Free Trauma Treatment for IDF Veterans

For the first time in
two thousand years,
we are protected.

These soldiers did that for us — without hesitation, without condition. Now it is our turn to stand with them.

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Our Mission

Those who carried the weight of the Jewish world deserve to return to their lives.

Neshima Foundation provides intensive clinical treatment to IDF soldiers whose service left them battling PTSD, depression, and wounds that, without intervention, too often prove fatal. Where conventional care falls short, we offer rigorously selected, evidence-based modalities — including Accelerated Resolution Therapy® — proven to reach what talk therapy alone cannot.

We serve IDF veterans and active-duty soldiers regardless of nationality or country of origin. All treatment is provided free of charge. We exist because those who carried the weight of the Jewish world deserve to return to their lives — as parents, partners, and children.

Neshima — Hebrew for breath, for soul. That is what we are here to restore.

"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 crisis of historic proportions.

Israel's Defense Ministry has documented what clinicians and veterans' families have known for two years. The numbers are hard to read. They are necessary.

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 a life lost, a limb left in the field, a parent buried without their child beside them. 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 have been 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.

Founding Team

Built from inside this community.

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 & Clinical 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. Director of Clinical Services at Jewish Community Services of South Florida, one of the region's largest mental health providers. Deeply rooted in the South Florida Jewish community.
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.
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