Tekuma builds resilience during crisis – Life’s hardest moments.

Tekuma was established in 2026 to institutionalize years of frontline experience and to build sustainable crisis infrastructure for religious English and Hebrew speaking communities in Israel.

Since 2006, our founder, Avi Tenenbaum, MA, has been responding to Jewish tragedies including terror attacks, suicide, sudden medical incidents, road and industrial accidents, fires, war, civil and natural disasters, and community-wide, large-scale trauma events.

Across Avi Tenenbaum’s experience working with over 2,000 tragedies and crises, a clear gap in services in Israel became noticeable. 

In most crises, three types of support exist:

• Emergency medical response
• Logistical and financial assistance
• Long-term therapy

Almost no organization specializes in the fragile period between the moment a crisis ends and the first 30 days that follow.

This is when families cannot sleep, schools struggle to move forward, rabbinic leaders face weighty decisions, and first responders quietly question their reactions.

These 30 days are often confusing, lonely, and surreal.

The way this period is handled shapes long-term resilience.

Tekuma exists to serve this window.

Based in Israel and serving religious communities nationwide, Tekuma provides professional crisis stabilization with global reach when called upon.

Emergency responders stabilize the scene.
Chesed organizations manage practical and financial needs.
Therapists provide long-term care when needed.

Tekuma stabilizes and accompanies individuals and communities in the critical days that follow.

We provide brief, free consultation by phone or Zoom following a crisis. When appropriate, we meet families and institutions in person by offering hands-on crisis stabilization and real-time leadership guidance in the environments where decisions are being made.

Tekuma does not provide long-term therapy. Our focus is stabilization during the critical early phases of disaster and guiding people on a trajectory towards resilience. Beyond the initial crisis, we build resilience in the Jewish community through peer support programs and by developing additional resources for those navigating adversity.

Our work includes:

• Immediate psychological containment
• Strategic guidance for families, educators, and Rabbinic leadership
• Institutional response planning after tragedy
• Structured follow-up during the fragile first weeks
• Resource coordination and referral to relevant agencies and support services

Tekuma In Action

Avi is the current Lieutenant commander of the Israeli Police-Jerusalem District volunteer trauma unit, and member of Israel’s prestigious international Sderot Resilience Center team. Formerly former National Director of United Hatzalah’s Psychotrauma Unit, Avi is now giving back to the community with his professional and volunteer experience.

Since 2015 Avi has provided international training on four continents to mental health & medical professionals, educators, first responders, and community leadership, in psychological crisis response, grief leadership, and first responder wellbeing after highly traumatic events. 

Avi’s professional experience includes providing aid for people coping in the wake of numerous large-scale mass casualty incidents and wars including the Second Lebanon War, Hurricane Harvey, Pittsburg Tree-of-Life Massacre, Haifa 2016 Fires, Covid-19, Operation Cast-Lead, Meron Civil Disaster, Karlin Bleacher Collapse, Sorotzkin Arson Fire, Operation Guardian of the Walls, Russian Invasion of Ukraine, & Israel’s Operation Iron Swords as well as over 2000 small-scale tragedies (e.g. suicide, road accidents, crib death etc.) in the role as a psychological first aid provider, trainer, & supervisor.

In his various roles, Avi led country-wide crisis response programs in coordination with the Israeli Army, Police, Ministry of Health, and national emergency systems, overseeing support to communities from Eilat to the Golan Heights.