Yad Rachel was founded in 1983 by Micheline Trèves z”l, Marlène Grebler z”l, and Lili Weil, z”l—educators and social workers who immigrated to Israel from France and Spain in the early 1970s.

The three women set themselves a profound mission: to support and assist children and families at risk. Over decades of activity, they invested tremendous effort in seeking ways to give vulnerable children and their families a fair and meaningful opportunity for a better start in life. They began by establishing a kindergarten for three-year-old children who lacked any educational framework, and later operated a successful learning center. With the years, their efforts continued to focus on developing improved and targeted solutions for the children of Yad Rachel. They believed deeply that even the weakest populations deserved the very best delivered professionally, within high-quality environments that promote healthy self-esteem, positive behavior, and a sense of dignity. Through their vision and leadership, they mobilized resources and established the first Yad Rachel initiatives in the Katamonim neighborhood of Jerusalem. Today, Yad Rachel is recognized as a national leader in the field of therapeutic and educational interventions for children and families at risk. Over the years, the organization has received numerous awards and honors for its groundbreaking work, its innovative models, and its long-standing contribution to Israel’s social welfare system. Yad Rachel is regarded by government ministries and local authorities particularly the Ministry of Welfare and Social Affairs and the Ministry of Education as a leading professional authority in its field, known for its excellence, impact, and evidence-based approach.

Micheline Trèves, z”l

Micheline was a noble and humble woman who understood the importance of education and therapeutic support for the children of Katamonim. She dedicated her time and personal resources to the welfare of the neighborhood’s families. Her unique character marked by wisdom, diligence, calm presence, devotion, and boundless love for children continues to be felt today in every Yad Rachel center.
Throughout the years, she provided hundreds of children with hope, equal opportunity, and the tools to realize their potential and secure a brighter personal, family, and professional future.

Marlène Grebler, z”l

Marlène immigrated to Israel at age 24 and embraced a social vision that every child should receive the same life opportunities she herself had been given. Together with her partners, Micheline Trèves and Mrs. Lili Weilshe established the organization named after her mother Yad Rachel. For twenty years, the Katamonim neighborhood became her home. She radiated love for every person, and inspired those around her to look for and believe in the good within each individual.

Lili Weil, z”l

Lili served as Chair of Yad Rachel for more than two decades. To her, no task was too big or too small. She considered it a privilege to improve the quality of life of others. Her joy for life and deep appreciation for aesthetics can be seen in the beautiful and welcoming Yad Rachel facilities established throughout the country.
She devoted her life to helping others, with Yad Rachel being just one of the many impactful projects she founded over the years.

Micheline Trèves, Marlène Grebler, and Lili Weil are the core from which Yad Rachel has grown. Everything the organization is today stands on their shared vision, dedication, and unwavering belief in the potential of every child and family at risk.

“Your friend’s physical needs are your own spiritual ones”
Rabbi Yisroel Salanter, father of the Musar movement, Lithuania, 19th Century

Lili Weil often used this teaching as a guiding principle, reminding all those around her that caring for the vulnerable is not only an act of kindness but also a spiritual mission. Her deep belief in this message shaped the spirit of Yad Rachel and continues to inspire the organization’s work to this day.

Goals & Values 

Yad Rachel is a unique group of multi-disciplinary professionals, who run a leading network of Educational Therapy Centers and programs for at-risk children and their families in Israel. Our main goal is to provide these children and families from socio-economically disadvantaged neighborhoods with the tools they need to overcome their educational, emotional and social difficulties.

More than 300,000 Israeli children are at-risk and nearly one million are living below the poverty line. These children are often subject to violence and neglect and lack opportunities to grow and develop socially, emotionally and cognitively. We believe that each child has the right to a safe and happy childhood filled with love and support. 

Yad Rachel Educational Therapy Centers are located throughout Israel and provide a safe, enriching and experiential space, where each year, 2,600 children and their families get individually and professionally tailored educational and psychological therapeutic treatment. In addition, our Parent-Child Center offers psychological counseling and creative therapy for individuals, parent-child pairs, families and groups to foster the family relationship and allow for a positive impact on the child’s development. 

At Yad Rachel we work with our children & families on a personal level, treating each child and family with respect and concern for their wellbeing. Through psychological counseling, after school programs and various weekly events we strongly encourage our kids’ personal growth as creative, educated, confident individuals.

standard & ethics 

• A holistic vision of methodology and treatment
• Professionalism and excellence
• Close, effective relationships between counselors and children
• Respect for others irrespective of age, gender, or religion
• Safeguarding the honor and respect of families and children being treated
• Excellent, high-level coordination and teamwork
• Leadership and innovation in therapeutic educational programs
• Modesty a humble, respectful, and grounded way of working
• Constant learning and improvement while tracking, measuring, and evaluating progress and success
• Transparency and responsibility according to standard procedures and safeguards

Our Goals

• To develop and implement a leading, innovative, and holistic educational–therapeutic model for supporting children at risk and their families.
• To build meaningful, trusting relationships with children, grounded in compassion and respect.
• To provide a safe, enriching, and experiential environment in which children can develop self-confidence and faith in their ability to create a brighter future.
• To attract, cultivate, and retain top professionals dedicated to the therapeutic and educational treatment of children and their families.

Partnerships are a key guiding principle and value of Yad Rachel. Partnerships based on shared knowledge, experience and dedication. Partnerships leverage our existing investments and enable scalability and a more significant impact. We work closely with our partners, sharing our experience and professional knowledge and offering transparent and regular reporting and evaluation. Together with private, public and corporate partners, we are able to create effective and large-scale systemic change.   

Our partners include family foundations, corporations, ministry, and government entities. We believe in the government’s responsibility towards its children and therefore, the government strongly supports most of our projects. In our experience, a strategic philanthropic coalition working in conjunction with the government is a proven model for achieving significant long-term impact. Through your partnership, we will be able to leverage the existing resources and funding, propelling ourselves even further in our mission to provide these children and families with the highest quality of service and individual attention.

From the Chairman 

When I was first introduced to Yad Rachel and its work in 2007, I was immediately captivated by the unconditional giving, sense of responsibility, and endless devotion of the organization’s team. Their concern for the fate of each and every individual child was heartwarming.  Israel’s diverse, complex and challenging society is home to hundreds of thousands of children who were born into violence, neglect and hopelessness. Yad Rachel is a leader in the development and implementation of educational and therapeutic programs that enable children at risk and their families to cope successfully with the challenges of their reality. This is our modest contribution to Israeli society which we hope will one day be a source of pride for all. We are joined by many partners including the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Social Affairs and Social Services and the local government organizations, as well as numerous foundations and private individuals from Israel and abroad. Without this support and cooperation, our crucial efforts work would not be possible. Yad Rachel operates with efficiency and modesty and takes pride in its high standards of transparency and supervision. The needs in the field are far greater than our resources. I invite you to learn more about our activities and assist us to the best of your ability. Your support will enable us to continue and even expand our critical work with those who are in desperate need of our services. Together, we can provide the children of Yad Rachel a safe haven and the hope of a brighter future.

Ilan Baram, Chairman

IBaram@B-I-Plan.com

From the CEO 

Dear friends and partners,

The children who found refuge at Janusz Korczak’s orphanage came from circumstances of poverty and abuse, and brought fear, anxiety and suspicion with them. Korczak did not refer them to tutors, therapists, psychologists or special education experts; instead, he took upon himself to replace that which they had been robbed of by means of “pedagogical love.” According to Korczak, pedagogical love is achieved when adults gain the respect of children, embody spirituality, become a role model and set an example with their own actions. In addition, Korczak believed that adults should avoid the use of coercive authority, respect children, encourage their independence, and promise them happiness together with intellectual support and fulfillment. For more than two decade, I have been proud to serve as the head of Yad Rachel, an organization that works toward the individual fulfillment the individual child and preserves their right to a safe and loving environment. Over the years, we have established educational and therapeutic centers that provide treatment and care tailored to the needs of the individual child and their family. These centers help our children realize their potential in a warm and protected home-like atmosphere.  We have aspired to create an environment that is respectful of the child and their family, a place where education and therapy are positive experiences for all. Following many years of experience working with children at risk and their families, we developed an intervention program which treats children from within the community and prevents removal from their homes. We believe that children who experience a beneficial home atmosphere acquire the tools and ability to later function as normative and mature adults, establish functional families and integrate successfully into the work force. Yad Rachel has embraced excellence, dedication, innovation, respect, professionalism, transparency, modesty and warm family values.  Our devoted team, management and professional staff offer high standards of service and provide dedicated care.  Alongside the development of therapeutic and educational programs, we have also devoted attention to the formulation of the appropriate working procedures and ethics, which allow us to grow and expand into the future. 

On behalf of our children, I invite you to visit our website and become partners in this wonderful activity. We appreciate your support of the children of Israel, and your help in ensuring them a better future.

Sara Weil

CEO