Daily Podcasts Video Research

These young Jews leave everything behind to defend Israel.

JL;DR SUMMARY The phenomenon of lone soldiers in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) illustrates a profound commitment to Jewish identity and the State of Israel. A way out west there was a fella, fella I want to tell you about, fella by the name of Jeff Lebowski. At least, that was the handle his lovin' parents gave him, but he never had much use for it himself. This Lebowski, he called himself the Dude. Now, Dude, that's a name no one would self-apply where I come from. But then, there was a lot about the Dude that didn't make a whole lot of sense to me. And a lot about where he lived, likewise. But then again, maybe that's why I found the place s'durned innarestin'.

JL;DR members get full summaries of all articles in the archive, including this one. Donate & start reading »

Tags

Lone SoldiersJewish IdentityZionismDiasporaIdfAliyahCommitmentMilitary ServiceJewish SolidarityOctober 7th Massacre

Places mentioned

Kissufim, Southern District, Israel
"Kidnapped on October 7th from an outpost in Kissufim, Edan had chosen to forgo his weekend leave in order to stay on base and serve."
Jerusalem, Israel
"Today, the Lone Soldier Center in Jerusalem bears his name, serving thousands of soldiers who, like him, serve without immediate family in the country."
Raanana, Tel Aviv District, Israel
"In his memory, Habayit Shel Benji (Benjis Home) was founded in Raanana to provide lone soldiers serving in combat positions with housing, guidance, and a warm community."
Haifa, Haifa District, Israel
"Concerned that his funeral would be sparsely attended, fans of the Maccabi Haifa soccer team (of which he was a devoted fan) issued a call online."
New Jersey, United States
"Alexander, born in Israel and raised in New Jersey, had voluntarily returned to his birth country to enlist in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) as a lone soldier (chayal boded in Hebrew)."
West Point, New York, United States
"He is buried at the United States Military Academy in West Point, New York, the only American buried there who died fighting under a foreign flag."
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
"Michael Levin, a Philadelphia-born IDF paratrooper, remains one of the most iconic lone soldiers in Israeli memory."
Los Angeles, California, United States
"Max Steinberg, from Los Angeles, was a member of the elite Golani Brigade and had no plans to move to Israel until a trip to Israel changed his life."
Texas, United States
"Sean Carmeli, a lone soldier from Texas who also died during Operation Protective Edge, had only a few relatives in Israel."
London, England, United Kingdom
"Benji Hillman, born in London and raised in Manchester, moved to Israel and became an officer in the IDFs elite Egoz reconnaissance unit."
Manchester, England, United Kingdom
"Benji Hillman, born in London and raised in Manchester, moved to Israel and became an officer in the IDFs elite Egoz reconnaissance unit."
Brooklyn, New York, United States
"Whether born in Brooklyn or Melbourne or Beer Sheva, what defines the lone soldier is not the absence of family, but the presence of something greater."
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
"Whether born in Brooklyn or Melbourne or Beer Sheva, what defines the lone soldier is not the absence of family, but the presence of something greater."
Beer Sheva, Southern District, Israel
"Whether born in Brooklyn or Melbourne or Beer Sheva, what defines the lone soldier is not the absence of family, but the presence of something greater."

Support this source

This item was indexed and curated by Cairo, JL;DR's web crawler.
Cairo Item ID 51669
Cairo Source ID 36
Retrieved 2025-05-15 05:30:55 UTC
Curated 2025-05-15 08:32:24 UTC