Since the outbreak of the Hamas-Israel war nearly 14 months ago, the scope of the loss of life, along with the thousands of young people who have been permanently injured, has been truly staggering . In our small nation, the ripple effect of each tragedy is felt by family, friends, even neighbors and colleagues. We all know someone who has been directly impacted.

And tragically, the numbers only continue to grow. Several times a week, sometimes even several times a day, our phones light up with a news alert bearing the words hutar l’pirsum, “cleared for publication.” We grimace in anguish, knowing that this means that more names have been added to the list of the fallen; and then we click in trepidation, unsure whether the latest casualties will be someone we know. Regardless of an actual connection with the fallen hero, we know they are someone’s son or daughter, an entire world extinguished.  

But alongside almost every military death is one or more serious casualties, often overlooked in the media coverage, perhaps because the scope of those injured is so staggeringly high and there is only so much we can take as a nation. Each injured individual is not a mere statistic, but a vibrant person forever transformed, either physically or emotionally, by the harsh realities of war. According to the most recently released data from Israel’s Defense Ministry, about 15,000 soldiers have been added to the rolls of those under the care of the ministry’s rehabilitation department. Slightly more than half of these are young people between the ages of 18 to 30. Of those newly recognized as eligible for treatment, approximately 66% were physically wounded and about 43% have had severe emotional trauma. 

In short, the country is facing the need to provide treatment and support on a scale that is hard to fathom. Rehabilitation centers and hospitals have been overwhelmed with patients and the subsequent outpatient need for services in the long term will be very significant. Responding to these needs will require a massive shift of resources and the design of an enhanced rehabilitation infrastructure. It will also demand a change in our national mindset to how we accept people with disabilities in our society.

Prior to this war, according to a recent report by the Brookdale Institute, approximately 18% of the population in Israel were people with disabilities. There is no disputing that mainstream society would often look upon this community with compassion, but that is not enough. 

As someone who has lived in Israel for more than 40 years and as president of the nonprofit Israel Elwyn, which provides support services for individuals with disabilities, I can attest that over each new decade, people with disabilities have become more and more integrated and visible in our society. This has largely been achieved due to career training and job placement programs funded by government and which organizations such as ours have operated for many years. This includes providing support and vocational training to the person with a disability, but also, just as importantly, preparing the workplace and the employer.

But now, as a society, we must commit to a national mission to be inclusive and accepting of one another.

We must provide the tools for people with disabilities to empower themselves, ensuring that they receive the resources and support needed to thrive, regardless of whether their disability was from birth or as a result of a later medical issue or injury. For many years, for example, we at Israel Elwyn have worked on initiatives to help empower persons with disabilities to be able to advocate for themselves. This involves making sure they have accessible information to make their own decisions and to demand their rights. Today’s awareness campaign by individuals who have been trained in our “Spokespersons Group” is a good example of how self-advocates are trying to make public transit more accessible — and, no less important, more pleasant for them — by providing tips for drivers and inspectors on public transit as to how be partners in this effort. 

Inclusion is also multifaceted. When we hear the word disability, we often associate it with physical limitations. A wheelchair is the internationally accepted icon for disability, which leads us to think that most disabilities are mobility-related. In reality, mobility is only one challenge and only affects a certain (albeit a significant) percentage of the community. Disability can also be cognitive, emotional or sensory, and the challenges associated with those disabilities must be addressed as well to open up opportunities for all. For example, making internet sites less confusing and providing accessibility for those with visual impairments is a critical modern need. Dedicated to making employment sites accessible in every way, Israel Elwyn developed a guide in simplified language which explains the rights and obligations of employees under Israeli labor law.

This war will drastically increase the number of people with disabilities among our communities and our families. Certainly the most notable cases will be the soldiers with external wounds, including very serious ones, but tens of thousands of others will face emotional disabilities that will require many years of intervention if not lifelong care.

This massive challenge must also be viewed as an opportunity to finally recognize that people with disabilities can be part and parcel of us. Certainly, they live with daily challenges, but they are also vibrant and committed members of our greater society. Although Israel has made great strides in recent years, improving accessibility and developing community-based inclusion programs, the trail has largely been blazed by advocates and self-advocates who have demanded to be seen, heard and counted. It should be noted that the true “disability” in our society is when a place, activity or information is not adequately accessible for all. Proper accessibility — whether physical, cognitive, sensory or something else — eliminates the limitation and, hence, the disability.

As a society, we often create impediments to inclusion, and we can remove them. That is our task and our obligation. This war makes the need more critical; but if we succeed, it will benefit not only our brave soldiers who have paid such a massive price with their sacrifices, but indeed all of us.  

David B. Marcu is the president of Israel Elwyn after serving for 25 years as its CEO. He received the 2021 Sylvan Adams Nefesh B’Nefesh Bonei Zion Prize for Community & Non-Profit, and has served on the boards of The Network of Jewish Human Services Agencies, the International Association of Jewish Vocational Services, the Civic Leadership organization in Israel, the Israel Council for Social Welfare and others.