Trademark
UnclaimedERAN (Ezra Rishona Nafshit) is Israel's national volunteer-based mental health first-aid organization, operating the country's largest 24/7 emotional support hotline by phone and online.
Last updated September 28, 2026
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Overview
ERAN — an acronym for Ezra Rishona Nafshit (Mental First Aid) — is a volunteer humanitarian association that provides anonymous, immediate and life-saving mental health first aid and emotional support to the Israeli public by telephone and online. Founded in February 1971 by Maria Berta Zaslany in memory of her husband, psychiatrist Dr. Arieh Zaslany, the organization began in a single room in her Jerusalem home, staffed by the late doctor's colleagues from academia and the professions. Over five decades it has grown into a national institution: it operates the country's largest hotline, reachable at 1201, staffed 24 hours a day, every day of the year, and complemented by internet-based services including chat, WhatsApp, SMS, email and an online forum. ERAN's services are free, anonymous and confidential, and are offered to every sector of Israeli society, at every age and in a wide range of languages — Hebrew, Arabic, English, Russian, Amharic, French and Spanish. Beyond its general lines, ERAN runs dedicated support lines for specific communities and populations: soldiers and their families (*2201), teenagers and young people, the elderly and Holocaust survivors, the ultra-Orthodox community, the Arab community, new immigrants and returning residents, mothers and fathers during pregnancy and after childbirth, first responders and their families, families of hostages, and survivors of the Nova music festival. It also operates a knowledge center offering self-help information and tools on topics such as loneliness, suicide, trauma and emergencies, anxiety, online bullying, relationships, self-harm and violence. ERAN describes itself as a central national body and pioneer in the field of primary mental health assistance, taking part in national and international projects in mental health, welfare and national resilience. It holds special consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) and is a member of IFOTES, the International Federation of Telephone Emergency Services, as well as Child Helpline International (CHI). It collaborates with Meta (Facebook and Instagram) and TikTok on suicide prevention in Israel, with the Israel Internet Association on combating online bullying and violence, and with the Israel Trauma Coalition on disaster and emergency response missions. It is a regular participant in Knesset committee discussions on suicide prevention. The organization is funded largely by donations from companies, public bodies and citizens, with limited support from the Israeli government. It relies on a large volunteer workforce — more than 1,600 volunteers according to Wikipedia — operating from 13 branches across Israel, eight additional branches in North America and one in Australia. ERAN has received recognition including the Knesset Speaker's Prize for Quality of Life (1998), the Effectiveness Award (2013) and the President's Award for Volunteerism (2022). Its executive director since 2011 is David Koren, and Shuki Oren has chaired the board of directors since 2023.
History
ERAN was founded in February 1971 by Maria Berta Zaslany in memory of her husband, psychiatrist Dr. Arieh Zaslany. The first call center was set up in Dr. Zaslany's former study in the family home in Jerusalem, staffed initially by his colleagues from academia and the professions. Later, psychology students and other individuals without professional backgrounds but with listening skills and empathy joined as volunteers. Mrs. Zaslany worked to establish and expand the organization. By 1983, four additional branches had been established in Tel Aviv, Haifa, Be'er Sheva and Netanya, initially with the assistance of the Ministry of Health and municipalities. In 1983, Shmuel Toledano united the branches into a single national association and served as ERAN's first secretary-general. Over the years the organization faced several budgetary constraints. In 2009, ERAN encountered a financial crisis and faced the risk of closure due to the global economic crisis, which caused a significant drop in donations. On July 22, 2009, the association announced that the call center had temporarily stopped operating at night between midnight and 8 a.m. due to budgetary distress — despite those being considered the hardest hours for people in mental distress. The nighttime service was later restored. Since 2011, David Koren has served as executive director (he had previously held the role from 1998 to 2005). In May 2023, Shuki Oren was appointed chairman of the board of directors, succeeding Giora Bar Dea, who had held the position since 2016. From July 27, 2012, telephone calls to the support centers became free of charge. In 1998, the association was awarded the Knesset Speaker's Prize for Quality of Life. In May 2022, ERAN was selected to receive the President's Award for Volunteerism for 2022, in recognition of its contribution to mental health assistance for every caller in any distress. ERAN operates as a central national body in the field of primary mental health assistance and takes part in national and international projects in mental health, welfare and national resilience. It has held special consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council since 2017 and is a member of IFOTES, an international organization of telephone emergency services with 32 organizations from 28 countries. In 2011, ERAN joined Child Helpline International (CHI), a global movement of helplines protecting children worldwide, and is represented on its 16-member international board. Among ERAN's initiatives is "Saving Lives on the Tracks," a collaboration with Israel Railways to reduce the number of suicides on train platforms. ERAN is also a partner in the Israel Trauma Coalition (ITS), an umbrella organization of corporations and individuals active in psycho-trauma and resilience, through which joint aid missions are carried out worldwide during disasters, terror attacks and mass-casualty events, as well as activities for the resilience of residents of the northern and southern conflict lines during war and IDF operations. ERAN is the national organization assisting Meta in preventing suicide in Israel through Facebook and Instagram; the collaboration allows flagging of risk situations requiring immediate intervention and referral of users to professional help. In 2022, the collaboration was expanded to TikTok. Shiri Daniels, ERAN's professional director, works closely with Meta's Israel policy manager to identify distress and prevent the spread of phenomena related to bullying and suicide online. ERAN is a regular participant in Knesset committee discussions (welfare, health, education, child welfare, immigrants and others) on suicide prevention, and is a partner in the Knesset lobby for suicide prevention established in 2020. Together with the Ministry of Defense, ERAN operates a dedicated line for soldiers and their families (*2201), complementing the mental health services provided by the IDF by allowing anonymous contact from anywhere at any time. At the outbreak of the COVID-19 crisis, ERAN became part of the national emergency system. Due to the large surge in calls, emergency mental health lines were opened and the number of volunteers per shift was reinforced on both telephone and internet lines. During the Russian invasion of Ukraine, ERAN launched a line for Russian-speaking Israelis in Ukraine, staffed by volunteers who received special training; the line was opened at the request of the Israeli embassy in Ukraine and in cooperation with the Israel Trauma Coalition. As the fighting continued, the number of mental-health-related calls rose by 15% in Israel as well. ERAN also collaborates with the Israel Internet Association to offer emotional support and mental first aid to victims of online bullying and violence and works to remove harmful sexual and violent content; a hotline for online harm operates 24/7. Following the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, 2020 was an all-time record year for the total number of calls to ERAN's lines — the number of calls jumped by 50 percent. ERAN's activity report presented to the Knesset Health Committee in February 2022 shows that during 2021, ERAN volunteers responded to 305,749 distress calls. The report also shows that 9,172 calls identified as having suicidal content were received at the organization's centers, of which 920 were emergency calls.
- 2023
Shuki Oren appointed chairman of the board of directors in May, succeeding Giora Bar Dea.
- 2022
ERAN selected for the President's Award for Volunteerism; collaboration with TikTok on suicide prevention expanded.
- 2021
ERAN volunteers respond to 305,749 distress calls, including 9,172 with suicidal content.
- 2020
Record year for calls (50% increase) due to COVID-19; Knesset lobby for suicide prevention established with ERAN as partner.
- 2017
ERAN granted special consultative status with the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).
- 2013
ERAN awarded the Effectiveness Award for outstanding achievements in mental first aid.
- 2012
From July 27, telephone calls to ERAN support centers become free of charge.
- 2011
David Koren appointed executive director; ERAN joins Child Helpline International (CHI).
- 2009
Financial crisis due to global economic downturn; night service temporarily suspended from July 22 but later restored.
- 1998
ERAN awarded the Knesset Speaker's Prize for Quality of Life.
Products and positioning
Israel's leading national volunteer organization for primary mental health assistance, providing anonymous, immediate and life-saving emotional support by phone and online.
National hotline 1201
24/7 anonymous telephone mental health first aid line.
Online support services
Chat, WhatsApp, SMS, email and forum-based emotional support.
Dedicated community lines
Specialized lines for soldiers (*2201), youth, elderly, ultra-Orthodox, Arab society, immigrants, new parents, first responders, hostages' families, Nova survivors.
Knowledge center
Online information, tools and tips on mental health topics.
Training and workshops
Professional training, workshops and courses for organizations and individuals.
Sources6 sources
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