Chaim Sheba Medical Center at Tel HaShomer is the largest hospital in Israel. The Fellowship is proud to have helped fund the renovation of a building on the 200-acre campus into a new “Returning to Life” Center. This dedicated center was created for those who survived October 7 and captivity to help provide a pathway to healing after their return to Israel and everyday life.
“The idea for the center grew out of our experience after October 7. Within days of the attack, it became clear that a major part of the atrocity was the abduction of civilians. People were taken from their homes, from their beds – babies, children, elderly – and taken hostage in Gaza. Once that reality was understood, the hospital began preparing for their return,” said Returning to Life Center Director Dr. Noya Shilo.
Between November 2023 and October 2025, Sheba Medical Center has seen six groups of returned hostages. It was at this point that Dr. Noya realized how deep the need for more medical care was for these survivors. This led to the medical center being the foremost in former hostage care and recovery.
What makes this new center unique is its integration of spiritual elements into care. Dr. Noya said that she remembers survivors raising questions like, “I was always a believer, and on October 7th, God wasn’t there. Where was God?” It became clear that their spirits needed healing along with their bodies and minds. Services are held in treatment rooms with hospital rabbis on site.
“In a big hospital, there’s room for everything,” said Dr. Noya, “This is a lifelong obligation — to be with this group of people who have gone through the most terrible trauma, and to help them reunite with themselves. We will be with them for the long run and give them everything we have.”
The trauma of October 7 isn’t confined to just those who experienced the horrors firsthand; the entire nation of Israel holds collective trauma. The Returning to Life Center is by no means a temporary addition to Sheba Medical Center – it’s a long-term commitment so that the people of Israel can heal together.
“A joyful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones” (Proverbs 17:22).
