Resilience In Real Time: American Friends of NATAL 20th Anniversary Gala At Pier 60

Monday, November 10th, 2025, Pier 60 at Chelsea Piers. — American Friends of NATAL welcomed more than 500 guests to Pier 60 at Chelsea Piers for its 20th Anniversary Gala, a cocktail-attire gathering dedicated to raising critical funds and awareness for trauma recovery in Israel. The evening began at 6:00 p.m. with a red carpet and step-and-repeat photo reception, where media, influencers, and supporters checked in for table assignments before transitioning into the main event.

From the opening remarks by AFN CEO Maayan Aviv and Chairman Ran Eliasaf, the tone was unmistakably urgent: “When the sirens quiet, the trauma speaks.” Their words underscored the reality that Israel’s next battle is one of psychological recovery — a transition from immediate survival into long-term healing. Hosted by actor and comedian Michael Rapaport, the gala continued with his welcome message and later a live, podcast-style interview that explored trauma, resilience, and the evolving needs of survivors.

One of the night’s most stirring moments came with Pastor Chris Harris’s soulful rendition of “Hatikvah,” which drew the room into a reflective stillness. The evening also honored the extraordinary resilience of the Alexander family, whose son Edan survived 584 days in captivity and recently made the courageous decision to return to the IDF. Their presence and story grounded the gala in the human realities behind the trauma statistics.

This year’s program highlighted the staggering mental-health landscape facing Israel. NATAL has now supported more than 450,000 people through therapy, hotline care, and trauma-informed programs. In a recent nine-day holiday period alone, the organization received 1,341 helpline calls — nearly 80 per day, up from just 30 in previous years. Headlines continue to trigger dozens more calls from civilians, reservists, and parents each week, contributing to an unprecedented influx of more than 1,300+ crisis calls weekly, all triaged by 500 trained trauma specialists working nationwide.

Art played a central role in the night’s storytelling. A silent art auction showcased pieces from a range of artists whose work explored themes of resilience and emotional reclamation. Paired with a visual gallery curated by the Unframed Art Collective, the exhibit gave attendees an intimate window into the psychological terrain survivors navigate long after wounds are no longer visible. Guests bid throughout the evening, turning creativity into direct support for NATAL’s expanding mental-health services.

Rapaport’s live interview with Daniel Goldstein — a trauma survivor, reservist, licensed social worker, and leader of NATAL’s Peer Support Program — echoed the gala’s central theme: resilience is an ongoing choice. His testimony illustrated the power of community-centered healing and peer support during moments when many are too overwhelmed to seek help alone.

This year’s gala broke records for individual ticket sales and drew significant corporate sponsorship from leaders across real estate, finance, banking, law, and healthcare. Their involvement reflected a growing commitment to fund trauma recovery and to ensure that no one in Israel faces psychological healing without support.

As the event concluded just after 9:00 p.m., the room carried a unified understanding: healing is quiet, necessary, and collective. The 20th Anniversary Gala honored not just what NATAL has accomplished over two decades, but what still lies ahead — a long, determined journey toward restoring the emotional and psychological well-being of a nation forever changed.