Reservists Program – Mati Jerusalem

MATI Reservists Program - Restarting Hope

Since October 2023, tens of thousands of business owners have been called up for repeated and extended Reserve duty on Israel’s front lines. Their businesses have been left without management, revenues have collapsed, and families have faced economic and emotional uncertainty. More than 46,000 reservist-owned businesses have closed and 60,000 are at risk of closure.

Unlike employees, entrepreneurs in Israel have no government safety net when called to Reserve service. They return from dedicating weeks of time and energy to protecting their country to face a depleted customer base, cash flow difficulties, and feelings of exhaustion. To date, there is no national program providing comprehensive support to entrepreneur Reservists. MATI’s Reservist Program “ReStart:HOPE” fills this gap by offering practical, economic and emotional support to help IDF Reservists keep their businesses alive.

Please note: Names are concealed for the safety of the soldiers and their families, and Reservists are referred to as men, although we do also help female Reservists.

SUCCESS STORIES

A.S.

Therapist Supporting Reservists

A.S. is a therapist from Jerusalem who served 645 days in the IDF Reserves; his business essentially disappeared the moment he put on his uniform. He returned home crushed and exhausted, facing the challenge of rebuilding his destroyed business. MATI embraced him and other returning Reservists and invited him to become Community Manager for the ReStart:Hope program. As a certified PTSD therapist, he also runs the program’s hotline, providing immediate professional and emotional support. “Reservists need community support more than loans or mentors because there’s such a gap between the togetherness you feel in Reserves and the loneliness you face when trying to rebuild your business. It truly saves lives. Men kill themselves when they feel lost, when they can’t see the light. That’s the reality we’re changing.”

A.B.

Cooking up Culinary Tours

A.B.’s company offer culinary tours of Jerusalem to groups. He is also an officer in the Paratroopers brigade, and served more than 350 days in Syria and Lebanon during the war. He has been supported by a MATI mentor since 2022, and has participated in several of our workshops and our AutoMATI program. During his deployment, business automation enabled his employee to manage the business alone and continue functioning during this challenging period. As he rebuilds his business after the war, MATI is providing end-to-end support including graphic design, advertising, client recruitment and payment processing.

S.L.

Restarting in Tour Guiding

S.L. is a recent immigrant to Israel and a tour guide. During the war, he served in Gaza. He started receiving support from MATI in 2024, to cope with interruptions to his business and the decline in incoming tourism to Israel. In 2025, he returned to civilian life and is preparing – with MATI’s help – to restart his tourist guiding business.

The ReStart:HOPE Program

MATI consulted with Jerusalem-based business owners who served in the IDF Reserves for 200+ days during 2024-25 to hear about their pain points and needs. We have built this ReStart:Hope program around their needs and to serve their growing community. We are focused on hiring qualified Reservists who can understand and relate to their experiences, and strengthening the bonds between brothers in arms.

Everyone who recognizes the sacrifice that Reservists have made for Israel wants them to succeed in recovering their economic and emotional security. MATI helps them to get back on their feet and restart their business in an honorable way, with minimal stress and maximum support.

Peer Support for Reservists

Community building forms the core of this program, to create a supportive network of Jerusalem-based reservist business owners, with shared workspaces, networking events, and peer support systems to combat the isolation that hits when returning to civilian life.

Our business workshops and webinars are timed and tailored to suit the unique status of Reservists, including their financial rights and benefits and the emotional challenges of returning to routine. Reservists can also access AutoMATI and other MATI business support services focused on helping them rebuild their businesses and maintain them during future Reserve duty.

PLANS FOR 2026

Every business that we help to rescue this year will represent a victory for a soldier, his entire family, his business, and the entire ecosystem of suppliers and customers who work with him.

PROGRAM PARTNERS

MATI’s Reservists program runs in partnership with the Rochlin Family Foundation, the Fleischer Family Foundation, and Check Point, and is partly funded through participation fees from the entrepreneur beneficiaries themselves.

We invite you to help these honorable Reservists to rebuild their lives and businesses by sponsoring a recovery package for one, ten or fifty entrepreneurs. Talk to us today about how you can restart hope for a Reservist entrepreneur, their business, and their family.