The Team Behind Strong Heart
The Horses of Aviv Farm
Equine Therapy Team
The horses are not therapeutic tools, but full partners in the journey. Each of them brings a unique presence, sensitivity, and wisdom, teaching us about trust, listening, connection, and healing. Just as every member of our team brings their own story and heart, each horse brings its own personality and a unique way of connecting with people. At Strong Heart, horses accompany individuals coping with trauma, stress, and life’s wounds, helping to create a space of safety, trust, and hope. The work does not happen around them — it happens together with them.
Alisa Tsudik
Founder & Director
Twenty years in competitive equestrian sports across Israel and Ukraine. Multiple award winner. Developer of horse-assisted personal development programs. After October 7th, Alisa founded Strong Heart — bringing together the two forces that define her life: horses and human healing.
Gal Cohen
Co-Founder of Project & Head Equine Expert
Founder and owner of Aviv Farm. 2026 Israeli Dressage Champion. Two decades building one of Israel's leading equestrian and therapeutic rehabilitation centers. After October 7th, Gal recognized a new purpose in everything she had built — and opened Aviv Farm to soldiers, veterans, and children carrying the weight of war.
Anna Zharov
Strategic Development Partner
Expert in public diplomacy, community development, and impact-driven project management. Co-Founder of Israeli Friends of Ukraine. Anna builds bridges — between organizations, cultures, and people. Her work connects diplomacy, education, and mental health into models that turn shared experience into lasting change.
Dr. Anita Shkedi
Lead Trauma & Equine Therapy Specialist
The person who introduced therapeutic riding to Israel in 1985. Four decades later, Dr. Shkedi remains at the forefront — lecturing internationally on trauma-focused equine-assisted therapy, and authoring three academic books on PTSD and traumatic brain injury treatment through horses. Doctorate in Education. Master's in Health & Nursing. UK nursing qualification.
Dror Russo
Community Ambassador — IDF veteran & therapeutic riding instructor
IDF combat soldier physically and mentally injured, severe PTSD. Underwent long rehabilitation through horses via Belev Echad. Has completed a therapeutic riding instructor course. Today, Dror is a member of the Aviv Farm team, working with participants coping with PTSD and bringing his unique perspective, lived experience, and insight into the recovery journey.
Shani Shkedi
Equine Therapy Specialist
Holds a degree in Social and Community Education and is a special education teacher. She is a certified sport and therapeutic riding instructor with advanced training in equine-assisted therapy for individuals coping with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Shani grew up with horses, which played a significant role in her childhood. From an early age, she recognized the positive and grounding impact horses had on her life.
Moti Toledo
Community & Mentorship Lead
Served 27 years in senior security roles. Therapeutic riding instructor and mentor at Belev Echad. Serves as the liaison between Belev Echad and Aviv Farm.
Oren Parnas
Equine-assisted practitioner
Olympic riding coach, body language expert, therapeutic riding certified. Active IDF reserve service in Yahalom unit. Lighthouse Method certified coach. Oren brings two worlds together: elite horsemanship and frontline service. As an Olympic coach with active reserve duty in Yahalom, he speaks the language of both the horse and the soldier.
Shiran Kahlon Weitz
Therapeutic Riding Coordinator, Aviv Farm
Shiran has been connected to the world of horses her entire life. She holds a B.A. in Behavioral Sciences and Psychology, and is a certified therapeutic and sports riding instructor with extensive experience, as well as an active cutting competitor. Over the past decade, she has served as the Therapeutic Riding Coordinator at Aviv Farm, specializing in trauma-informed work, group facilitation, and the Eagala approach.
Rona Alcolombri
Equine-assisted practitioner
Specialist in personal growth, emotional development, and trauma recovery through horses. Creator of the "Soft Leadership" approach — a method built on coaching, facilitation, and therapeutic riding that strengthens communication, trust, and relationships in individuals and families. In recent years, Rona has focused on veterans and PTSD recovery, using the human-horse connection as a path to resilience and healing.
Amit Amodai
Equine-assisted practitioner
Certified therapeutic and sport riding instructor, personal coach, and educator with over 20 years of experience working with people and horses. A lecturer in Wingate Institute's therapeutic riding program for the past 18 years, Amit combines expertise in equine-assisted work, personal development, and mindfulness. His approach is grounded in compassion, self-awareness, and the belief that meaningful growth comes through direct experience and personal discovery.