Judy Isaacson Elias

Expert Topics:

How faith and peer support help combat veterans heal from invisible wounds of war and moral injury.
Why reconnecting to purpose, community, and spirituality can reduce isolation, despair, and suicide risk among veterans.
The story behind founding Heroes to Heroes Foundation and powerful examples of lives transformed through its Israel-based journeys.
What Americans need to understand about the unique struggles of veterans returning from combat—and how communities can truly support them.
Living as an observant Jew in the United States: daily realities, misconceptions, and the role of Jewish values in serving veterans.
Standing with Israel while leading a veterans organization: personal convictions, media narratives, and why that stance matters today.
Judy’s personal experiences with antisemitism in schools, on campus, and in public spaces—and the impact on her children and grandchildren.
The rise of antisemitism after global events and conflicts: how it shows up, what most people miss, and why silence is dangerous.
Practical steps for confronting antisemitism in communities, workplaces, and online, while building genuine alliances with other faith and ethnic groups.
A hopeful vision: how honoring veterans, protecting religious freedom, and standing against hatred can strengthen America for the next generation.

Judy Isaacson Elias

Founder and CEO of Heroes to Heroes Foundation.

“My career was fun and lucrative, just not fulfilling. Founding and building up Heroes to Heroes required all the skills I had and more. Having the opportunity to redefine my life as a life of service at the age of 50 and continue to learn and develop has been a gift.”

Founded Heroes to Heroes in March 2010 in tribute to her father, Irving M. Isaacson, a World War II veteran, as a way to honor the service of all veterans, especially those with Moral Injury and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

Before joining Heroes to Heroes in a full-time capacity, Judy spent thirty years in media sales and management and on Wall Street as a Financial Advisor.

Judy’s volunteer experience in the non-profit world includes the White House Task Force for Moving Veterans into Trucking, New Jersey Women’s Political Caucus ( PAC Co-chair), Teaneck Township (NJ) Financial Advisory Board, and Chairperson of the Women’s Circle at Chabad of Boynton Beach.

Judy has been featured in the documentary “Pay Attention”, which focuses on entrepreneurs and how they think, and has been featured in many broadcast and print media outlets.

’82, DISTINGUISHED CITIZEN AWARD RECIPIENT 2019

Contact Us

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Bio

Judy founded Heroes to Heroes in March 2010 in tribute to her father, Irving M. Isaacson, a World War II veteran, as a way to honor the service of all veterans, especially those with Moral Injury and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Before joining Heroes to Heroes in a full-time capacity, Judy spent thirty years in media sales and management and on Wall Street as a Financial Advisor. Judy’s volunteer experience in the non-profit world includes the White House Task Force for Moving Veterans into Trucking, New Jersey Women’s Political Caucus ( PAC Co-chair), Teaneck Township (NJ) Financial Advisory Board, and Chairperson of the Women’s Circle at Chabad of Boynton Beach. She is on the Advisory Board of Friends of Kidum, an organization that helps underprivileged Israeli and Arab children get the education they deserve.

Judy has been featured in the documentary “Pay Attention”, which focuses on entrepreneurs and how they think, and has been featured in many broadcast and print media outlets.

Videos

Projects

OUR STORY

Many Veterans End Up Lost And Alone…

Following our visit we learned that once these men and women leave the protection of the hospital and rehabilitative facilities (and the notice of their fellow Americans), many of them end up lost and alone. After listening to their stories, and learning of their challenges, we realized that something has to be done to make sure that these men and women are given the tools and resources necessary to make their transition to civilian life clean, clear, direct and purposeful.

What We Do And Who We Serve

The Heroes to Heroes Foundation serves all combat veterans, regardless of faith and regardless of conflict. Our curriculum and research-based program includes goal-setting, values exploration, navigating the civilian world, spiritual reconnection, and community reintegration over the course of 12 months. The cornerstone program includes a 10-day journey to Israel, the Holy Land, which allows veterans to better reconnect with their faith to find forgiveness in an unashamed manner.

Our program includes also unique services for family members and veterans’ spouses, such as the Heroes to Heroes Family Program which is available online live in both English and Spanish. We also provide alumni programs, events, and opportunities post-program that promote togetherness and offer ongoing support for veterans.

Our Program Also Includes Support That Stays With You

Heroes to Heroes believes in a holistic approach, which includes a lifetime of healing for our veterans.

Heroes to Heroes Alumni iincludes an online chat 24/7 and monthly online events. Alumni are all welcome to attend all Heroes to Heroes events.

Heroes to Heroes Campus gives alumni the opportunity to tell their stories to college students on campuses throughout the country.

Our post-journey programs include:

Heroes to Heroes Coaching helps veterans through their 12-month journey.
Heroes to Heroes Family provides support for spouses and family members of veterans
Heroes to Heroes Events bring together fellow veterans and their families to engage in meaningful activities.
Heroes to Heroes Alumni is an online chat for 24/7 peer support.
Heroes to Heroes Campus features veterans as guest speakers who share their journey from military home.

An Experience Of A Lifetime

After studying the many available programs we wanted to offer something different, an experience of a lifetime, one that will allow our disabled veterans access to a different perspective about their service, to explore their spiritual roots, to develop an international support system, and to gain some insight into using their military experience for private sector employment. The Heroes To Heroes journey to Israel is our way of saying thank you and of giving American disabled veterans ten days of education, personal exploration, fun, and connections, with a lifetime of international peer support to follow. A few hours in Walter Reed changed our lives. Maybe Heroes to Heroes will change theirs. We are looking forward to serving our veterans and can’t thank them enough for this opportunity.

Articles

Other Guests:

Steve and Dr. Kathy Boyls

In December 2021, Steve Boyls entered the ICU with COVID-19 and soon lay unconscious on a ventilator as doctors warned his wife, Dr. Kathy, to prepare for the worst. While Kathy fought for his life through prayer and medical advocacy, Steve’s spirit was ushered into Heaven, where he encountered breathtaking beauty, reunited with loved ones—including their miscarried son—and received an urgent message that Jesus is returning very soon. Their intertwined journeys—one in a hospital room, one in the courts of Heaven—reveal a single, stunning truth: miracles still happen, and God still answers the prayer of faith.

Steve Keller

Steve Keller is an entrepreneur, industry pioneer, and former financial executive whose new memoir, Pay to Play, tells the astonishing true story of how he helped build the modern life settlement industry—turning a controversial idea into a multibillion‑dollar market—only to collide with powerful corporate and political interests when he refused to “play the game.” As founder and CEO, Keller was at the center of an innovation that provided cash to terminally ill policyholders in exchange for life insurance benefits, challenging some of the insurance industry’s most lucrative practices and drawing the ire of entrenched players and their allies. In Pay to Play, he gives a first‑hand account of the financial boom, the pressure and pay‑to‑play politics he says targeted his firm, and the years of legal battles, exile, and prison that followed—offering an insider’s look at the collision of business, power, and the American Dream.

Dr. Torsten Trey

Founder & Executive Director, Doctors Against Forced Organ Harvesting (DAFOH)

Dr. Torsten Trey, M.D., Ph.D. is the founder and Executive Director of Doctors Against Forced Organ Harvesting (DAFOH), a Washington, D.C.-based medical ethics NGO that unites physicians worldwide to document unethical transplant practices and advocate for reform. He founded DAFOH in 2006 and has since become a leading researcher, author, and expert on forced organ harvesting.

Hooman Khalili

Hooman Khalili is an Iranian-born, San Francisco–raised radio personality, filmmaker, and mural artist whose work bridges entertainment, faith, and “mural diplomacy” between the Iranian and Jewish peoples. Over two decades in media and a growing portfolio of high-impact public art, he has built a unique platform that connects Hollywood, Israel, and the global struggle for freedom in Iran.

Dr. Isik Abla

Dr. Isik Abla’s story reads like a front‑page feature: a young woman raised in a strict Muslim home in Istanbul, trapped in a brutal marriage to an extremist, fleeing to America after a near‑fatal attack—and then transforming into a global broadcaster whose insights on Islam, Sharia, Iran, and religious freedom now inform audiences in more than 200 countries.

Franc Utoo

Drawing from his own experience on the front lines of persecution, he offers rare, first‑hand insight into how terrorism, corruption, and weak institutions impact ordinary families across Nigeria and West Africa. Franc’s work centers on elevating the voices of victims—especially women and children—while pressing governments, international organizations, and faith communities to confront atrocities with both courage and accountability.

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