About
Born from Need, Built with Heart
Strong Heart Initiative was born in the aftermath of October 7, 2023 — from a clear-eyed recognition that the trauma unleashed on Israel's soldiers and families would far outpace any existing system's capacity to respond. The initiative brings together equestrian professionals, military veterans, and therapeutic experts around a single conviction: horses reach where words cannot. What began as full-day workshops for combat IDF units has grown into a three-project model — for active soldiers processing early trauma, for veterans rebuilding their lives, and for the children who carry war's invisible weight.
What Makes Strong Heart Unique
Combat unit healing
Soldiers heal with the unit they served with, not strangers.
Two-phase model
From crisis workshop to 12-month recovery.
Three groups
Combat soldiers, veterans in recovery, and children affected by war.
Open access model
Participants can come to the stable any day. The stable becomes a true second home.
Aviv Farm — Stable with a Big Heart
Aviv Farm was created and managed by Gal Cohen at Moshav Mishmeret — a professional equestrian sports and therapeutic-rehabilitation center with over 20 years of experience. After October 7, the stable became something more. Here, the gates are always open. Participants are welcomed any time they feel the need to come — not as patients, but as people who belong. The stable is not just where the programs happen. It is a safe space, a community, a home.
Our Partners in the Mission
Merit Spread Foundation
Merit Spread Foundation is a public benefit company registered in Israel, the United States, and Europe — built to make philanthropy efficient, transparent, and barrier-free. Their platform removes bureaucracy and overhead from the giving process, so every contribution reaches its destination with full accountability and no friction.
VisitBrothers of Jonathan — Transcending Trauma
Founded by Anita and Shani Shkedi, the Transcending Trauma Project emerged from personal experience — its founders and supporters have lived through military service, loss, and the aftermath of October 7th. Their program goes beyond connection and confidence. It delivers structured, clinically informed equine-assisted therapy for soldiers, families, displaced persons, and Nova survivors carrying PTSD, complex PTSD, and moral injury — people whose nervous systems remain stuck in survival mode long after the danger has passed.
Israeli Friends of Ukraine
Founded in 2014, Israeli Friends of Ukraine represents over 50,000 members of the Jewish-Ukrainian community in Israel — building bridges between two nations that know, firsthand, what it means to fight for survival. Their work spans humanitarian aid, psychological support, immigrant absorption, and public diplomacy. They stand with IDF soldiers and with families rebuilding their lives far from home.