One Community. One Cohort. A Life-Changing Connection.
Detroit has always had a special relationship with Israel. Now, through Israel Heart2Heart, that relationship is becoming personal.
The Detroit Jewish community is adopting a dedicated cohort of Israeli heroes as they begin a 12-month journey with Israel Heart2Heart, moving beyond post-traumatic stress toward healing, purpose, connection and Post-Traumatic Growth.
This isn't simply about supporting Israel from afar. It's about knowing the people we are supporting.
It's about building relationships. Showing up. Walking beside an Israeli hero as he rebuilds his life after service — and creating a lasting bridge between Detroit and Israel.
The Journey Ahead
Every hero in the Detroit cohort is known by name — and backed by an entire community, from the first day of the journey to the Mission of a Lifetime.
Featured Article
The Detroit Jewish News covers the partnership taking shape between the Detroit Jewish community and Israel Heart2Heart — and the IDF veterans whose lives it will change.
Read the ArticleThe Next Chapter Begins
The heroes joining the Detroit cohort have already spent six months participating in a specialized outpatient rehabilitation program at Hadassah Hospital in Israel.
Now they will take their next step.
They will enter Israel Heart2Heart together as their own cohort and begin a 12-month Post-Traumatic Growth journey.
Through Detroit's support, each hero will have access to a comprehensive network of care and opportunity:
Sponsorship
$18,000 sponsors the complete journey of one Israeli hero.
But the Detroit community is giving them something that cannot be measured only in dollars:
"A community that knows them, believes in them and is invested in their future."
Detroit Mentors. Israeli Heroes.
One of the most meaningful parts of this initiative is the relationship between Detroit and Israel. Each participating hero will be paired one-to-one with a trained mentor from the Detroit community.
"Mentors aren't therapists. They're people who show up."
They listen. Encourage. Celebrate progress. Offer perspective. Share life experience. And remind their mentee that someone thousands of miles away genuinely cares about what happens next.
Mentors commit approximately one hour each week to their Israeli hero.
Every mentor receives specialized Israel Heart2Heart training before being matched.
Our current mentor group is full, and we now have a waiting list of Detroiters who want to participate.
The response from Detroit has already been extraordinary. Our current mentor group is full — and the mentors on the waiting list will complete their training before being thoughtfully matched with their Israeli mentees in late October.
Five Heroes Came to Detroit. A Community Opened Its Heart.
In June 2026, five Israel Heart2Heart heroes and two staff members came to Metro Detroit. What happened during that week became the beginning of something much bigger.
Across Shabbat tables, backyard gatherings, Lunch & Learns, community events and conversations in people's homes, Detroiters didn't simply hear about PTSD in Israel. They met the people living it.
They heard firsthand what it means to come home from war and try to become a husband, father, professional and fully engaged member of society again. And relationships began to form.
The response was immediate.
"Most importantly, strangers became friends."
That week planted the seed for the Detroit–Israel Heart2Heart partnership we are building today.
A Proven Legacy
Nine cohorts of IDF veterans have already completed the program - a proven, structured 18-month healing journey. Now Detroit has the opportunity to launch Cohort 10 and write the next chapter.
Detroit × Israel Heart2Heart
The Detroit Chapter is about more than support from afar. It is a relationship between a resilient community in Detroit and Israel's heroes, grounded in care, connection, and a shared commitment to healing.
Detroit stands with Israel Heart2Heart as a community partner committed to supporting IDF veterans and their families through long term healing.
The chapter creates a living bridge between Detroit and Israel, turning solidarity into relationships, presence, and shared responsibility.
Support reaches beyond the soldier to spouses, children, and families who carry the impact of trauma at home.
Detroit brings its own spirit of resilience and renewal into the Israel Heart2Heart mission, helping veterans feel remembered and supported across the ocean.
What Adoption Means
Detroit is not standing on the sidelines. Detroit is building a relationship with Israel's heroes and their families - walking with them through every stage of recovery.
For 18 months, Cohort 10 carries Detroit's name. Every milestone they reach is a milestone the Motor City made possible.
From mentorship to celebration of graduation - Detroit becomes part of the healing journey of Israel's heroes and their families.
"When Detroit adopts Cohort 10, eighteen families in Israel will know that an entire city across the ocean stands behind them."
Community Leadership
Rabbi Shneur Silberberg of Bais Chabad of West Bloomfield is leading Detroit's community effort to adopt Cohort 10 - rallying the Motor City behind 18 IDF heroes and their families.
Under his leadership, Detroit's Jewish community is transforming generosity into partnership: not just supporting from afar, but walking alongside Israel's heroes through every step of their healing journey.
Missions of a Lifetime
Real moments from our Missions of a Lifetime - the heroes, the families, and the healing that Detroit will now make possible for Cohort 10.
Mission of a Lifetime | Summer 2027
After spending a year walking alongside one another from thousands of miles away, the Detroit mentors and their Israeli mentees will finally have the opportunity to be together in person.
The cohort's 12-month journey will culminate with an Israel Heart2Heart Mission of a Lifetime in Metro Detroit. The group will live together in one location and experience an immersive week of connection, wellness, personal growth and community.
Their Week Will Include
"It will be much more than a trip. It will be the culmination of a relationship built between two communities."
And when the mission ends, those relationships don't have to.
Direct Impact
There are many ways to support Israel. This one allows you to know whose life you're changing.
Sponsor a Hero
$18,000 supports one Israeli hero through the complete journey.
From the first day of the program to the Mission of a Lifetime in Detroit.
But you don't have to sponsor an entire journey to become part of this community.
You can:
The Beginning of the Story
Our goal isn't simply to fund a program. It's to create a connection between Detroit and Israel that changes lives on both sides of the ocean.
A hero in Israel should know there is someone in Detroit who knows his name.
A mentor in Detroit should be able to see the human being whose life they're impacting.
A community should have the opportunity to do more than watch events in Israel unfold from thousands of miles away.
We can become part of someone's journey. This is the beginning of Detroit's Israel Heart2Heart story — and we hope this will be the first cohort of many.
Contact Rabbi Shneur Silberberg to learn how you, your family, foundation or business can support the Detroit Israel Heart2Heart community.