Shared battles, shared strength
Courage - connection - Healing
“Shared Battles, Shared Strength” (SBSS) is a program developed in collaboration with One World Strong to support the mental health of Israeli soldiers and their families. The initiative is being launched in urgent response to the escalating emotional toll of war on Israel’s soldiers, reservists, and families. Addressing the growing risk of suicide and other mental health struggles by fostering resilience and ensuring those who serve have timely access to effective life-saving support, “Shared Battles, Shared Strength” offers relief and hope through peer-to-peer connection with visiting U.S. veterans who have experienced similar battles. By uniting those who have served on both sides of the ocean, we are building resilience, fostering hope, and ensuring that no soldier must carry his or her burden alone.
“Shared Battles, Shared Strength” helps combat soldiers and their families seek connection and healing through peer support, while also learning how to navigate trauma and increase the utilization of resources from existing Israeli NGOs. At its core, this initiative brings trained, qualified, and experienced U.S. military veterans together with IDF soldiers and their families to highlight the strength of purposeful connection as well as to support long-term mental health, well-being, and resilience.
Our Mission
Saving lives. Our mission is to diminish the barriers that stand between soldiers and their families and the help they need – making support accessible, timely, and effective through peer connection and community advocacy that bridge the gap in ways that traditional systems do not.
Why This Matters
Behind the uniform, Israel’s soldiers and reservists carry invisible wounds of war – stress, trauma, and isolation that often go unspoken. Since October 7, 2023, emotional distress has escalated, and with it, the risk of suicide among IDF soldiers has significantly grown. By connecting IDF soldiers and their families with trained, qualified, and experienced U.S. veterans who have fought the same battles, we offer the validation that healing is possible, that purposeful connection is transformative, and that no soldier needs to fight these battles alone.
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Call to Action
We will carry out the mission of “Shared Battles, Shared Strength” through these core efforts:
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Peer-led workshops that create safe spaces for open dialogue and healing.
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Direct connections to trusted Israeli mental health resources and NGOs.
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Community outreach through family talks, veteran events, and public workshops.
Lori Kitaygorodsky
Director of
"Shared Battles, Shared Strength"
Lori Kitaygorodsky is a communications strategist, nonprofit leader, and lifelong advocate for resilience and healing. Drawing on years of experience in strategic communications, nonprofit development, and campaign building, Lori has dedicated her career to amplifying voices, building bridges, and creating impact-driven initiatives that save lives.
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Her passion for this work is deeply personal. As a mother of two daughters – one directly impacted by the 2018 Parkland, FL school shooting and another now studying in Israel during a time of national trauma – Lori understands both the urgency of addressing mental health, as well as the courage it takes to ask for help.
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She has held leadership roles with organizations such as Make Our Schools Safe and the Department of Homeland Security. She is now partnering with One World Strong to launch a groundbreaking campaign: “Shared Battles, Shared Strength,” centered on peer-to-peer support between U.S. and IDF soldiers. Her vision is rooted in the belief that asking for help is an act of bravery, not weakness.
Shivi Isman is a researcher, educator, and consultant specializing in cognition, awareness, and visual culture. She is the founder of the Institute for Visual Inquiry and creator of Visual Cognitive Therapy (VCT), an innovative model that integrates neuroscience, psychology, and culture to transform trauma into resilience. A former spokesperson at Israel’s Mission to the UN and journalist at NBC News, Shivi brings global experience and deep expertise to her work. Based in Tel Aviv, she contributes her knowledge and practice to "Shared Battles, Shared Strength", helping soldiers and veterans turn shared struggles into strength and healing.
Shivi Isman
Regional Director for
"Shared Battles, Shared Strength"
Rachel L. Friedman serves as the Partnerships & Development Lead for "Shared Battles, Shared Strength", where she drives donor engagement, strategic fundraising, and cross-sector partnerships to advance the program’s mission of supporting Israeli soldiers through peer-to-peer resilience with U.S. veterans. With more than two decades of experience in sales, marketing, and nonprofit development—including leadership roles at Make Our Schools Safe—Rachel brings a proven track record in relationship-building, event strategy, and organizational growth. Based in Bradenton, Florida, she is dedicated to strengthening alliances that expand access to timely, effective support for soldiers and their families.
Rachel Friedman
Partnerships & Development Lead
"Shared Battles, Shared Strength"
Guiding Principles
Courage
Courage isn’t only found on the front lines – It takes strength and courage to connect. Bridging the gap between needing support and being open to receiving it requires vulnerability, trust, and a shared understanding that true strength is found in connection – not isolation.
Connection
By fostering peer-to-peer dialogue between qualified, trained, and experienced U.S. veterans and IDF soldiers and their families, we build trust and show that shared battles can create shared strength. These connections extend beyond a single moment, creating ongoing support within and across communities.
Healing
Healing is both individual and collective. Through these courageous connections, soldiers gain hope, resilience, and the tools to begin healing – ensuring that no one carries the weight of war alone.
For more information on
"Shared Battles, Shared Strength"
Contact Lori:
Support this Initiative
Your support fuels courage, connection, and healing:
By backing this campaign, you are helping bring U.S. veterans to Israel to stand beside IDF soldiers and reservists... breaking stigma, fostering resilience and hope, and providing life-saving peer-to-peer support.
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