History
Yad Labanim was founded shortly after the 1948 Palestine War as a result of a letter sent to the newspapers in December 1948 by Dr. Miriam Shapira, a mother who lost her son in the war. In the letter, sent with the support of other mothers and bearing the name "Yad Labanim", she called on the bereaved mothers to unite in founding a foundation for the establishment of an institution as a memorial to their sons who fell in the war and an orphanage for war orphans. Its purpose was also to give encouragement and support to the bereaved mothers.
The organization includes bereaved parents, brothers and sisters, Jews, Arabs, Druze, Bedouins and Circassians. In the past it also included widows and orphans of the IDF, but in 1991 they established a separate organization for themselves, called the IDF Widows and Orphans Organization, after they claimed that Yad Labanim had not given them adequate representation.
In 1957, Beit Yad Labanim in Petach Tikva (with a mention of its creator Baruch Oren) won the Israel Prize for its special contribution to society and the country in commemorative enterprises.
Following the October 7 attacks and during the Gaza war, thousands of bereaved family members joined the organization. By April 2025, about 2,100 bereaved parents and 2,800 bereaved siblings had joined the organization. The organization adapted its activities for young siblings and teenagers. Research conducted by the organization found that about one in three bereaved family members from the war had not returned to work.
In July 2025, Eli Tahar was elected chairman, succeeding Eli Ben-Shem, who had held the position since 1999 and became the organization's president. Tahar lost his brother and later two of his sons, the second of whom was killed on October 7, 2023. Moshik Aviv has served as CEO since 2024.
In 2026, the organization announced the opening of its first chapter in North America, Yad LaBanim USA, led by David Lubin, whose daughter was killed in a terror attack.
Activities
Support for bereaved families
Yad Labanim assists bereaved families in their dealings with the Ministry of Defense and the welfare authorities, providing them with information and guidance. Its representatives serve on the Public Council for the Commemoration of the Soldier, and are engaged in reviewing regulations and procedures for the sake of the families. The organization also carries out cultural and welfare activities among the bereaved families, including trips, study days and vacations. The publication "Siakh Shcholim" (Discussion of the Grieving) is published on its behalf for Remembrance Day, which is distributed to the families of the bereaved.
Commemoration and education
Various educational and cultural activities are held at the centres to commemorate the fallen, including outreach activities among school students.
The organization is involved in the planning and construction of the National Memorial Hall on Mount Herzl.
Online commemoration
Gal-Hed, led by the organization together with the Friends of the Israel Defense Forces and the Yedioth Ahronoth Group, is a series of films about members of Israel's security forces killed since October 7, 2023.
Derishat Shalom (Hebrew for "regards"), a joint project with Hilma (High-Tech for Society), is a website presenting memorial stickers bearing sayings of fallen soldiers.
Zikaron MiBayit ("Memory from Home"), launched in 2026 by the organization together with the IDF Widows and Orphans Organization, the Ministry of Defense and the Israel Defense Forces, holds online meetings in which bereaved families talk about their loved ones.
Branches and Yad Labanim houses
In every Yad Labanim centre there is a memorial room with a commemorative plaque, on which are engraved the names of the fallen of that settlement and pages telling their life story.
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