WoundedIsraeli &

AmericanSoldiers Heal

ThroughFellowship

Jeff Greenstein

A growing number ofIsraeli soldiers are

banding together in theUnited States to tackle

PTSD — using eachother as a bridge to do

so. The brotherhood thatexists among veterans is

a bond like no other.

Initiatives and groupsfrom the East to West

Coasts are bringingIsraeli and American

soldiers together in anattempt to heal

through fellowship.

Co-founder and Executive Directorof Brothers for Life, Rabbi ChaimLevine believes that no one canimpact the life of a soldier more

deeply than another soldier.

Brothers for Life’spopularity has broughtgroup sessions in cities

across the U.S., fromBoston to San Francisco

to Washington.

Upon experiencing one of the sessions,Chris Brown, former U.S. Marine, founded

a soldier-to-soldier peer program whereveterans help one another.

“I think the example that theIsraelis set is probably one of themost beneficial things that U.S.

veterans can get because in Israeliculture it seems to be a lot easier toshare your story and to articulate

the struggle that you have.”

- Chris Brown, former U.S Marine

In New York City, with Belev Echad (OneHeart in Hebrew) Org, groups of wounded

vets travel to NYC to reminisce, visit siteslike the Statue of Liberty, and tell stories

of their lives in battle and after. BelevEchad has been bringing wounded

members of the Israel Defense Forces toNew York City since 2009.

The tour is sponsored byChabad’s Upper East Side

Israeli community and wasattended by 60 alumni and

supporters this year. Supporters include

community members whohelp alumni acquire

computers for school andfinancial for durable goods,including prosthetic limbs.

Director of the ChabadCenter, Rabbi Uriel Vigler,

thinks events like these area powerful way to bring a

community together.

The organization runs group sessionswhere American and Israeli soldiers

spend time together — anywhere froma few hours to a week. Icebreakers

include different sports events thatprovide a way for veterans to open up.

Every day, vets return with physical,mental, and emotional challenges

that can affect every aspect of theirlives, but if the successes of these

organization is any indication,fellowship appears to be the greatest

enemy against PTSD.

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