Not just a thank you: IDF wounded also need work
More than 26,000 soldiers have been wounded since the outbreak of the Iron Swords war. For their successful long-term rehabilitation, integration into the labor market is as critical as medical care.
In days when public discourse is almost constantly occupied with the question of conscription, the burden of service, and the distribution of responsibility among parts of Israeli society, there is one public that is sometimes left out of the frame: those who have already paid the heaviest price. More than 26,000 soldiers have been wounded since the outbreak of the Iron Swords war. Thousands of them are dealing with complex physical injuries, and many others with mental injuries, trauma, and post-trauma. The State of Israel invests, and rightly so, significant resources in medical treatment, rehabilitation, and mental support. But there is one critical component that sometimes does not receive the proper attention: returning to work.
The natural tendency is to view employment as an economic issue — a source of livelihood, salary, and stability. But for IDF wounded, work is much more than that. It is part of the rehabilitation process. Anyone who was a fighter, a commander, or a reservist became accustomed to a life that has meaning, responsibility, and a sense of belonging. The injury does not only harm the body or the soul — many times it also undermines identity. A person who was used to waking up in the morning and knowing they are essential, suddenly finds themselves outside the circle of activity. Precisely at this point, the workplace becomes one of the most important spaces in the recovery process. It restores routine, a sense of capability, and daily human interaction. It allows a person to feel again part of a community, part of a team, and part of a society that believes in them.
It is not by chance that rehabilitation experts around the world emphasize that integration into employment is one of the central indicators for the success of the long-term rehabilitation process. A person who works does not just earn a salary — they regain confidence, independence, and hope.
However, this is where the real challenge begins. The labor market of 2026 is not simple even for workers without limitations. Many companies are streamlining, artificial intelligence processes are changing entire professions, and the economy is dealing with ongoing uncertainty. For someone returning from an injury, sometimes with a physical, mental, or cognitive limitation, re-entering the labor market becomes an especially complex task.
Therefore, the responsibility cannot be placed only on the wounded person themselves. The State of Israel knows how to mobilize reservists at record speed when it needs them. It must also know how to mobilize employers, the business sector, and public systems when those fighters need them. Israeli society talks a lot about mutual responsibility. This is its true moment of testing — not just with applause, not just in ceremonies, and not just in posts on social networks, but in the readiness to open a door, create an opportunity, and give trust.
Precisely now, when the public debate is occupied with the question of who will be drafted and who will bear the burden, it is important to also remember those who have already borne the burden, those who left part of their body or soul on the battlefield and are trying to rebuild their lives. Our debt to them does not end on the day of discharge from the hospital or at the end of the medical rehabilitation process. It continues on the day after as well. The ability of IDF wounded to return to dream, to create, to earn a living, and to feel again part of society is sometimes the only way to return to life.
Einat Macmory Aharon is a partner at the Portland Foundation and a co-founder of Oz VeRuach.
