Yfah Burstin: Providing a Lifeline to Victims of War
Yfah Burstin lives in Ramat HaSharon, a Tel Aviv suburb, with her husband and two children (16 and 12). With a degree in industrial engineering and management (1997) from the Technion, she honed her skills in various multinational corporations before founding her own ventures. On October 7, 2023, she was launching Better Bite, a management consultancy for food-tech companies, when “all hell broke loose and the war started,” she recalled.
“For the first two or three days I just sat in my room crying. It was so terrible, so awful. I mean Israeli cities were actually conquered by terrorists!”
But like all Israelis, Burstin quickly resolved to transform her grief into action and help in any way she could. “All the volunteer organizations were packed as everyone looked for a place to volunteer.” She explained the movements in place before October 7 that were organizing the protests against judicial reforms transformed literally overnight.
“Several major resistance groups got together to form an amazing civil aid organization that operated out of the convention centre in Tel Aviv. It became a logistics centre to help all over Israel.” The combined groups and thousands of more volunteer recruits became Brothers and Sisters for Israel with the mission to provide humanitarian aid to all Israelis in crisis. This grassroots effort became a vital lifeline for displaced families, victims, and soldiers.
“Among the first things the group did was determine who was killed and who was kidnapped and provided those names to the government. Volunteers acquired donations for the military and managed plane loads of equipment and supplies from all over the world. There was a line of hundreds of cars of people waiting patiently to donate their stuff. We collected blankets, toys, clothes, mattresses — anything for the evacuated families.”
Burstin first became part of the rescue call centre, answering phones from people who were still in conflict zones and needed help getting out. She explained how they sent volunteers and former IDF personnel licensed to carry weapons to besieged towns in the south to rescue people in their own cars. “In a few hours everything was planned and coordinated like a Fortune 500 company. Systems were set up in moments. This all happened before the official government entities even knew what to do. We even rescued their cats and dogs.”
The evacuees were taken to a safe zone, clothed, fed, and given medical and psychological help if needed. The volunteers found hotel rooms and host families who opened their homes to the displaced. Once the official government response began, the organization pivoted to forming an evacuee administration. Two to three weeks into the war, the north was also evacuated after it became a daily target of Hezbollah. There were now more than 250,000 displaced civilians.
Because of Burstin’s business and leadership skills, she quickly gained more responsibility in the evacuee administration. In no time, she became the full-time volunteer director of the entire operation. “I had hundreds of volunteers under me. We had this really amazing hierarchy. Each location, hotel, or youth centre that housed and served evacuees had a volunteer assigned to it who met with them daily to assess needs.”
Once the basic needs were met, the civil group began organizing day care centres and activities. “Just imagine a family of four, five, or six all crammed up in one hotel room.” In the first few weeks, people were afraid to leave the hotel. In the south, they have only 15 seconds to get to a bomb shelter or safe room when a red alert siren sounds. They were not used to the more comfortable 90-second warning in Tel Aviv.
The volunteers secured donations to establish day care centres, and the government supplied teachers. They found locations to establish schools. Activities were arranged for children and adults, including musicians, singers, yoga classes, sports, and sewing classes. “We threw birthday parties for kids and even bar mitzvahs.”
They organized job fairs in the hotels. “We connected with many employers who were willing to employ people for short periods of time. We didn’t know how long it would last. Nobody thought this war would last a year, and still running.” And no one brought winter wear, so warm clothing was also supplied. The volunteer organization also sent people on armored buses to collect needed items from their homes.
Burstin served as the head of the evacuee administration for about six months. Most evacuees went on to rent apartments in other towns or found other temporary housing. Some joined or merged kibbutzim. Evacuees from the south are returning to their homes.
She has gone back to her business but helps as needed and continues to raise funds for Brothers and Sisters for Israel. “This organization is not going away. It will help change Israeli society for the better.”
Burstin credits the Technion for the extraordinary foundation she received that has led to her success, but it was not without challenges. “I was used to being the smartest student in the class but at the Technion everyone was the smartest,” she recalled. Despite a tough first semester, she thrived, finding her passion in decision psychology and marketing, thanks to mentors like Professor Ido Erev.
After graduating and obtaining an MBA, Burstin worked for Stanley Black & Decker, Nestle, ICQ (purchased by AOL in 1998), and food-tech companies before founding her own company, Wishlist Design. It specialized in manufacturing corporate gifts and international home decor products. She sold Wishlist after 13 years, then served as CEO of a food company before launching Better Bite.
From her early days as a Technion student to her current role as entrepreneur and humanitarian, Yfah Burstin’s journey is a testament to her resilience, adaptability, and unwavering dedication to helping others in times of crisis.
Produced in collaboration with the Technion Alumni Association