MELBOURNE – President Isaac Herzog on Thursday quietly met with 12 former lone soldiers and their parents in a closed-door gathering where no names were released, and no photographs were permitted because of growing fears of repercussions and an emerging movement to publicly hound lone soldiers abroad.
The meeting was held on the sidelines of the last day of Herzog’s visit to Australia. It underscored both the pride and the unease felt by Diaspora families whose children chose to join the IDF.
After brief opening remarks, Herzog opened the floor to questions from the soldiers and their parents and asked the young men and women directly what they needed most.
Several spoke about the need for stronger support networks abroad, particularly psychological support similar to what soldiers receive in Israel.
Others raised a more practical but deeply personal concern: discomfort over how to present their military service on their resumes when applying for jobs back home amid an increasingly hostile climate.
“It is very important for me to try to convey to you how grateful we are for everything you have done,” Herzog told them. “For someone living very far away in the Diaspora, to make the choice, the decision – to do so is not an obligation. It is something I’m not sure one can fully articulate what that truly means.
“You do not need to justify yourselves to anybody – not on social media, not on university campuses, not anywhere. You are the real role models. We all know the truth. We all know that you are our heroes. Thank you.”
Herzog acknowledges parents' 'quiet burden'
There were “other heroes in this room – the parents,” he said, acknowledging the quiet burden they carry.
One father said the communal message while growing up in Australia had always been clear: Support Israel from afar.
“Support Israel,” he said. “Help Israel. Give to Israel. Strengthen Israel. That was our role, and never in our lives, and I say this on behalf of many in Australian Jewry, have we felt vulnerable here the way we do now.
“Australia has always been a wonderful place to live, with a vibrant and proud Jewish community. But the tide has shifted, and today, we find ourselves needing Israel as much as we have long given to Israel.”
Michal, a mother of four whose husband had served as a lone soldier and recently returned to Israel for reserve duty, spoke about the impact on families left behind.
When her husband wanted to go to Israel for reserve duty during Passover, they were told his service would allow other fathers to be with their families for the festival, she said.