How do we talk about hardship without dictating what someone should feel?
How do we return to routine after service and shared experiences — without being left alone with the memories?
As part of a special collaboration with the Communications Program at the School of Communications at the College of Management Academic Studies in Rishon LeZion, we created two meaningful campaigns, each designed to highlight a different aspect of the transition from military service to civilian life. The project was guided by Dan Erev, Senior Lecturer at the School of Communications, and Esti Cohen — Lecturer, business coach, and head of the social final project at the College of Management Academic Studies.
The first campaign included a series of AI-generated animated videos focusing on the importance of sensitive and non-judgmental communication with soldiers returning home.
The message is simple — want to approach someone returning from service? First of all, don’t label. Speak openly and respectfully.
Special thanks to all the students who participated in the “Communication Culture” group — Bar Kurtzberg, Dor Lizerovich, Tal Gurfinkel, and Kim Levi.
The second campaign was a filmed production featuring students from the college alongside a lead lecturer, portraying a team of soldiers in small yet meaningful moments of discharge.
This series emphasizes that discharge is not a date — it is a process. After regular service, reserve duty, discharge leave, and shared experiences, comes the moment to begin processing everything together, return to routine, and release what remains beneath the surface.
The organization thanks all the students from the “Team Deployment for Processing” group — Shahar Avshalomov, Yarin Zilberstein, Aviv Zlatin, and Mai Katirai.
Both campaigns were produced and written by students and faculty at the College of Management Academic Studies, in collaboration with HELPTSD, מתוך חזון משותף: to create a society that understands, listens, and accepts — rather than one that asks overly intrusive or uncomfortable questions, or assumes that a lack of sharing reflects a lack of willingness to seek help, thereby concluding that a person cannot be supported unless they first “help themselves.”
Throughout the campaign, the videos were distributed across the college’s and our digital channels and received deeply moving responses. Many connected with the subtle moments portrayed in the videos — and expressed appreciation for finally being able to talk about these experiences without judgment.
On the day of the Social Final Project presentations for the Communications Program at the College of Management Academic Studies, the works of all students were showcased — focusing on collaborations with social organizations, including our joint projects.
Unlike earlier stages of the project, which were evaluated by the program’s leading lecturers — Esti Cohen and Dan Erev — this time the campaigns were presented to an external judging panel composed of four college alumni who currently hold senior positions in the business sector: a Brand Manager for Bamba at Osem, a senior executive at Samsung, a partner at the advertising agency “Twisted,” and a co-owner of a video and television content company called VEO (who also participated in a television reality show).
Both campaigns produced by the students for the organization received significant praise. The judges particularly commended the messaging and creative thinking behind the videos, while also offering constructive feedback — helping us as an organization better understand how to refine our external communication.
Among the insights raised: the “Team Deployment” campaign may have been ahead of its time, as it was released concurrently with the operation in Iran, during which many reservists returned to duty and were unable to engage with it properly (and, if not for timing constraints, it would have been released immediately after the operation). In contrast, the “Communication Culture” campaign, which launched a week earlier, received wide exposure in local media, Channel 14, and a filmed feature on Ynet. Nevertheless, both campaigns will be preserved for future use and are expected to play a role in additional communication initiatives by the organization.
At the end of the day, the students received their graduation certificates from the college, and a joint photo was taken with representatives of both groups, together with Esti and Dan — as seen in the main image of the article.
A huge thank you to the Communications Program team at the College of Management Academic Studies and to the creative and dedicated students who made this project a reality. And of course, thank you to Dan and Esti for the opportunity and the privilege. We would be delighted to continue this project in future cohorts.
Together, we will continue to remind — discharge is not the end — it is only the beginning of a new journey, one that no one should have to go through alone.
