TL;DR: In the wake of October 7, the grassroots initiative Smiles for the Kids was launched to support families of soldiers, struggling mothers, children, and small businesses. Starting with meal deliveries, the effort has grown to provide emotional support, community events, and economic relief to communities. Smiles for the Kids addresses the quiet battles at home: the emotional strain, economic collapse, and challenges of reintegration, and emphasizes the healing power of compassion, community, and small acts of kindness in rebuilding daily life.

This war has shown us something we do not often speak about: a deep and undeniable unity among the Jewish people, and a level of quiet resiliency that continues to carry families through impossible circumstances.

In the hours and days following October 7, 2023, people from around the world began asking the same question: What can we do to help? Donations started pouring in; small ones, large ones, each carrying with it a sense of urgency, compassion, and helplessness. The desire to act was overwhelming.

That question, and those first simple gestures, became the foundation for Smiles for the Kids. We started without a big plan or organizational structure. We just knew that families were in crisis and needed support. We wanted to bring comfort, to ease the burden, to let them know they were not alone. What began as delivering meals to a handful of homes has grown into a full-circle effort to support children, parents, small business owners, and entire communities impacted by the war. As we begin to join Global Jewry’s network of Jewish leaders and organizations, Smiles for the Kids will be able to amplify our message, reaching communities in need and individuals looking to make a difference.

Since the morning of October 7, life in Israel has not been the same. While the headlines focus on soldiers on the front lines, another war has quietly unfolded in homes across the country. It is a war of uncertainty, extended absences, emotional strain, and a sudden shift in responsibilities. It is the war fought by the families of soldiers.

At Smiles for the Kids, we have met mothers juggling work, parenting, and fear simultaneously. We have met children who have not hugged their fathers in months. We have met families trying to keep things as normal as possible in a moment that is anything but.

We have also met the volunteers, religious, secular, Ashkenazi, Sephardi, American, and Israeli, who show up daily to help however they can. Some cook. Some deliver. Some just listen. They come from all backgrounds, but they share one goal: to hold each other up.

This is the part of the war that does not always make it into the news cycle. But it is no less real, and no less heroic.

Mothers in Survival Mode
Some of the strongest people we have met over the past months are the women who never expected to be single parents, but suddenly had no choice. Their partners left within hours of being called up, and never really returned. Some are still on active duty. Others changed and became quiet, distant, struggling to reintegrate into home life.

We have spoken to mothers who have raised children for almost two years without a break. There were no shared bedtimes, no partner to share the morning rush, tantrums, or math homework. They kept the routine going because there was no other option.

They did not complain. They did not crumble. But they are tired in a way words cannot fully capture.

At Smiles for the Kids, we have tried to meet them where they are. We have sent dinners to communities where many parents were carrying the load alone. We delivered treats and challah for Shabbat to help them feel seen. We even helped cover the cost of therapy sessions for mothers and families coping with the emotional strain.

We also organized events in communities where many men were away serving. These gatherings gave children something to look forward to and allowed mothers to breathe, connect, and recharge, if only for a few hours.

These small efforts cannot solve everything, but they help hold people up in moments when they are at their limit.

The Collapse of Small Dreams
Beyond the families themselves are the small businesses that quietly shut down or lost nearly all of their income. A toy store that once thrived in the weeks before Hanukkah now stands mostly empty. A caterer who once prepared meals for weddings and bar mitzvahs found his schedule wiped clean in a matter of hours. A party planner with months of bookings suddenly had nothing.

This is another front line. It is economic, emotional, and deeply human.

At Smiles for the Kids, we quickly realized that helping children meant looking at the whole picture. We began delivering meals to families of soldiers, but we made sure to hire caterers who needed the work. We brought bounce houses and party packages to army families, but rented them from people whose entire livelihood depended on events that no longer happened. We bought gifts and treats from stores struggling to keep the lights on. Every act of support met two needs: the family holding on, and the business owner trying to survive.

The Quiet Return
Some soldiers have returned home, but many families tell us that the return is not simple. The soldier who comes home after months of war is not the same. The partner who stayed behind has grown used to doing it all alone. There is love, but also distance. There is gratitude, but also deep fatigue. The adjustment can be just as hard as the absence.

No one was trained for this, and there is no national guidebook for rebuilding daily life after so much has been shaken.

What Comes Next
As we continue our work, we keep hearing the same thing: “Thank you for remembering us.” Not just the soldier but also the spouse, the children, the small shop, and the person behind the scenes.

Because this war has many faces, and while the world watches the front lines, we are committed to the ones we see daily, the ones at home.

At Smiles for the Kids, healing happens in the community. It happens through action. And it happens when we choose not to look away from the struggles no one talks about.

We are not just supporting families. We are helping hold together the fabric of Israeli life, one act of kindness at a time.

This war began at a time when Israel was fractured, politically, socially, and even philosophically. We were, in many ways, at our lowest point. The attack was meant to break us. But what emerged instead was something profoundly Jewish: a spirit of unity, compassion, and strength that has only grown stronger.

That is who we are. That is what we do. We rebuild. We carry each other. And we turn moments of darkness into the foundation of something stronger. We’d like to thank Global Jewry for the opportunity to contribute, to share our story, and to amplify our message of a connected, compassionate Jewish community.

Shavua tov, wishing for the safety of all those in Israel and may this be the week the hostages return home,

Aron Schoenfeld

Founder, Smiles for the Kids

Aron Schoenfeld is the founder of SmilesfortheKids.com, a non-profit dedicated to bringing joy and support to children in need through impactful community programs.