The organization was chosen from 40 nonprofits that presented their work at a conference held at the Nefesh B'Nefesh Campus in Cinema City Jerusalem 

Koach Eitan was founded after native Baltimorean Eitan Ashman suffered a massive stroke in August 2017 at the age of 42. His wife, Leora, initially created a Facebook page to update family and friends on his recovery and share the realities their family faced. That effort gradually evolved into Koach Eitan, which today supports families in Israel and abroad.

"The struggle of building something from nothing while living through it was and is extremely challenging," Leora Ashman said. "But we do it to fill a void that is so needed."

The nonprofit focuses on three areas: peer-to-peer support, community inclusion, and public education about stroke, brain injury, and aphasia. One of its signature initiatives is the Let's Talk communication tool, which provides practical strategies for communicating with individuals living with aphasia. This condition affects language but not intelligence.

To promote inclusion within Jewish communal life, Koach Eitan also created an annual World Aphasia Shabbat, observed each January by a growing number of synagogues worldwide. The organization has developed accessible Jewish resources, including blessing cards with visual icons and a Passover Haggadah designed to encourage meaningful participation for people living with aphasia.

The Ashmans have also shared their message with communities in the United States. During Eitan's first trip to America since his stroke, they visited Atlanta and Baltimore for World Aphasia Day programming. While staying with family in Baltimore, they spoke at Sinai Hospital, local synagogues, and parlor meetings.

Leora Ashman praised the response of Baltimore rabbis, including Rabbi Motzen, Rabbi Marwick, and Rabbi Goldberger, for recognizing the importance of understanding the challenges faced by individuals living with aphasia and their families.

Ashman said the award comes at a particularly difficult time for many Israeli nonprofits.

"The war has taken so much of the charitable giving that many incredible organizations rely on," she said. "For a cause as misunderstood as brain injury and aphasia, fundraising has become even more challenging. That is what made this win especially meaningful. Finally, someone listened and saw that there is a whole community of people who need to be seen and understood. Just being seen can further recovery and give families the strength they need every single day."

Nearly 100 nonprofit leaders attended the conference for workshops, meetings with funders, and live pitch sessions before a panel of Israeli philanthropists.

The grant will help Koach Eitan strengthen partnerships with rehabilitation centers across Israel, expand its Lifeline peer-support program, and increase its team of social workers and volunteers so families can connect with the organization before leaving rehabilitation and continue receiving support as they transition home.

The need continues to grow, Ashman said to BJL.

"In the past week, I received two calls from new families with no one to talk to who understands what they are going through or what they need," she said. "We help those families navigate their new reality and replace the feeling of isolation with one of belonging."

Koach Eitan World Aphasia Shabbat parlour meeting in Baltimore

Smiling after winning the prize at NBN confernce