After 16 years of serving more than 700 American veterans and Israel Defense Forces (IDF) veterans, Heroes To Heroes Foundation has made the difficult decision to close its doors. This decision follows more than a year of thoughtful reflection, research and discussions among the organization’s board of directors and staff.
Heroes To Heroes was founded with a singular mission: to help veterans suffering from moral injury move from suicidal ideation to community reintegration. Moral injury—the damage done to a person’s conscience or moral compass when they perpetrate, witness or fail to prevent acts that transgress their deeply held moral beliefs—has had devastating consequences for many veterans. The Heroes To Heroes program has demonstrated success in helping veterans heal from these invisible wounds.
Since the withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021, the United States has seen far fewer service members deployed in active ground combat. As a result, the specific need the organization was created to address—serving as an early-intervention resource for veterans transitioning from military to civilian life—has significantly diminished.
Heroes To Heroes has always maintained a rigorous vetting process for veterans entering the program. In recent years, fewer than 30% of applicants met the qualifications for participation. At the same time, moral injury and veterans’ mental-health challenges are now more openly recognized and discussed and nearly 40,000 organizations across the United States are dedicated to supporting veterans in a variety of ways. The foundation is confident that veterans seeking healing and support will continue to find care and resources.
“When I founded Heroes To Heroes, I made a promise to be a faithful steward of every dollar entrusted to the organization,” said co-founder Judy Elias. “Maintaining the trust of our donors has always been essential—not only to our work but to the integrity of the nonprofit community as a whole. Honoring that commitment has led us to this decision. Heroes To Heroes never intended to exist in perpetuity. It was created to address a specific need during a particular chapter in a veteran’s journey home. Today, we are grateful to say that the demand for our specialized program has decreased.”
Elias continued, “Today, I especially remember my co-founder, Cliff Nolan, whom we lost to COVID-19 in 2020. Cliff inspired me to turn Heroes To Heroes into a reality.”
“Thank you to our board of directors and our donors for your unwavering support,” Elias added. “A special thank-you goes to Jewish National Fund’s Boruchin Fund for supporting our journeys to Israel throughout the years. We are deeply grateful for the friendship and support of Russell Robinson, Joe Korn and the many people at JNF who understood our vision from the beginning and helped us soar.”
“Through Heroes To Heroes, our veterans have worked hard to reconnect with their faith, their families and civil society,” Elias concluded. “It is not an easy program to complete, nor is it a vacation. It requires strength, insight, written reflection and trust in oneself and others. It has been an honor to serve our veterans, and I will forever be grateful for the extraordinary lives they have allowed us to live in the greatest country in the world.”
“My opportunity to serve our American heroes suffering from the invisible wounds of war has been an honor and a blessing,” said board chair Michael Haltman. “Heroes To Heroes Foundation has successfully helped more than 600 American veterans move from suicidal ideation to community reintegration, saving lives, marriages, families and futures. Serving as board chair and witnessing the dedication and compassion Elias has brought to the mission has been a tremendous inspiration.”
