Helping others comes naturally to a social entrepreneur, author, , and mother of four girls, who has dedicated the last decade to bettering the lives of those in distress. Before October 7, among other goals, this altruistic Tel Avivian’s efforts were focused on helping women in shelters “get back on their feet” through her mentor scheme that tries to break the cycle of abuse. “When women are in a shelter, everything is taken care of, but when they leave the shelter they have to deal with real life and sadly, a lot end up back with their husbands,” she noted.
Another pre-war project of Kantor’s involved helping young, bright adults from low-income families attend Tel Aviv University through her scholarship scheme. But these projects have been put on the back burner for now, as Kantor turns her attention to the more urgent needs of Israeli society: its burgeoning mental health crisis, particularly among young people. Like so many Israelis, Kantor’s life altered dramatically on October 7 due to the “horrific, life-changing” Hamas terrorist attack which, she believes “changed our personalities.
” In an instant, everything that we had previously taken for granted – a strong army, safety in our own land, etc. – was obliterated. “Israeli society lost faith in its government,” she lamented.
As a result, Kantor founded the (Fire Heart) project in November 2023. The initiative connects people whose mental health has been affected by the events of October 7.
