Women of faith unite at 'SistHERS of Zion' US summit – healing, leadership and advocacy for Israel

“Given the state of the world today, it does not take a genius to anticipate growth in mental health deterioration, but it may take one (or more) to do something about it” (George Barna).

George Barna, a leading expert on cultural and faith trends in America, recently released a 2025 report revealing a sharp rise in mental health challenges across the U.S., including increases in depression, anxiety, fear, loneliness and confusion.

Similarly, a 2025 report from the Israel Policy of Health Research highlights an unprecedented mental health crisis in Israel amid the ongoing war since Oct. 7, 2023, with cases of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), anxiety, and depression nearly doubling.

Additionally, mental health professionals in both countries are discovering a shocking reality – women are disproportionately affected by these crises.  

A recent Tel Aviv University study revealed that one-third of women in Israel reported experiencing postpartum depression during the current war. Additionally, 34% of women reported PTSD symptoms; 62% suffer from war-related nightmares; 69% actively avoid war-related thoughts; 73% feel constantly on edge or easily startled; 40% feel disconnected from people and their surroundings; and 17% experience guilt related to the events of the war. 

While women are among the most affected by the mental health crisis in both America and Israel, they are also at the forefront of leading solutions – with resilience, ingenuity and faith.

Midge Lansat, the visionary behind the newly formed organization – SisterHERS of Zion (SOZ) – is a licensed mental health counselor who is passionate about healing women and families, and producing a ripple effect throughout the Jewish and Christian communities.

The "SistHERS of Zion" Inaugural Summit, which Lansat organized, took place over the first weekend in June in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. The event brought together Jewish and Christian women for healing, encouragement, networking, leadership, and mental health training – all under the banner of advocacy for Israel. It included a gourmet Shabbat dinner, multiple keynote speakers, two panels featuring women from diverse vocational backgrounds, breakout sessions led by mental health professionals, and participation from organizations such as Volunteers for Israel and The Jewish Federation. The weekend concluded with an uplifting concert by the renowned Marty and Misha Goetz.

ALL ISRAEL NEWS (AIN) correspondent, Avigayil, attended the summit and described it as a powerful time of connection and encouragement. She witnessed what she called the birth of a movement that had long been a dream in the hearts of many women, including her own.

During the summit, Avigayil had the opportunity to sit down with Lansat to learn more about how the vision for SOZ was born and what the organization hopes to achieve through its future events.

Here is a portion of their conversation:

ALL ISRAEL NEWS (AIN): Midge, thanks for taking the time to share with me about the SOZ (SistHERS of Zion) vision. This inaugural summit has been truly amazing! Can you tell our readers how the vision for SOZ was born and how you brought it to fruition in Palm Beach this past weekend?

MIDGE LANSAT: As a licensed counselor, my passion is the family. Women are the foundation of the family. The culture has gotten confused about the roles of women. There’s been a huge breakdown of the family, and a lot of women are lonely. The way to fix the problems women are facing is to create a safe place for them to come and heal.

AIN: Tell me about the preparation that went into the event. Is there any specific reason you chose to hold the summit the first weekend in June?

LANSAT: In preparation for the event, I hand-picked all the leaders for the summit. Together with the musicians and mental health professionals, they’ve all met in my home for 6 months to prepare for the summit.

The reason I chose these dates for the summit is because it is a festival season of the Lord, and healing occurs during these festival seasons.

In the first chapter of Genesis, it talks about seasons, but the word seasons is also the word for festivals. By bringing the women together during this festival season, I know they’re going to walk away with healing, revelation, a closeness to God, a closeness to each other. This is a generational thing that’s happening, and doesn’t the book of Joel and Malachi talk about that? That the fathers and the sons and the daughters and the mothers are going to be restored? It’s going to be generational.

AIN: Considering what’s going on around the world and in the Middle East, why is this summit and the future SOZ events so important right now?

LANSAT: Look at the breakdown in our culture. Look at the divorce rate. Look at the antisemitism. Look at what’s happening on our campuses. Look what happened on October 7th, and in Nazi Germany…it started with the colleges. We have to do something. We’re bringing together Christians and Jews to help rebuild the culture.

AIN: You’ve described the summit as where sisterhood meets power. What does that mean exactly?

LANSAT: That means a lot of women are hurt, confused and lonely. They have experienced breakdowns in their soul. What we want is the healing of the soul. Women have been wounded in community, and they are going to heal in community.

AIN: Can you give readers an idea of the kinds of topics the summit covered?

LANSAT: The Summit is an integrative approach for three days of sisterhood. Friday was a time of experiencing a Shabbat dinner together and entering into a time of rest. Saturday was about a wide spectrum of women’s issues, including hormones and how they affect our mental health, nutrition, breakout sessions on mental health, keynote speakers on the culture, communication skills, handling finances in a biblical way, etc. The whole day was focused on ministering to the women so that on Sunday, the women could return to the summit with their husbands and family for the concert and share the blessings they have received.

During the breakout groups, our mental health professionals spoke for 15 minutes on a mental health topic and gave a testimony about what helped them in their lives. The groups then broke out into partner groups and each pair learned a communication technique.

AIN: Wow! That’s a lot of topics covered. The SisterHERS of Zion is a unique, faith-based women’s group in that it doesn’t just bring women together for personal growth and leadership, as well as mental health awareness, but it also has a philanthropic focus on advocating for and supporting Israel. Can you tell me how the summit and future events will raise support for Israel?

LANSAT: First, we plan to have three summits a year where we will carve out specific time to raise funds for Israel. The summits will include Jewish music, concerts, and speakers who have ministries in Israel. Our May/June yearly event will be entirely focused on Israel, with speakers from the Jewish Federation and ministries such as FIRM (Fellowship of Israel Related Ministries) and the Fellowship of Christians and Jews.

Our yearly summit every fall will be focused on mental, physical and spiritual wellness. We will be including speakers who have scientific backgrounds and research in those three areas. We will leave the evening hours for raising funds for Israel at each summit. Our third summit will be held in the winter. The focus will be on the benefits and blessings of the Feasts of the Lord and applying the Sabbath. We will celebrate Purim together as a community and give an offering to Israel afterwards.

AIN: In one of the most challenging times for women, what is the message you want to give to them through the SisterHERS of Zion events?

LANSAT: I want people to come to these events and figure out who they are, what’s their purpose, what’s their destiny, what’s their calling, and we’re going to support you in that, whatever your gifts and talents are…you’re going to be in a safe place where you can grow and heal and you can develop into your full potential.

I want the women to know they are very important to this mission. Each one of you is important, made in the image of your creator, made for a purpose and a plan, and I want you to come discover, learn and grow, and be part of this loving community.

SistHERS of Zion is an interfaith led organization founded on Judeo-Christian values.

For more information, visit their website at SistHERS of Zion.