In moments of collective upheaval, a budget is not just a financial document; it is a moral map. What we choose to fund – and what we leave behind – reflects our national values and priorities.
Israel’s 2025 state budget, published in the shadow of October 7, arrives at such a moment. For the first time, mental health is not buried in the fine print. It stands closer to center stage: visible, urgent, and intertwined with our national story.
This year’s budget represents the largest mental health investment in Israel’s history: ₪1.4 billion, a 17% increase from last year. New funding is directed toward hospital reforms, the adoption of a capitation model to stabilize psychiatric care, and ₪800 million dedicated to trauma response and community services. These shifts mark real progress toward a system that meets people where they are, and one that recognizes mental health as essential infrastructure for a resilient society.
But the numbers also reveal the road ahead. Mental health still receives only 2.4% of the national health budget, compared to 8–10% in OECD countries. Much of the trauma funding continues pre-existing plans rather than introducing new, large-scale solutions. Coordination across ministries is limited, and the workforce shortage remains acute. The result is an estimated annual shortfall of ₪3-4.5 billion. A gap measured not just in shekels, but in lives, waiting lists, and communities under strain.
This report unpacks both the advances and the gaps. It’s not a technical exercise; it’s a civic one. If we see mental health as public infrastructure, as vital as roads or water, then budget lines are blueprints for the society we choose to build. The 2025 plan lays a floor, not a ceiling. Now comes the real work: translating investment into justice, reform into resilience, and numbers into lives changed.
Read the full report here to understand where we stand, what’s missing, and why this moment matters.
