Volunteer Project Helps Bereaved Families Recover Millions in Unclaimed Funds
Project Shahar helps bereaved families navigate complex financial bureaucracy to recover millions of shekels left behind by soldiers fallen in the Iron Swords war.
Families of fallen soldiers in the Iron Swords war face grueling bureaucratic hurdles when trying to recover the financial assets left behind by their loved ones. To address this challenge, volunteers have launched "Project Shahar," an initiative designed to track down, consolidate, and transfer unclaimed funds from commercial banks, pension funds, and insurance companies to bereaved families.
In an interview with Globes, Aviad Shuv, one of the project's co-founders, explained that the vision stems from a desire to open up the financial world to everyday people. Past reports indicate that billions of shekels remain trapped in dormant bank accounts, provident funds, and pension plans belonging to deceased individuals. Shuv noted that families often lack the emotional and mental bandwidth to navigate the complex bureaucratic procedures required to claim these funds.
Recovering Over 10 Million Shekels
Project Shahar currently supports 21 families, four of whom have already completed the process and successfully recovered their rightful assets. According to available data, the initiative has managed to return more than 10 million shekels to grieving relatives so far, with plans to accelerate operations in the coming months.
"The families do not know how to approach this. Many of them stated that they could not bring themselves to deal with it, due to both the bureaucracy and the mental toll," said Aviad Shuv.
Step-by-Step Recovery Guide
While Project Shahar aims to handle the entire process pro bono so families can avoid the burden altogether, those wishing to navigate the system independently can follow specific steps. First, families must obtain a succession order and death certificate, along with copies of identification cards for both the deceased and the heirs, and recent salary slips.
Close relatives can access government portals such as "Har HaKesef" and "Har HaBituach" free of charge to locate most financial products, including pension funds, advanced training funds, and bank accounts. The next phase involves contacting independent trading platforms and investment houses to uncover brokerage accounts that do not appear on standard government search engines.
Honoring a Fallen Commander
The initiative was established in memory of Maj. Shahar Buzaglo, a company commander in the 77th Battalion who fell in battle in the northern Gaza Strip. Buzaglo left behind a pregnant wife, parents, and sisters. The project is driven by his close friends Aviad Shuv and Roi Gil, alongside attorney Adam Karpel, administrative manager Maya Alon, and Shahar's mother, Osnat, supported by 15 volunteers.
The project utilizes specialized AI systems to automate communications, draft requests, and streamline paperwork with financial institutions, significantly reducing processing times and helping families regain their financial footing.
