In Israel's classrooms, the voices of children once filled the air with chatter, songs, and arguments about soccer scores or homework. After October 7, those same classrooms became quieter. Teachers noticed long silences, sudden outbursts, or laughter that felt brittle.
Children were back at their desks, but their hearts hadn't followed.
Mental Health First Aid Israel recognized early that the nation's healing would depend not only on adults rebuilding but on children relearning how to speak about what hurts. The organization calls this process emotional literacy — teaching young people the words, awareness, and confidence to describe feelings before those feelings harden into crisis.
Because when children can name their pain, they no longer have to carry it alone.
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