Around 7,000 lone soldiers currently serve in the Israeli army, stationed across various regions. They face physical and emotional challenges, and when they return home after intense combat, no one is there to greet them. They don't have the comforting embrace of parents or a family meal waiting for them.
In addition to the daily challenges lone soldiers face, the past year has imposed extra difficulties:
📌 Mental strain from prolonged combat, loss of friends, and exposure to traumatic events.
📌 Struggling to find stable employment while dealing with the constant possibility of reserve duty.
📌 Delayed release dates, or immediately transitioning to reserve service, increasing uncertainty.
And this is just the beginning-
After 15 years of supporting lone soldiers, we've learned that many more challenges await "the day after" the military campaign ends.
Since the start of the 'Iron Swords' war:
📌 Our centers have provided lone soldiers with a safe haven, offering meals, a bed, and emotional support.
📌 We've expanded assistance to recently discharged soldiers now serving in reserves.
📌 Our professionals offer mental health, bureaucratic, and rights assistance.
📌 Our support system has greatly expanded - Over 100 social workers and psychologists provide trauma counseling in multiple languages.
📌 We keep an open line of communication to the parents of our lone soldiers that live abroad to ensure they feel a sense of security.
📌 We collected essential supplies for lone soldiers, including hundreds of clothing items, toiletries, bedding, and mattresses.
📌 Our cooking community prepared hundreds of hot meals for IDF soldiers on the front lines.
📌 We organized and transported thousands of food items to cook fresh meals for soldiers in the field.
📌 We held hundreds of social activities and events to create a strong support network and deepen connections among soldiers.
📌 We've provided hundreds of grants, organized community meals, collected essential supplies, and supported hospitalized soldiers through recovery.
This year, we’ve shown soldiers they aren’t alone and can rely on us, but unfortunately, it’s not enough. The number of requests for help in the past six months has nearly doubled compared to last year. We can’t afford to leave any lone soldier in need without support.
We need you so that we can continue to be an anchor for thousands of Pre-draft, active and veteran lone soldiers.
Choose an amount to send a virtual hug and tangible support to those protecting us far from home.
Thank you!
Michael immigrated to Israel from Philadelphia in 2004 to enlist in the paratroopers brigade.
His dream was to establish a center that would be a warm home and a community for lone soldiers like him - a place to hang out, have shared meals, support and a sense of family that he lacked so much.
He fell on August 1, 2006 and was laid to rest in the military cemetery on Mount Herzl in Jerusalem.
Afterward, the "Lone Soldier Center" was established by Michael's adoptive father, Tsiki Aud, and his family and friends.
Later on, the program for Israeli lone soldiers was founded by Drorit Nitzani and her partners, for for soldiers without family support and young adults at risk.
