How do you recover from extensive, debilitating injuries when your home is hours from the hospital?

Yonatan P., a platoon commander, was conducting what was supposed to be a planned raid against Hamas militants in Gaza last December.

Then, a missile hit.

Yonatan was conscious but severely injured, wounded by shrapnel in his torso, thighs, arms, and foot. If not for the platoon physician and tourniquets, Yonatan might have died.

After evacuation from the site and 10 hours of surgery at Tel HaShomer Hospital, Yonatan required lengthy rehabilitation — but the hospital is hours away from his home in the far south of Israel. But a solution emerged.

A UJA grantee, Brothers for Life knows that many wounded soldiers face the same logistical challenge as Yonatan. So they purchased an apartment next to the hospital to house up to five soldiers during months of daily rehabilitation — or to provide refuge to families while loved ones are in critical care units.   

Now, with funding from UJA, they’ve renovated the apartment to make it wheelchair accessible, so they can better serve the soldiers.

Yonatan was the first soldier to stay in the apartment, but he won’t be the last.

Brothers for Life created a sanctuary for soldiers to rehabilitate and rest — and will continue to help soldiers recover long after their wounds have healed.