Lone soldier

IDF lone soldiers mark bar and bat mitzvah at Western Wall, including some family surprises

The event was organized by Ach Gadol (Big Brother for Lone Soldiers), a nonprofit that provides one-on-one mentorship and community support for soldiers serving in Israel without immediate family.

|ByJERUSALEM POST STAFF
Kidist Mengistu, a lone soldier from Ethiopia, was surprised by her mother at the Western Wall for bat mitzvah ceremony, Februrary 23, 2026.
The Hadassah Ein Karem hospital in Jerusalem. January 15, 2017.

Grapevine: Ancient minority

Movers and shakers in Israeli society.

|ByGREER FAY CASHMAN
Levi Preger (L) and Max Long, the founder of the Growing Wings Foundation.

Levi Preger: From a Dutch town to the IDF

Preger, aged 27 is a lone soldier who made aliyah from the Netherlands. For the past four years, he has been active with the Growing Wings Foundation, a nonprofit that supports lone soldiers.

|ByBATSHEVA SHULMAN
Israeli President Isaac Herzog meets students at Moriah War Memorial College during his state visit following a deadly mass shooting at a Jewish Hanukkah celebration at Bondi Beach on December 14, in Sydney, Australia, February 10, 2026.

Herzog meets lone soldiers and families in closed-door Melbourne gathering

The meeting, held on the sidelines of the last day of Herzog’s visit to Australia, underscored both the pride and the unease felt by Diaspora families whose children chose to join the IDF.

|ByHERB KEINON

Nefesh B'Nefesh opens new Tel Aviv center to assist olim, lone soldiers

Located in Azrieli Tower, the expansion will serve as a space for programming for NBN to continue helping Jews worldwide make Aliyah and adjust to life in Israel. 

NOVEMBER 13, 2024ByJERUSALEM POST STAFF
Nefesh B'Nefesh opens new center in Tel Aviv

How lone soldiers uphold Israel’s Zionist values amid political discord – opinion

Lone soldiers embody dedication to Israel as draft law stirs controversy.

NOVEMBER 12, 2024ByYISRAEL DOV MEYER
A lone soldier and Bnei Akiva graduate from Argentina, currently serving in the IDF’s Sayeret Nahal unit, is joined by friends and Bnei Akiva emissaries.

From Gaza to Cyprus: Lone IDF reservists heal at retreat amid war

Lone soldiers who made aliyah and served during the Iron Swords War attended a healing retreat in Cyprus as part of the Wings program, offering much-needed support and reflection.

SEPTEMBER 17, 2024ByJERUSALEM POST STAFF
Cyprus lone soldier retreat.

Grapevine August 29, 2024: Lone Soldiers

Movers and shakers in Israeli society.

AUGUST 30, 2024ByGREER FAY CASHMAN
Lone Soldiers enjoy catching up while converting their foreign licenses to Israeli ones today in Holon.

Over 300 immigrants join IDF through Garin Tzabar program amid ongoing war

The Tzofim Garin Tzabar program, established by the Scouts movement in 1991, has provided a comprehensive support system to more than 7,000 lone immigrant soldiers over the past 33 years

AUGUST 22, 2024ByJERUSALEM POST STAFF
Israeli reserve soldiers seen during a military training before heading to the Israeli-Gaza border in the Golan Heights, northern Israel, on October 25, 2023

Hundreds in Israel mourn American lone soldier Jordan Cooper who died after allergic reaction

At his funeral Tuesday night, held after the Jewish mourning day of Tisha B’Av, his father thanked the gathered for answering the family’s call.

AUGUST 14, 2024ByANDREW SILOW-CARROLL/JTA
Jordan Cooper grew up in Pennsylvani and moved to Israel in 2018.

Israel Alone: Bernard-Henri Lévy’s latest book tackles antisemitism

What disturbed Sank most was the antisemitism he encountered in New York.

AUGUST 3, 2024ByBRENDA KATTEN
SAM SANK’S parents surprise him at his paratroopers’ graduation ceremony following eight months of basic training. His father was already quite ill and came in a wheelchair.

The Michael Levin Base: A welcoming home away from home for lone soldiers

Michael's dream was to form an organization that would be a community for lone soldiers.

JULY 22, 2024ByJOSEPH SCUTTS
THE MICHAEL Levin Base.

Defense Ministry: 9,250 wounded in nine months of fighting

The ministry predicts that there the number of wounded will rise to 14,000 by the end of 2024.

JULY 9, 2024ByYONAH JEREMY BOB
Anat Meir mourns near the grave of her husband, Sayeret Matkal officer David Meir, who was killed by Hamas terrorists on October 7, July 9, 2024

Israel’s lone warriors: Foreign students answer the call to arms - opinion

Three hundred former lone soldiers are enrolled at Reichman University’s Raphael Recanati International School.

JUNE 13, 2024ByJONATHAN DAVIS
THE WRITER (center) and Sylvia Kassoff (far right), head of student well-being on campus, meet with reservists after they were discharged.