Lone soldier

From midrasha to the IDF: A journey toward serving Israel - opinion

For religious young women, a year of learning and volunteering in Israel can become a foundation for meaningful army service.

 Over 300 lone soldiers join the IDF through Garin Tzabar Scouts program.
Ofir Levy with the Panamanian flag during his ‘masa kumta,’ the final march marking the completion of combat training in the IDF. PremiumPremium

Meet the small, growing wave of Latin American IDF lone soldiers

Family and friends attend the funeral of Zehava Shaul, mother of fallen Israeli soldier Oron Shaul, at the Poria Illit Cemetery in northern Israel, July 26, 2026.

Remembering IDF soldiers who lost their lives to hidden wounds - opinion

 Over 300 lone soldiers join the IDF through Garin Tzabar Scouts program.

Nearly 300 young Jews from 34 countries set to make aliyah, enlist as lone soldiers


L’chaim at a lone soldier's grave - opinion

That glass, raised at a grave, placed life exactly where death was standing.

Sergeant Moshe Yitzhak Hacohen Katz, 22.

Grapevine, March 27, 2026: A welcome break

Movers and shakers in Israeli society.

 IDF troops operate in the Gaza Strip. July 25, 2024.

Housing for lone soldiers is essential to Israel’s wartime resilience - opinion

Housing for lone soldiers is more than shelter; it provides stability, community, and the support needed to endure wartime service.

 Over 300 lone soldiers join the IDF through Garin Tzabar Scouts program.

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.

Kidist Mengistu, a lone soldier from Ethiopia, was surprised by her mother at the Western Wall for bat mitzvah ceremony, Februrary 23, 2026.

Grapevine: Ancient minority

Movers and shakers in Israeli society.

 The Hadassah Ein Karem hospital in Jerusalem. January 15, 2017.

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.

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

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.

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.

KeepOlim: supporting olim where the system falls short

What began as an online community soon evolved into KeepOlim, a registered nonprofit now serving nearly 48,000 members across Israel.

From L to R: KeepOlim Board Members Fabien Berdah, LiAmi Lawrence, Jessica Thangjom, and Director of Tikva, Susan Cohen.

'Pillar of the community': Mourning loss of lone soldier Joshua Boone, family pushes for IDF burial

Since Boone’s death was just over two weeks after his reserve service officially ended, the Defense Ministry does not recognize him as a fallen soldier under existing criteria.

Lone soldier Josh Boone from Idaho.

Over 150 young immigrants to make aliyah, join IDF, through Garin Tzabar this winter

The announcement follows about 350 arrivals in summer 2025, bringing the program’s total for the year to roughly 500 and marking a record since its founding in 1991.

Tzofim Garin Tzabar.