Free Clinical Trauma Treatment — IDF Veterans and Beyond

They served our people.
They came home with war still inside them.
Now we show up for them.

Many were not born in Israel. They chose to leave their families, their countries, and their lives — to serve our people and our land. Now we serve them.

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Our Mission

They served. They sacrificed. They deserve to come home — fully.

Neshima provides free, intensive clinical treatment to IDF veterans and other combat veterans battling PTSD, depression, and trauma that, without intervention, too often proves fatal. Where conventional care falls short, we offer Accelerated Resolution Therapy® — an evidence-based modality proven to reach what talk therapy alone cannot.

We serve IDF veterans and all combat veterans regardless of nationality or country of origin. All treatment is provided free of charge.

Neshima — the Hebrew word for breath, deeply connected to the word Neshama, meaning soul — represents what we are here to help restore: a calm breath and a full soul.

"After October 7th, the mental health institutions in Israel are overwhelmed completely, and a lot of people either can't get therapy or don't even understand the distress they are feeling has to do with what they have experienced."

— Dr. Ronen Sidi, Clinical Psychologist, Emek Medical Center

A mental health emergency of historic proportions.

The numbers are staggering. They are vital to understand.

40%
Increase in PTSD cases among IDF soldiers since September 2023
Israel Defense Ministry · January 2026
56%
Of soldiers in rehabilitation centers have mental health conditions
Defense Ministry Rehabilitation Dept. · September 2025
180%
Projected increase in PTSD cases by 2028
Israel Defense Ministry · January 2026
279
Soldiers attempted suicide between January 2024 and July 2025
Knesset Research Center · October 2025
78%
Of all Israeli suicide cases in 2024 were combat soldiers
Knesset Research Center · October 2025
1:750
Staff-to-patient ratio in Israel's rehabilitation system
Defense Ministry Rehabilitation Dept.

Sources: Israel Defense Ministry Rehabilitation Department; Knesset Research and Information Center; Reuters; The Times of Israel; Haaretz.

We cannot repay the time they gave, the futures they risked, the moments at home they will never get back. But we can show up — and make sure they are not alone in finding their way back.

The Treatment

Accelerated Resolution Therapy® — what actually works for this population.

ART® is a brief, structured, evidence-based psychotherapy validated in peer-reviewed randomized controlled trials, including a landmark study in Military Medicine specifically examining combat veterans. Results in one to five sessions — without requiring soldiers to recount their trauma in detail.

No detailed retelling required
Soldiers do not have to describe what happened to benefit from treatment. This removes the single greatest barrier to engagement for combat veterans — and makes ART uniquely suited to this population.
Brief, with lasting results
Many clients experience significant relief within one to five sessions. Therapeutic gains are maintained at follow-up in longitudinal analyses. This is not temporary relief.
Language accessible
Because ART does not rely heavily on verbal processing, Hebrew-speaking clients with basic English proficiency can benefit — removing a critical barrier for soldiers in the diaspora.
Addresses the full picture
ART has been validated for PTSD, depression, anxiety, grief, and co-occurring substance use — the full complexity of what many veterans carry home from service.

"ART produced large, clinically meaningful reductions in combat-related PTSD — including among veterans who had previously undergone other evidence-based therapies without relief."

Military Medicine, landmark randomized controlled trial (2013)

Accelerated Resolution Therapy® and ART® are registered service marks of the Rosenzweig Center for Rapid Recovery (RCRR), used with permission.

What We Are Building

The first dedicated clinical trauma program for IDF veterans in the United States.

Neshima provides ART treatment free of charge to IDF veterans and other combat veterans. Sessions are 60–90 minutes, delivered in person by our founding clinical team. Most clients complete treatment in one to five sessions.

Phase 1 · Year 1
Legalize and Launch
  • File for 501(c)(3) status and complete nonprofit incorporation
  • Expand our ART-trained clinician network to ensure treatment capacity from day one
  • Launch neshimafoundation.org and build organizational infrastructure
  • Begin outreach to IDF veteran-serving organizations to build referral pipelines
  • Start seeing clients — real veterans, real treatment, from the beginning
Phase 2 · Year 1–2
Go to the Need
As referral relationships deepen, we follow the veterans. When a group of soldiers is concentrated in another city — New York, Los Angeles, or elsewhere — we bring them to South Florida for an intensive treatment week, or we send our clinical team to them. No waiting for infrastructure. We go where the need is.
Phase 3 · Year 2–3
Bring Israelis Here
Formalize the intensive retreat model for soldiers coming from Israel. Partner with organizations that handle travel and logistics — so that distance is never the reason a soldier goes untreated. Soldiers arrive for concentrated multi-session treatment and return home with relief that lasts.
Phase 4 · Year 3+
Expand and Root
  • Establish satellite locations in New York, Los Angeles, or other high-need cities through our trained clinician network
  • Build toward a partner site in Israel — bringing the model home to the source
Founding Team

Built from inside this community.

Neshima Foundation

We are not outsiders applying expertise to a community. We are part of this community, and this work is personal.

DM
Deborah Mondlak, LCSW
Founder & Executive Director
Licensed clinical social worker specializing in trauma, grief, and couples work. ART-trained. Prior to clinical practice, founded and directed medical and mental health programs for at-risk youth at Yad Rajamim in Mexico City. Founder, Mondlak Therapy, Hollywood FL.
JD
Dr. Jessica Dahan
Co-Founder
Developmental psychologist and ART-trained clinician with extensive clinical leadership experience in South Florida community mental health. Deeply rooted in the South Florida Jewish community she has served throughout her career.
BL
Dr. Barry Ladis, PhD, LCSW, MCAP
Founding Advisor & Board Member
Doctoral-level licensed clinical social worker specializing in co-occurring trauma and addiction. Clinical training at the VA PTSD Residential Program. 30 years as a CPA and corporate executive. Long embedded in the South Florida Jewish community.
GS
Gal Sharon, MBA
Board Member
Experienced business leader and active reserve officer (Captain) in the IDF. Holds an MBA and has built his career leading teams and delivering complex projects across international markets. His experience spans business development, strategic partnerships, and operational leadership across agriculture, renewable energy, and technology sectors.
Get Involved

These soldiers came home.
They deserve to come back to themselves.

Whether you are a veteran seeking treatment, an organization looking to partner, or someone who wants to support this work — we would welcome that conversation.

deborah@neshimafoundation.org Neshima Foundation — Nonprofit in Formation
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