Lone soldier
A lone soldier (Hebrew: חַיָּל בּוֹדֵד, Ḥayal Boded) is a member of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) who does not have support in Israel, either because they do not have immediate family in Israel or they are estranged from their family in Israel. Lone soldiers serve in regular IDF units, including combat units, and receive special entitlements from the IDF, Israeli government ministries, and charity organizations, such as increased salaries, housing assistance, and additional leave.[1] As of June 2022, there were approximately 7,000 lone soldiers from over 60 countries.
Background
[edit]Lone soldiers are generally either non-Israelis of Jewish background volunteering under the Mahal or Tzofim Garin Tzabar programmes or immigrants under the Law of Return, although other possibilities exist (e.g., orphaned natives).[2] According to an IDF spokeswoman, 8,217 personnel born outside Israel enlisted between 2009 and August 2012. The most represented countries of origin were Russia and the United States, with 1,685 and 1,661 recruits respectively.[1] As of 2025, approximately 3,500 people who made aliyah enlisted in the IDF each year.[3]
| Year | Number | Details | References |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 2,500 | 80% from the former Soviet Union | [4] |
| 2011 | 5,000 | [5] | |
| 2014 | 2,800 | One-third from the United States and Canada, of the 5,100 immigrants in the IDF | [6][7] |
| 2022 | 7,000 | From over 60 countries | [8] |
Where a soldier's parents live in Israel, but he or she is not in contact with them, it is possible for him or her to be designated an "irregular lone soldier".[9] In early 2011, The Jerusalem Post reported that about 46% of the approximately 5,000 lone soldiers in the military at that time had family in Israel but were estranged from them.[5] An IDF adviser to lone soldiers told Arutz Sheva in 2012 that most of these were youths from Haredi religious backgrounds, shunned by their families for joining the army.[10] Irregular lone soldier status can also be given if both of an IDF soldier's parents are working abroad for the Israeli government.[9] If a soldier marries while serving in the IDF, he or she loses lone soldier status.[9] A lone soldier's benefits are also at risk if his or her parents themselves move to Israel.[11]
Notable lone soldiers
[edit]- Michael Levin, born and raised in Pennsylvania, United States, moved to Israel in 2002, and joined the Paratroopers Brigade of the Israel Defense Forces. He was killed in action during the Second Lebanon War on 1 August 2006 in the Battle of Ayta ash-Shab.[12] Levin's death received a great deal of attention; over 2,000 people attended his funeral on Mount Herzl in Jerusalem.[13] Levin had told of an idea for a center for lone soldiers which would provide them with meals, support, and advice. With the support of Tziki Aud, a Jewish Agency employee who had known Levin,[14] a group of former lone soldiers established the Lone Soldier Center in memory of Michael Levin in 2009.[15]
- Max Steinberg, Sean Carmeli, and Jordan Bensemhoun, killed in the Battle of Shuja'iyya during the 2014 Israel-Gaza conflict[7]
- Edan Alexander and Omar Neutra, taken hostage during the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel[16]
Benefits
[edit]Beginning in 2001, the Jewish Agency for Israel ran Keshet, which flew the parents of lone soldiers to Israel for one week.[17]
By 2014, the Israeli Ministry of Aliyah and Integration allocated approximately $5 million to support immigrants in the IDF.[7]
In December 2024, the Saban Family Lone Soldier Home planned to open in Rishon LeZion, Israel, to provide housing for more than 200 lone soldiers.[18] In February 2025, Nefesh B'Nefesh, Friends of the Israel Defense Forces , and Sheba Medical Center announced the launch of the Lone Soldiers Program Resilience Center at the Nefesh B'Nefesh offices in Tel Aviv. The center would provide mental health care free of charge to all international lone soldiers.[3]
References
[edit]- ^ a b Rudoren, Jodi (14 August 2012). "Enlisting From Afar for the Love of Israel". The New York Times. Retrieved 15 September 2012.
- ^ "Garin Tzabar Lone Soldiers Program". Garin Tzabar. Retrieved 19 August 2015.
- ^ a b "New center in Israel provides support services for lone soldiers". Jewish News Syndicate. 2025-02-26. Retrieved 16 April 2025.
- ^ Kraft, Dina (2005-12-16). "Russian American Jews pledge to help Israeli soldiers". Jewish Telegraphic Agency. Retrieved 15 September 2023.
- ^ a b Katz, Yaakov (23 January 2011). "IDF sets up lone soldiers department". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 16 September 2012.
- ^ "IDF adds 'errand day' for lone soldiers". Jewish Telegraphic Agency. 2014-05-15. Retrieved 15 September 2023.
- ^ a b c Prusher, Ilene (2014-07-23). "The Immigrant Soldiers Dying for Israel in Gaza". Time Magazine. Retrieved 30 April 2025.
- ^ "Meet Israel's organizations helping IDF lone soldiers". The Jerusalem Post | JPost.com.
- ^ a b c Rights for Lone Soldiers Serving in the IDF (pamphlet). Jerusalem & Tel Aviv: Lone Soldier Center in memory of Michael Levin. 2012.
- ^ Ben Gedalyahu, Tsvi (2 January 2012). "'Lone Soldiers' in IDF Now Include Hareidi Youth". Arutz Sheva. Beit El. Retrieved 15 September 2012.
- ^ Gorshkov, Boris N. (20 April 2007). "Lone soldiers' benefits said to keep parents from making aliya". The Jerusalem Post. p. 6. Archived from the original on February 1, 2013. Retrieved 15 September 2012.
- ^ Moore, Molly (4 August 2006). "U.S. Family Lays 'Lone Soldier' Son to Rest in Israel". The Washington Post. Retrieved 16 September 2012.
- ^ Berman, Daphna (20 April 2007). "A young Zionist, a lone soldier, a fallen hero". Haaretz. Tel Aviv. Retrieved 16 September 2012.
- ^ "Michael Levin, z"l". Jerusalem & Tel Aviv: Lone Soldier Center in memory of Michael Levin. Archived from the original on 19 September 2012. Retrieved 16 September 2012.
- ^ "About Us". Jerusalem & Tel Aviv: Lone Soldier Center in memory of Michael Levin. Retrieved 16 September 2012.
- ^ "Honoring the fallen: Lone soldiers remembered in Jerusalem ceremony". Jewish News Syndicate. 2025-04-30. Retrieved 30 April 2025.
- ^ "Lone soldiers' less lonely". Jewish Telegraphic Agency. 2007-02-25. Retrieved 15 September 2023.
- ^ "State-of-the-art building for lone soldiers breaks ground in Israel". Cleveland Jewish News. 2023-09-08. Retrieved 15 September 2023.
External links
[edit]- Lone Soldier Center in memory of Michael Levin
- Chayal el Chayal -- The Lone Soldiers Home Away from Home
- Tzofim Garin Tzabar - Lone Soldiers Program
- The FIDF/NBN Lone Soldiers Program
- The Jewish Agency for Israel
- Lone soldiers at the IDF website
- Association for the Wellbeing of Israel's Soldiers
- Friends of the Israel Defense Forces
- HESEG Foundation
- Mahal IDF Volunteers
- "Lone soldiers - anything but alone"
- The Benji Hillman Foundation - HaBayit shel Benji
- Lone Soldier Preparation Program at Mechinat Keshet Yehuda