During Military Operation “Roaring Lion,” amid prolonged fighting and a gradual return of the economy to activity, a significant gap emerged in the daily reality of Israel’s widows and orphans. While workplaces partially or fully resumed operations, the education system operated only in a limited capacity for approximately 30 days, at times not at all.
This created immense difficulty for many families across the country, but for widows and widowers, the reality was particularly severe. In the absence of a partner, the responsibility for managing the household, caring for children, and coping with emergencies falls entirely on the remaining parent.
As children remained at home for extended periods without educational or supportive frameworks, the ability to maintain employment continuity was directly harmed. For orphans, periods of security escalation are not only operational challenges but also acute emotional triggers.
Sirens, a constant stream of traumatic news, and ongoing uncertainty intensify the sense of loss and reinforce the need for consistent parental presence. This means that even when there is a technical possibility of working, in practice, the single parent is required to stay home and provide increased emotional support.
In these cases, the impact is not only occupational but also economic, often resulting in prolonged financial hardship. Many widows are sole providers, meaning that any reduction in income, even temporary, may immediately affect their ability to manage the household and can lead to a collapse into poverty.
Nevertheless, the initial unpaid leave framework was not adapted to their needs. Eligibility for unpaid leave was granted only with employer approval, a condition that placed widows at a clear disadvantage. In cases where they were forced to remain at home with their children due to the absence of frameworks, their absence was not recognized as employer-initiated and therefore did not qualify for unemployment benefits.
As a result, a situation emerged in which the parent cannot work but is not entitled to financial compensation. Hamaniot stepped in to provide immediate assistance to widows through its various centers. Lior Shani, who was widowed from Res. Sgt. Maj. Adi Shani, a reconnaissance unit fighter in the Artillery Corps, Logistics Battalion 6036, who fell in combat in Gaza at the age of only 39, describes an extreme reality of ongoing overload and a gap between work demands and needs at home.
Her three daughters remained at home with her throughout the fighting period while the economy resumed activity. “It is not normal to work when you have three daughters at home during an operation,” she says. “I am required to manage a household alone, and I have no one to share the burden with. I also need to be there for them in difficult moments, while continuing to function at work as if everything is normal.”
Dagnit Nahum, who lost the father of her daughters, Major Peleg Salem, on October 7, has since been raising three young daughters on her own. During the fighting, when frameworks were not operating, the girls had to stay at home, sometimes even during sirens, while she was required to continue her work as an essential social worker.
“The sirens took us back to October 7, and took the girls back to the loss of their father. There is not a day without crying,” she shared. “I cannot complete a full workday because the girls are not at school. They are constantly looking for me, needing me to be with them, and there is no real way to both work and be there for them.”
In response, Hamaniot took it upon itself to apply pressure on relevant authorities, leading to an update of the framework that allows employees to take unpaid leave on their own initiative, without depending on employer approval. This change enables recognition of eligibility for unemployment benefits.
The organization’s advocacy in the Knesset has secured tens of millions of shekels for Israel’s widows and orphans. Alongside its policy work, the organization expanded its field operations. During the period in which many widows were forced to remain at home with their children for approximately 30 days without frameworks, a dedicated rights hotline was activated, providing information, guidance, and support in dealing with state authorities, alongside emotional assistance for widows coping with ongoing strain.
At the same time, the organization continued operating services for the children themselves. Approximately 30 centers across the country transitioned to online activities to maintain therapeutic and social continuity for orphaned children during the emergency period and to prevent disconnection from supportive frameworks.
Hadar, the founder and CEO, said: “We at Hamaniot had to fight for the state to recognize the reality of widows and orphans during emergencies, a reality of lack of frameworks, extreme overload, and immediate economic harm. We welcome the mobilization of our partners in the Knesset and the changes already achieved, but we still have a long way to go. The responsibility of the State of Israel is to build tailored responses in advance, not only to react retroactively. Until that happens, we at Hamaniot will continue to be there for widows and orphans, to operate essential emergency services and to fight for their rights, ensuring that no family is left alone.”
This article was written in collaboration with Hamaniot.