People both inside and outside of Israel have banded together to bring soldiers currently overseas back to Israel for emergency military service. International companies, Jewish NGOs, and local communities have banded together in order to help bring soldiers home for service regardless of financial need.
Airlines like El Al have created a special phone line dedicated to helping Israelis returning to the country gain spots on special flights to come back for emergency service.
Former IDF soldiers located in the United States, South Africa, Thailand, and Peru have struggled to find ways to return to Israel in order to serve immediately.
Across social media, people based in Israel and abroad have posted their efforts to help people land back on Israel’s soil. Some have offered financial assistance, while others made general enquiries and wanted to gain traction while simultaneously coming to a solution.
One South African-born immigrant to Israel wrote, “Anyone who knows people in the US trying to get back on a flight for [reserves], please message me.” After making contact, the poster quickly directed inquiries to a WhatsApp group connecting soldiers located all over the world and people who are able to help get them back safely.
Facebook users and large organizations work together
The group was filled with documents for collecting information of those who needed to be transported, donation links to help finance the cost, and offers of connecting people with stopovers with possible host families.
An American-Israeli Facebook user wrote in a city-based group that he was willing to help people with the financial aspect of returning back to Israel, so that cost would not keep them from coming to serve and protect.
Organizations like the Union of Jewish Federations of the USA (UJA) worked in conjunction with Israeli embassies in both the United States and Latin America to create and finance a special flight from Lima, Peru to Israel for Israeli citizens drafted into the reserves under Order 8.
Set to take off Tuesday night, citizens interested in joining the flight from Lima must contact the Israeli consul in Lima.