Iron Connections – a matchmaking service for wounded warriors

Women were asked which types of wounds they felt capable of handling, and male participants submitted photos taken both before and after their injuries.

By Hezy Laing, World Israel News

The Hebrew-language Besheva newspaper recently featured an inspiring story about a remarkable new matchmaking initiative called Iron Connections.

Ossi Eben Tzur, a mother of eight from Kiryat Ata and a pedagogical supervisor in Israel’s Northern District, has faced the heartbreak of seeing a soldier in her family wounded—twice.

When war broke out, five of her children and their spouses were called to the front lines.

While caring for one of her injured sons in the hospital, Eben Tzur overheard conversations among other wounded soldiers.

“Many would say things like ‘What will happen to us?’ and ‘Our lives are over.’ They believed all their dreams were cut short and looked at the future with pessimism.”

One exchange left a deep impression.

A fellow soldier’s mother asked, “Ossi, who would want to marry our sons?!Who would marry an amputee?”

Eben Tzur’s answer was immediate and unwavering: “The highest-quality girls will take them.” That moment ignited a spark.

“I came to this project with great confidence that there are girls like that and that it can work, and with great faith that they are heroes and deserve it.”

“I saw it happen first and foremost in my own family,” she said. “My son has a girlfriend he met after his injury, and he still uses crutches to this day. My daughter met her partner while he was injured in the hospital.”

Determined to make a difference, Eben Tzur launched a matchmaking project specifically for wounded warriors.

She partnered with matchmaker Racheli Hominer, who joined the effort with enthusiasm. Together, they crafted a detailed questionnaire to facilitate thoughtful matches.

Women were asked which types of injuries they felt capable of handling, and male participants submitted photos taken before and after their injuries.

“We wanted the girls to see the person and not just the wounded man. We tried to be very precise in everything, to be as professional and sensitive as possible.”

The response exceeded all expectations. In just 10 weeks, 700 women had signed up. “The website collapsed from the overload of applications,” Eben Tzur enthused.

The platform quickly expanded, and today, around 1,000 women—across all ages, professions, and backgrounds—have registered. Dozens of wounded men have joined as well.

Now, only two and a half months into the project, several new couples have already been formed. For Eben Tzur, this is about more than matchmaking—it’s a form of resistance and renewal.

“They wanted to destroy us, but we will respond by building new families,” she declared.

“Victory is eternity, and what is more eternal than building houses in the people of Israel? This is our victory.”