History of Firsts
The Palyam (precursor to the Israeli Navy) establishes an elite naval commando unit specializing in underwater sabotage, which would later become Shayetet-13 (in Hebrew, "Flotilla-13"), the Israel Navy SEALs.
The Atalef Foundation is founded, serving as an "alumni association" for Shayetet-13 and occasionally fundraising to meet emergency needs of Israel Navy SEALs and their families. The atalef ("bat" in Hebrew) is the symbol of Shayetet-13.
The Ofer family awards its first full public university scholarships to Israel Navy SEALs who begin university within one year of completing service.
Atalef launches the first Mentorship program specifically for IDF veterans, pairing Israel Navy SEAL alumni early in their careers with seasoned professionals. The intensive ten-month program combines group and one-to-one meetings, projects and therapy for the purpose of accelerating professional and personal growth.
Following its successful pilot, the Atalef Foundation invites members of other special forces units to participate in the program, then replicate it for their own units.
In 2022, Atalef graduates its 15th class of mentees, and there is a waitlist to volunteer as a mentor in the program.
Atalef Foundation provides the IDF’s first program preparing soldiers for the transition to civilian life, to SEALs in their final weeks of active-duty service. This program includes seminars on financial literacy, career paths and college options, scholarship opportunities and alumni speaker panels.
Atalef Foundation begins sharing its transition program with representatives of other IDF special forces units, which adapt the model for their soldiers.
In 2011, Atalef Foundation representatives begin discussing the program with Friends of the Israel Defense Forces (FIDF).
In 2017, FIDF adopts and expands the program into what becomes its "Momentum" program serving thousands of discharging soldiers annually.
Maoz, a leadership development program within the Atalef Foundation (originally called "SEAL"), is spun off into an independent organization and today engages nearly 200 leaders across Israeli society.
The Atalef Foundation launches the world's first special forces surfing competition, the Frogman Wave Surfing Challenge. The event is powered by volunteers and held approximately every other year, always in Israel. Highlights from the 2021 event:
First-annual Los Angeles luncheon in support of the Israel Navy SEALs, hosted by board member Mike Rosenberg.
Atalef Foundation awards the first scholarship by an IDF unit foundation.
Atalef launches the Atalef Response Team, recruiting Israel Navy SEAL alumni to train and volunteer as a special emergency unit of the Yamam, Israel's National Counter-Terrorism Unit. Following its success, the program was absorbed by the government and expanded into a professional program open to all special forces veterans.
American Friends of Israel Navy SEALs (AFINS) convenes its inaugural board of directors, comprising eight volunteer-leaders.
First formal professional development event to be hosted in the US brings together Israel Navy SEAL alumni and US tech leaders at Facebook headquarters in Palo Alto.
First-annual AFINS Evening of Tribute convenes 250 supporters at the Bowery Hotel in NYC.
For the first time in IDF history, a sitting commander formally discusses Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) with veterans when Israel Navy SEAL leadership meets on-base with Unit alumni suffering from PTSD. The alumni share their experiences and the Atalef Foundation services supporting them, paving the way for increasing collaboration between IDF units and veterans in-need.
Atalef pilots the Buddy Line program, training eight Israel Navy SEAL reservist volunteers before pairing them with veterans of other units who suffer from severe Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Each pair sails together once per week for 40 weeks, building rapport and creating a unique space in which to address the effects of PTSD and related personal challenges.
In 2023, the program served 400 pairs across groups in sailing, surfing and scuba-diving.
AFINS launches the world's first program jointly serving American and Israeli veterans: the Version Bravo entrepreneurship accelerator for former US Navy SEALs and Israel Navy SEALs.
AFINS and the Atalef Foundation collectively serve more than 4,000 individuals in Israel in a single year for the first time, with the help of 400 Israel Navy SEAL community volunteers. Our 2021 Impact Report.
Local volunteer-leaders host AFINS' first-ever Chicago event.
In response to Hamas's massacre and kidnapping of Israeli civilians and the activation of an unprecedented number of SEAL-reservists, AFINS launches its wartime appeal. Our community immediately begins supporting the emergency needs of the warriors, their families and broader Israel.