Following 21 months of relentless attacks on northern Israel, the University of Haifa has launched the “Home Again” campaign, a $60 million initiative to restore and revitalize the north through science, innovation, and data-driven research rooted in community priorities and focused on real-world outcomes.
Originally conceived to address the cascading crises that began with the Hamas-led terrorist attacks in southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, the campaign has taken on even greater urgency following direct missile strikes on Haifa and surrounding areas in recent weeks. The devastation has brought mass displacement, overwhelmed public services and deepened the strain on communities already struggling to recover from months of conflict. The campaign represents not just regional recovery but a cornerstone of Israel’s national resilience strategy for the post-conflict era.
“In this moment of national crisis, when Israel’s northern communities have been tested like never before, the university is stepping forward to turn trauma into transformation,” said university president Gur Alroey. “What was already a crucial mission of recovery after Oct. 7 has become an existential imperative following the devastation of recent weeks. We are not just restoring what was lost but building a foundation for Israel’s long-term future—something stronger, more resilient and more just.”
In the aftermath of Oct. 7, Hezbollah rockets devastated northern towns, triggering the largest internal displacement in Israel in decades. More than 68,000 people—families, farmers, seniors, kids—became refugees in their own country. Today, fewer than half have returned home.
As Iranian long-range missiles threatened the north, communities faced not just a security crisis but a comprehensive breakdown in public health, education, employment, and social cohesion. In rural and peripheral areas, rehabilitation beds are scarce, mental-health services are overwhelmed, and economic life has ground to a halt.
The “Home Again” campaign offers a coordinated, data-informed strategy, anchored in real-time research, local partnerships, and measurable programs across three core pillars:
Emotional and Physical Rehabilitation
University specialists are leading a multi-front recovery strategy for one of the region’s greatest invisible burdens: trauma. PTSD has surged 33% among residents, with children and parents bearing some of the deepest scars. Simultaneously, northern hospitals are ill-equipped to meet rising demands for complex rehabilitation care.
The university is addressing both gaps:
● Mental-health teams have launched rapid-response networks including 24/7 hotlines and mobile therapeutic units.
● The Cheryl Spencer Nursing School is training frontline responders to assess and manage trauma.
● A proposed Community Rehabilitation and Research Center, spearheaded by Dr. Hilla Sarig Bahat, will merge academic research with hands-on clinical care, the first model of its kind in Israel.
Restoring Economic Stability and Regional Capacity
With unemployment in the north spiking nearly 50%, the university is launching targeted workforce initiatives designed to meet immediate needs and build long-term regional capacity. These include training programs for nurses, educators, trauma specialists and environmental rehabilitation professionals. Additionally, discharged soldiers are being offered reskilling opportunities in sustainable marine industries tied to Israel’s northern coastline.
Investing in Community Futures
Through real-time legal aid clinics, AI-assisted social-service platforms, and coexistence-building initiatives that bring Jewish and Arab residents together in the workplace, the university is working to restore both public trust and strategic cohesion. Researchers are partnering with kibbutzim, regional councils and national ministries to revitalize schools, renew cultural life and strengthen the social fabric at a time when national solidarity is dangerously frayed.
The campaign’s focus on community building is exemplified by a transformative $5 million commitment from the Boston-based Frieze Family Foundation to create a Center for Shared Society at the University of Haifa. Longtime champions of Israeli education, regional development and shared society, the Friezes’ gift will establish a dedicated center focused on learning, research and advocacy, and engagement initiatives that bring Jewish and Arab residents together, directly supporting the campaign’s mission to restore social cohesion and strengthen community bonds across the north.
“The Frieze Family Foundation’s commitment to establishing a Center for Shared Society exemplifies the kind of partnership that makes this campaign possible,” stated Gideon Herscher, vice president for Transformational Philanthropy and Global Resource Development at the University of Haifa. “It’s about restoring hope, stability and opportunity in a region that has absorbed unimaginable strain. Every program, every partnership, and every donor makes a difference in the lives of those determined to come home and move forward.”
The university, long recognized for its leadership in social impact, environmental research and inclusive education, sees this campaign as a natural extension of its mission. Amid the most recent destruction to northern Israel, the university is committed to serving not only as an academic institution but as a driving force for recovery and renewal in one of the country’s most vulnerable and strategically vital regions.
The “Home Again” campaign will serve as the blueprint for Israel’s long-term rebuilding strategy, ensuring that the recent devastation becomes the foundation for a more resilient nation.
For more information, see: https://afuh.org/homeagain/.