Have you ever wondered what Israeli soldiers and victims of terror can do to help heal their trauma or PTSD?
Have you ever seen a small child in a wheelchair and wished they could feel the freedom of running?
Have you ever wished you could bring calm to a person with extreme anxiety or disability?
One very powerful way is through equine therapy, and I am seeking your support on my journey to provide that service. My name is Sarah Ertel. I made Aliyah from Pittsburgh, PA just over two years ago, and here is part of my story.
Just a few weeks before October 7th, I moved to the Rehabilitation Center of Adi Negev to start my year of volunteer national service. In the south of Israel at Adi Negev, I chose to work with children and adults with special needs and disabilities in the therapeutic riding stables. In my own life, I have experienced the power and therapeutic effect of horse therapy. Little did I know that our country and the Israeli people would need all the help they could muster. Just 15 kilometers from Gaza, as bombs of war shook the windows, Adi Negev continued to serve the full-time residents and has now become an important center for many victims of the attack.
I did not have family to go to when the war broke out. As many of the other Bat Sherut girls left Adi for the comfort and protection of their homes, I stayed in the village and cared for the horses being escorted by our brave soldiers in those first weeks of the war . As one of few lone Bat Sherut to ever be at Adi and the only English speaker, I was able to add to my service by hosting the many JNF tours that came to volunteer in the wake of the war. My commitment to the vision of Adi Negev was recognized by the staff, and I was recommended for an Equine Therapy Certification course. It is now that I turn to supportive community members to help me continue this important work.
I have been attending an intensive therapeutic riding course at ALL4Horse in the north of Israel. As a new immigrant with developing Hebrew skills, the challenge of keeping up with concentrated course work in anatomy, psychology, physiology and riding theory all in Hebrew has been extremely challenging.What motivates me are the firsthand stories and experiences of healing, rehabilitation, behavioral, cognitive, and emotional transformations that have taken place through therapeutic riding. I have had to push myself hard to keep up in a new language, but learning techniques to help those with ptsd, anxiety, depression, amputees, and those with mobility limitations. Pushes me to put in the work. As the physical and emotional tolls from the Iron Swords War rise higher and higher, the demand for therapeutic services is becoming more urgent
With your sponsorship and support, I can put myself through the first stage of this therapeutic treatment course. I plan to achieve my certification hours at Adi Negev during my second year as a volunteer, a place where many people are coming together to heal, rehabilitate, and improve the population of Israel’s southern community. Choosing to invest in helping to make my ambitions a reality is a direct impact on that goal and the people of Israel.
Thank you so much and may we all have a year of healing.
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