Providing equipment, family support, and mental health services to IDF soldiers and their families.
On October 8th, 2023, thousands of Israeli men left careers, families, and businesses to report for IDF reserve duty. Many had never served in the Israel Defense Forces. They showed up ready and found equipment from the 1970s waiting for them. Israeli military families lost their sole breadwinner overnight. Children stopped asking when Abba was coming home and started asking if he was.
Smiles for Chayalim is an Israel charity and project of Smiles for the Kids Inc. that provides essential protective equipment, direct family support, and mental health services to IDF reservists and combat soldiers. Ceramic body armor plates. Combat helmets. Tactical vests. Night vision. Surveillance drones. The gear that keeps Israeli soldiers alive when outdated stockpiles fall short. We operate with zero overhead. Every dollar you donate to support IDF soldiers goes directly to the mission.
Aron Schoenfeld made aliyah in 2020 and settled in Modiin. After October 7th, he founded the organization to address what he saw firsthand: IDF soldiers lacking basic protective equipment and Israeli military families struggling without income while their husbands served months of miluim (reserve duty).
At 44, he enlisted in the Israel Defense Forces through the Shlav Bet program. After modified basic training with the 99th Division, he spent three months rotating in and out of a base 50 meters from the Gaza border. Most of his work was logistics. For every combat soldier moving through Gaza, about eight people keep the supply chain running. Trucks, equipment, communications, perimeter security. The roles that never make the news but make everything else possible.
That firsthand experience drives how the organization operates. We know what IDF soldiers need because our founder served alongside them. We know what their families need because his family lived it.
Yisroel ran a contracting business with twenty-five employees. Four children at home, including a special needs child in a wheelchair. After October 7th, he discovered employees celebrating the attacks. Fired all twenty-five. Shut down his business. He threw himself into MADA ambulance work until supervisors pulled him off for exhaustion. A major motorcycle accident left him with a breathing tube and months of recovery. Instead of stepping back, he joined Shlav Bet to serve in the IDF. His business runs at ten percent. He can’t afford protective gear for reserve duty near Gaza.
One soldier’s family disowned him entirely when he enlisted. When he asked his parents to watch his grandchildren during training, they told him: “We no longer have a son, and you no longer have grandchildren.” He serves anyway.
A 27-year-old father left his wife and three-week-old baby for three straight weeks of service. He never complained. Another father left basic training for eighteen hours to attend his son’s wedding. Danced at the chuppah in his dress uniform. Returned to base that night. The combat soldiers call it whiplash. The quick transition from war to family life and back. No adjustment period. You just do.
A three-year-old woke up and saw his father home for two days before Rosh Hashana. Instead of a hug, the child said: “You aren’t supposed to be here.” The wife takes over everything. The husband tries to feel useful. Everyone has figured out how to get by without him. He still walks around with his gun and his phone, getting alerts from his unit, already planning for the next trip back.
Ceramic body armor, combat helmets, tactical vests, night vision, and surveillance drones for IDF soldiers issued outdated gear. We donate protective equipment directly to units including Alog 99, Alog 252, and Gidud 6724 stationed along Israel’s borders.
Gift cards, meals, holiday packages, carnivals, and activities for IDF soldier families carrying the weight of extended reserve duty deployments alone. When a father serves in the IDF, his entire family serves alongside him.
Immediate PTSD intervention and specialized trauma therapy for IDF veterans and returning reservists. No waiting lists. No bureaucratic delays. Direct funding for combat soldier mental health when hours matter.
Employment assistance, family counseling, and mentorship for Israeli soldiers navigating the transition from reserve duty back to civilian life. Workforce reintegration support that helps IDF veterans rebuild careers disrupted by war.
Smiles for the Kids Inc. · 501(c)(3) Israel charity · EIN: 33-2583266 · 100% tax-deductible donation
Read more at SmilesForChayalim.com
On October 8th, 2023, thousands of Israeli men left careers, families, and businesses to report for IDF reserve duty. Many had never served in the Israel Defense Forces. They showed up ready and found equipment from the 1970s waiting for them. Israeli military families lost their sole breadwinner overnight. Children stopped asking when Abba was coming home and started asking if he was.
Smiles for Chayalim is an Israel charity and project of Smiles for the Kids Inc. that provides essential protective equipment, direct family support, and mental health services to IDF reservists and combat soldiers. Ceramic body armor plates. Combat helmets. Tactical vests. Night vision. Surveillance drones. The gear that keeps Israeli soldiers alive when outdated stockpiles fall short. We operate with zero overhead. Every dollar you donate to support IDF soldiers goes directly to the mission.
Aron Schoenfeld made aliyah in 2020 and settled in Modiin. After October 7th, he founded the organization to address what he saw firsthand: IDF soldiers lacking basic protective equipment and Israeli military families struggling without income while their husbands served months of miluim (reserve duty).
At 44, he enlisted in the Israel Defense Forces through the Shlav Bet program. After modified basic training with the 99th Division, he spent three months rotating in and out of a base 50 meters from the Gaza border. Most of his work was logistics. For every combat soldier moving through Gaza, about eight people keep the supply chain running. Trucks, equipment, communications, perimeter security. The roles that never make the news but make everything else possible.
That firsthand experience drives how the organization operates. We know what IDF soldiers need because our founder served alongside them. We know what their families need because his family lived it.
Ceramic body armor, combat helmets, tactical vests, night vision, and surveillance drones for IDF soldiers issued outdated gear. We donate protective equipment directly to units including Alog 99, Alog 252, and Gidud 6724 stationed along Israel's borders.
Gift cards, meals, holiday packages, carnivals, and activities for IDF soldier families carrying the weight of extended reserve duty deployments alone. When a father serves in the IDF, his entire family serves alongside him.
Immediate PTSD intervention and specialized trauma therapy for IDF veterans and returning reservists. No waiting lists. No bureaucratic delays. Direct funding for combat soldier mental health when hours matter.
Employment assistance, family counseling, and mentorship for Israeli soldiers navigating the transition from reserve duty back to civilian life. Workforce reintegration support that helps IDF veterans rebuild careers disrupted by war.
Help us support IDF soldiers, their families, and Israel's veterans.
DONATE TO SUPPORT IDF SOLDIERSSmiles for the Kids Inc. · 501(c)(3) Israel charity · EIN: 33-2583266 · 100% tax-deductible donation
Read more at SmilesForChayalim.com