Help us give Israeli soldiers and war survivors the chance to rebuild their lives after trauma.

For many soldiers, the hardest battle begins after they return home.

The war may be over, but the trauma remains. Many carry invisible wounds that affect every part of their lives: their ability to sleep, work, maintain relationships, feel safe, or imagine a future beyond what they experienced.

The 8 Project Residency was created for soldiers and survivors who are struggling to find their way forward. Through a trauma-informed rehabilitation program built by people who have lived through trauma themselves, participants receive the structure, support, and guidance needed to begin rebuilding what the war disrupted.

We believe growth and recovery are not defined by what was broken, but by the courage to build something stronger from it.

*For safety reasons, full names are not shared publicly and can be provided through private communication.

Meet Our Residents:

Yali, 23, Paratroopers Brigade
His story: Yali was wounded on his first day in Gaza and lost a friend who died in his arms in Khan Younis. Today, he is going through a deeply difficult time and sees art as a way to help himself move forward. He is joining The 8 Project residency to find the space, guidance, and support to create.

Yakir, 40, Casualty Identification Officer
His story: Yakir served nearly 800 days of reserve duty in casualty identification beginning on October 7, identifying both civilians and soldiers and confronting some of the war’s most devastating scenes. A father of four, he is now struggling to function in daily life and be present for his family. He is joining The 8 Project residency to find space, structure, and support through art as he works toward rebuilding his life.

Noa, 38, Intelligence
Her story: Noa served nearly three years of reserve duty in intelligence. Today, she is working with determination to regain her sense of self and return to a functioning daily life. She is joining The 8 Project residency to find space, structure, and support through art as she takes the next step toward rebuilding her life.

Netanel, 24, Egoz Unit
His story: Netanel served as a combat soldier in the Egoz Unit from 2021 to 2024 and is currently receiving treatment through Israel’s Ministry of Defense. On October 7, he fought at the Kissufim outpost, where his team retook the base from Hamas militants and rescued the female soldiers inside. Three members of his team were killed and four were wounded. By the end of the day, only six of thirteen remained standing. He continued fighting in Gaza for six more months and later served in reserve duty in Lebanon. The war did not end when he left the battlefield.

Michael, 30, Elite Unit
His story: Michael was critically wounded in a Hezbollah drone attack while serving with an elite IDF unit. After 14 months at Sheba Medical Center and ongoing physical rehabilitation, art has become his language for healing. He is expected to join The 8 Project residency as the next step in his recovery journey.

Ben, 28, Ground Forces
His story: Ben served in the IDF Ground Forces and completed several rounds of reserve duty throughout the war. He currently lives in a halfway home in Israel, where he receives clinical treatment and support. Through therapy, Ben discovered a passion for painting and was referred to The 8 Project’s rehabilitation program to develop that passion while rebuilding his life beyond trauma.

Roni, 29, Nahal Brigade
His story: Roni served in the IDF reserves throughout the war. During combat in Gaza, metal shrapnel tore through his jaw, missing his artery by just one millimeter. He returned to fighting after receiving stitches. Today, Roni lives with PTSD, clinical depression, and anxiety. After two years of treatments that brought little relief, he is preparing to join The 8 Project’s rehabilitation program.

Pnina, 29, Nova Survivor
Her story: Pnina survived the Nova massacre on October 7. Since then, art has offered her a way to process and express what she has been through. Recently, she became a mother, bringing a new sense of responsibility and a powerful reason to move forward. She is joining The 8 Project’s rehabilitation program to gain the tools, structure, and support to rebuild her life for herself and her new family.

These soldiers have already fought for their country. Now they are fighting to rebuild their lives.

Our Alumni

Our alumni are taking their creativity in new directions: Yosef was accepted to Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design, Shaked is studying fashion design in Los Angeles, Tzabar pursued art studies, Zohar continues to expand his artistic practice, Shahaf enrolled in professional tattoo training, Ariel is developing his photography and mentoring others, Noam creates daily and tattoos professionally, Rotem established her own studio and is exploring new mediums, and Dmitry started film school.

The Residency

The 8 Project Residency was built by individuals who have personally navigated PTSD and trauma, in collaboration with therapists, psychiatrists, and rehabilitation professionals. Grounded in both lived experience and clinical expertise, the program was created to address a critical gap between treatment and long-term recovery for IDF soldiers and war survivors.

Research consistently shows that long-term recovery is strengthened when individuals have access to four key elements:

Structure

Connection

Purpose

Expression

The residency brings these elements together within a single immersive environment, helping participants rebuild stability, confidence, identity, and daily functioning after trauma.

Our focus is not only reducing symptoms. Our focus is rebuilding life beyond trauma.

Why We Run This Program Outside of Israel

For many participants, healing inside Israel is incredibly difficult. Many remain surrounded by the places, responsibilities, and reminders of war that shaped their trauma. For those coping with PTSD, triggers can be everywhere: sirens, news alerts, military uniforms, familiar roads, or conversations that bring them back to the moments they are trying to leave behind.

Bringing participants to the United States creates something they often cannot find at home:

Distance from constant triggers. Distance from expectations. Distance from survival mode.

That distance creates the space needed to slow down, reconnect with themselves, and begin rebuilding their lives.

Where the Money Goes

Contributions directly support the full residency experience, including:

• Safe housing, transportation, and daily stability

• Trauma-informed therapeutic support

• Psychiatric consultation and oversight

• Mentorship, life coaching, and career development

• Studio access, materials, and project development

• Program coordination and participant care

Each element is essential to creating the stable environment where recovery can begin.

Together, these resources provide participants with the structure, support, and opportunity needed to rebuild life beyond trauma.

The 8 Project’s Unique Approach - Built from Lived Experiences

Our approach combines lived experience with professional support, creating a level of trust, understanding, and accountability that is difficult to replicate in traditional settings.

We carefully select participants who are ready to engage in an intensive rehabilitation process and who have a natural drive to create, build, and grow. For these individuals, creative practice becomes more than self-expression. It becomes a tool for rebuilding structure, confidence, purpose, and daily functioning.

As participants begin to experience progress, they see tangible evidence of what recovery can look like. Small successes create momentum. Confidence grows. Stability returns. Participants begin to imagine a future that is no longer defined by trauma.

Since launching the program, more than 80% of participants have successfully completed the residency and continued forward with meaningful progress in their recovery journey.

About the Founder of The 8 Project

The 8 Project was founded by Tomer Peretz, an artist, former combat soldier, and trauma survivor whose understanding of PTSD comes from lived experience.

After navigating his own recovery journey, Tomer discovered that rebuilding life after trauma requires more than treatment alone. It requires structure, purpose, community, accountability, and the opportunity to create something meaningful from difficult experiences.

What began as a personal path toward recovery became the foundation for The 8 Project Residency, a program designed to help other soldiers and war survivors rebuild life beyond trauma.

Today, Tomer’s lived experience continues to shape every aspect of the program, ensuring it remains grounded, practical, and deeply respectful of what participants carry.

About the Team of The 8 Project

The 8 Project team is made up of artists, therapists, mentors, and professionals. Many members of the team have served in the Israeli military themselves, while others bring extensive experience supporting individuals navigating trauma, recovery, and major life transitions.

Together, they combine professional expertise with a deep understanding of the realities participants face both during and after military service.

This unique combination creates a level of trust, communication, and accountability that extends beyond traditional support models. Participants are guided by people who understand not only the clinical aspects of recovery, but also the challenges of rebuilding structure, purpose, and identity after trauma.

The program is led by people who understand recovery not as an abstract concept, but as a lived process.

*This is an ongoing campaign. As we fund each participant’s place in The 8 Project’s rehabilitation program, we add the next individuals preparing to join and adjust our fundraising goal accordingly. Every milestone reached means another person can enter the program - and another life can begin moving forward beyond trauma.

AFTER THE WAR: REBUILDING LIFE BEYOND TRAUMA

An intensive rehabilitation program for IDF soldiers coping with PTSD.