These days, a battalion of the Home Front Command is operating at the Ganei Aviv community center in Lod, which has established a temporary activity complex on site.
The battalion commander, a reservist and an architect by profession from Dimona, is uniquely integrating into the community activity of the community center. During one of the ceramics classes held on site, the commander entered the classroom, spoke with the instructor and even showed interest in the creative process and the possibility of trying it himself. Later, he approached the community center management with a request to examine the possibility of holding dedicated classes for soldiers during their stay on site, as part of strengthening morale and personal resilience.
This initiative integrates into a broader concept of resilience-building activity, as some of the soldiers belong to Home Front Command units specializing in operating “resilience labs” and among the main activities: Wood carving workshops guided by Baobab’s selected resilience facilitators team, which includes artists and content experts who have undergone unique training in the studio’s methodology.
According to Sasha Galitsky, an artist and founder of Baobab Studio: "In moments like these, creation is not a luxury but a necessity and it allows people, especially soldiers, to pause for a moment, breathe, and build something with their hands that restores a sense of control, belonging and resilience".
Baobab Studio is a groundbreaking social initiative that combines art and wood carving with community and emotional support for families of October 7 survivors, evacuees from the north and south, and soldiers dealing with post-trauma. The studio was founded in 2003 by Sasha Galitsky, in collaboration with therapists, artists, and community professionals, as a direct response to the needs that arose among affected communities.
The studio is mobile and arrives with all the equipment and tools required to set up a wood carving workshop anywhere it is needed – from bases to community centers. And thus, through working with wood, an opportunity is created to pause, focus on simple and tangible activity, and gradually build a sense of security, connection and meaning within a challenging reality. The studio team includes artists, educators, psychologists and social entrepreneurs specializing in working with specific populations.
The activity takes place in small groups and provides participants with a creative, healing and non-judgmental environment that enables personal expression alongside strengthening social connections.
Since the outbreak of the “Iron Swords” war, the studio has expanded its activity to approximately 40 locations across the country – from north to south, including Gaza envelope communities. This activity includes a mobile studio that reaches any location, and runs groups in wood carving and resilience-building, guided by a multidisciplinary team.