Efforts to establish the Shalva Sharabi Family Center in Ashkelon are underway, aiming to provide comprehensive therapeutic and rehabilitative services to communities along Israel’s southern border. Still under construction within the Marina View complex overlooking the Ashkelon marina, the center is intended to serve 28 Gaza border communities as well as the broader southern region.
The facility is designed to address significant gaps in access to care for people with disabilities and individuals affected by trauma in southern Israel, where families often face long travel distances, waiting times, and fragmented service provision. By consolidating diagnosis, therapy, rehabilitation, and family support in one location, the center seeks to simplify and improve care coordination. Multidisciplinary teams will offer assessments and personalized treatment plans for patients ranging from infants to adults.
Services planned at the Shalva Sharabi Center include occupational therapy, physiotherapy, speech therapy, and Shalva’s established “Me and My Mommy” early intervention program. In addition, the center will provide parental guidance and peer support. A specialized unit, the Horizons Pavilion, will focus on trauma recovery and resilience-building programs targeting children, adults, soldiers, first responders, and civilians affected by the Hamas-led attacks on October 7, as well as the ensuing conflict.
Drawing on Shalva’s existing expertise in therapeutic care and emotional support—particularly for evacuees with disabilities and their families—the center’s location near the marina offers opportunities to combine traditional therapies with outdoor and sea-based activities. These programs aim to restore independence, strengthen coping mechanisms, and help families rebuild social ties within their communities.
The center is named after Shalva Sharabi, who has traveled internationally to raise funds for the facility. Sharabi, a former hostage held by Hamas for 491 days, views the project as a tribute to the memory of his late wife Lianne and his children Noiya and Yahel. He describes the initiative as a source of strength and a symbol of hope and renewal, reflecting his belief in the importance of taking action to create positive change in the face of tragedy.
Sharabi emphasizes that the center represents more than just a building; it embodies resilience and a future vision for southern Israel. He expressed profound anticipation about seeing the center fully operational, serving children and families. “It will be amazing. I can’t think of anything else that will provide the same amount of emotional happiness,” he remarked.
The Shalva Sharabi Family Center is poised to become a vital resource for Israelis affected by disability and trauma in one of the country’s most vulnerable areas, reinforcing community support and advancing therapeutic care in the region.