Founded in 1979 by Dr. Hanita Zimrin, ELI’s mission is to protect Israel’s children and break the intergenerational cycle of abuse through a broad spectrum of services, including crisis intervention, emergency hotline, therapy, prevention programs in schools, professional education, and community awareness. Furthermore, ELI tailors its services to a diversity of cultures, e.g. Arab, Ethiopian, ultra Orthodox, new immigrants and children with special needs, and provides access to therapy in a user-friendly manner, both through using a satellite system of therapists who can service a wide geographic area and a mobile therapy unit which can travel to where it’s needed. ELI importantly invests in teaching parenting skills in order to break the cycle of abuse. In a typical year, ELI provides therapy to over 5,000 children and their families; handles over 10,000 calls to its hotline from abused children, family members, friends, school staff and even perpetrators; presents their awareness program to 100,000 school children. No other agency in Israel focuses solely and specifically on the unique issues and methodologies for preventing and treating child abuse.