled waters.
President Herzog’s visit to Dimona was not his first encounter with this aspect of United Hatzalah’s work. Just over a week ago, he and the First Lady visited the organization’s national headquarters, where they met with volunteers from the Psychotrauma Unit, including Tzofit and her service dog, Fiona. That meeting offered a glimpse into the structured, highly trained approach behind what can appear, at first glance, as simple acts of compassion.
There is, however, an additional layer of resonance to this encounter. In January 2026, a few weeks following the Chanukah Massacre at Bondi Beach in Sydney, President Herzog traveled to Australia to stand with a grieving community. While in Sydney the President heard firsthand accounts of how United Hatzalah’s Psychotrauma and Crisis Response Unit dispatched a delegation of volunteers to Sydney, providing emotional and psychological first aid to victims and residents in shock.
Today, once again the President and First Lady heard how this specialized unit is deployed and what the impact of the human connection is to emotionally stabilize victims in the critical hours after trauma.
That shared experience, across continents and crises, underscores the growing recognition that emergency response does not end with physical care. It extends into the psychological domain, where recovery is often more complex and more enduring.
In Dimona, amid the wreckage of a single night, United Hatzalah’s mission was on full display. Not in dramatic gestures, but in steady presence. In the quiet conversations held softly between care giver, a dog named Fiona, and those who experienced Iranian threat up close and personal.
