Advocate Edan Kleiman, Chairman of the Zahal (IDF) Disabled Veterans Organization (Irgun Nechei Zahal), said that according to Defense Ministry projections, Israel will have more than 100,000 wounded soldiers by 2030. He added that more than 17,000 soldiers have been wounded in the Swords of Iron War.
Kleiman, who was critically wounded while serving in the Givati Brigade in 1992 in an encounter with terrorists in Khan Younis, said that he survived due to the assistance of others. “I made it back because others walked beside me,” he said.
Kleiman shared that the organization’s Beit Halochem network of rehabilitation and community centers are “sanctuaries of hope” that enable the wounded to return to daily life. “We have only one mission,” he said, “which is to rehabilitate our heroes and help them return to their families and friends as positive and contributing citizens.”
There are currently four Bet Halochem centers in Israel, offering more than 450 programs that welcome an average of 16,000 veterans daily. Kleiman added that a fifth center will be added in Ashdod in the next year and a half.
During his remarks, Kleiman announced the reestablishment of the Friends of Irgun Nechei Zahal USA organization and the appointment of Mr. Sam Zussman as its chair. He then presented Zussman with the Jerusalem Post Award for volunteer heroism, citing “his courageous volunteer spirit, his unwavering support for our wounded warriors, and his extraordinary ability to turn compassion into lasting impact.”
Kleiman introduced three distinguished IDF veterans who were wounded during the Swords of Iron War – Staff Sergeant Yossi Karsenty, Captain Liam Spielman, and Sergeant Noam Shapira, and invited all 19 wounded IDF warriors in the Nechai Zahal delegation to stand. “These men and women faced the unimaginable—and chose to rise again,” he said. “Each of them is a living reminder that resilience is not an idea—it is a decision. A fight. A choice to live again.”
The Disabled Veterans Organization, “said Kleiman,” does much more than healing injuries. We restore dignity, confidence, and purpose.”
This article was written as part of media coverage of the Jerusalem Post’s New York Conference