Eitan Mechina Opens Emotional Support Space in Memory of Alumnus Uri Epstein

Eitan Mechina this week inaugurated a new “emotional space” in memory of alumnus Uri Epstein. The facility is meant to give cadets a safe place to pause, breathe, process their experiences during the preparatory year, and gain tools for mental resilience, self-listening and coping with the demands of military service and life.

The ceremony was held with Mechina head Rabbi Adiel Azrad, Epstein’s parents Hila and Shai Epstein, MK Michal Woldiger, Rabbi Eli Kaplan, deputy mayor, friends, family members and students. The new space, built entirely of wood in a distinctive circular design, also includes therapy rooms. It is not described as a conventional treatment center, but as a unique concept created to address the emotional processes students go through.

Azrad said, “We invest a lot in spiritual building and physical preparation for the IDF, but emotional resilience and leadership start from within. The emotional space is not a luxury, it is a necessity.” He said students will learn a special language, listen to themselves and receive tools that will accompany them in military service and in life. Woldiger said society must strengthen everyday resilience, not wait for crises, and said the site will help students leave stronger for army service.

Uri’s mother, Hila Epstein, said the family wanted to “add life” and give students tools for development and coping, adding that the family was fully involved in planning and creating the המקום. Rabbi Kaplan called the project a beginning of a wider change in the culture of discussion, and social worker Adir Shapir said the team identified a gap between the support children receive in family, school and community and the needs that emerge during mechina.