About
_edited.png)
The association was founded out of both personal and national pain. We endured a family tragedy, disaster after disaster.
On July 1, 2016 (25 Sivan), a terror attack took place in which Michael (Mici) Mark was murdered. His wife, Chavie, was critically injured in the head, all in front of their children. Tehila was severely wounded, and Pedaya was injured by shrapnel. The Mark family has ten children. Following the attack, Shira Mark and her husband Amatzia took in her four younger siblings, raising them alongside their own four children to this day.
Less than three years later, on March 31, 2019 (24 Adar II), David Shlomo (Shlomi) Mark was killed while serving in the Ministry of Defense. Shlomi was a military and security officer who devoted years to protecting the State of Israel. Even in death, he donated his organs and saved six lives. He left behind a widow and three orphans.
During the Iron Swords War, on October 8, 2023, our dear cousin Elchanan Kalmanzon was killed. Together with Itiel Zohar and Menachem Kalmanzon, he fought and rescued over 100 people in Be’eri. Elchanan supported us throughout the years and was a warm, loving, and significant anchor for all of us.
On October 31, 2023 (16 Cheshvan), our beloved and heroic brother, Pedaya, was killed in Gaza. Pedaya was an officer in the Givati Brigade. He fought courageously in Kfar Aza and fell at the very beginning of the ground maneuver together with his soldiers.
Through coping with such immense loss, we have learned how it is possible, even alongside the pain, to live lives full of meaning, love, connection, and hope.
%20(19).png)
The Healing Farm will serve both the family, who still face endless pain each day, and also all victims of the war: bereaved families, reservists, survivors of Nova, and those coping with post-trauma.
Our vision is to create a place built through partnership and unity across diverse communities, while remaining attentive to the environment and deeply connected to the land and nature.
The Farm will be a space of healing and meeting for groups and individuals impacted by the war, who are in need of such support.
With the help of good people and a spirit of generosity, we will bring recovery and renewal from within the depths of grief and loss.
It is the human spirit that allows us to continue growing, to live full lives filled with hope, and to find healing for both mind and body.
The Healing Farm will be established in blessed memory of Michael Mark and his sons, David Shlomo (Shlomi) and Pedaya Menachem Mark, and in memory of Elchanan Kalmanzon.
Vision – The Michael Healing Farm
The center will be dedicated to the memory of Rabbi Michael Mark and his sons, Shlomi and Pedaya.
The center will be established in the beautiful and serene landscapes of the Golan Heights, spanning approximately six dunams (1.5 acres). The family will live on-site, caring for the space both in its practical and spiritual aspects.
The center will include an agricultural farm, therapeutic pools, an accommodation area, and a treatment complex with group spaces and meeting rooms, as well as art and music studios.
Each group will receive tailored therapeutic programs to meet its needs, with the goal of maintaining consistent, long-term sessions that foster healing, resilience, and growth.
The center will employ experienced and professional therapists from various fields and approaches. Each group will participate in regular meetings at a frequency suited to their needs, and twice a year they will join a multi-day retreat.
The therapeutic program will include group and individual sessions with certified professionals, as well as healing activities through art, nature, farming, and more.
Treatment Programs - The Michael Healing Farm
.png)
Each group meets at a frequency tailored to its needs, ranging from once a week to once a month.
Each group also comes to the farm twice a year for an intensive two to three day retreat.
The groups serve as an anchor and a safe space for all participants, and are formed around a shared background such as Nova survivors, reserve soldiers, trauma survivors, bereaved families, and more.
.png)
Each group has an active WhatsApp group, support in navigating benefits and rights, and an experienced mental health professional who accompanies the group over time.
The collective strength of the group is immense, and the shared experiences create a deep and meaningful space for dialogue and healing.
In addition, the development of the farm and other events are carried out together with volunteers from Israel and around the world, aiming to foster unity and shared purpose among people with diverse viewpoints, and to come together around the aspiration to create something better for all of us.
“The power of the group is immense,
and the shared experiences create dialogue and a space
that is both profound and meaningful.”
The Association Team
Shira Mark Harif
CEO of the association.
Amishav Plai
Member of the association.
Dr. Naama Berg
Member of the association.
Tchiya Revital
Board Member, Authorized Signatory.
Rani Ben Ozer
Board Member, Authorized Signatory.
Idit Tsurel
Member of the association.
Chaim Segev Itach
Audit Committee Member.
Chava (Chavie) Mark
Member of the association.
אנשי החזון של "מרכז מיכאל"
Jordan Parker
Position / Role
Position / Role
Max Johnson
Position / Role
Position / Role
Drew Carlyle
Position / Role
Position / Role
Morgan James
Position / Role
Position / Role
Sharing from the therapeutic process
Ron Gabay
25 years old, from Nahariya, injured at Nova.
Shares and talks about her participation in the “Michael” retreat
Sheli Racheli
39 years old, from Tzfat, a Nova survivor
Shares and talks about her participation in the “Michael” retreat
_edited_edited.png)
"Thank you for everything. There’s no doubt that the goodness Michael created reached us thanks to the amazing Shira. Thank you again."
"Thank you so much for everything, for all the effort and care. I genuinely learned things that will help me in my life. It leaves me wanting more."
"Thank you for everything you do for us. It makes me feel truly seen, and that you’re helping me find my freedom again."
"I feel blessed to have been part of the retreat. It’s not something I take for granted. The pampering hotel, the private meals full of abundance, the space that allowed and embraced. I felt a presence that moved me to tears. Thank you for a divine moment and an unforgettable experience. It truly felt like a song from above played into my soul."
"I'm a very closed person and don’t usually talk much, so it was a bit hard for me at first to share. But each circle made me tell a little more and open up a bit further. Slowly, I believe that in the next meetings it will help me talk even more."
