Roots of Renewal: Community Gardening as Trauma Recovery

In neighborhoods across Israel, something remarkable is happening. Where there were once empty lots, parking strips, and abandoned courtyards, small groups of residents are planting seeds. Tomatoes, basil, pomegranates. Herbs that smell like home.

At first, it may look like an ordinary community garden. But beneath the soil lies something deeper — an act of collective therapy.

Mental Health First Aid Israel calls it Roots of Renewal — the movement to reconnect traumatized communities with the land, with each other, and with a sense of agency after loss.

Gardening lowers cortisol, improves focus, and fosters mindfulness. When done communally, it rebuilds belonging — one seed, one gesture, one small victory at a time.