IDF Lone Soldiers

Guest blog from Fred Heins, IKI Director Netherlands. Fred will be in Israel soon to volunteer with the Israel Defense Forces.

The “Lone Soldiers" of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) are Young Jewish men and women from all around the world who come to Israel alone and leave behind a home, friends, and familiar surroundings to join the IDF to defend the existence and strengthening the security of the state of Israel.

As of January 2010 there are over 5000 “Lone Soldiers” or “Chayalim bodidim” serving in the IDF.

A Lone Soldier serves in the IDF without the benefit of parents to accompany them to the induction point, visit the training base, attend graduation ceremonies, or travel to their children's' bases on holidays.

The importance and contribution of the lone soldiers to the state of Israel and the IDF is immeasurable. In an era of evading responsibility and service, of the pursuit of celebrity and money and the easy life, they represent the opposite pole.

One of the famous lone soldiers and true Zionist was Michael Levin, of blessed memory, from Philadelphia, who was killed in the second Lebanon war in the summer of 2006.

St.-Sgt. Michael Levin was killed by sniper fire during a battle with Hezbollah near the village of Aita Al- Shaab in Southern Lebanon on the 1st of August 2006.

Michael wanted to serve so fiercely that he decided to go into the IDF even before he received a draft notice. He went to the induction center near Tel Aviv to enlist without his papers. When he was denied entrance he pushed a dumpster up against an outside wall and climbed into the building trough a side window. After going through the assembly line where new soldiers get there uniforms and shots, he entered a room where an officer asked for his papers, Michael said that he didn’t have any, the officer said nobody gets through the front door without papers, Michael's response was, “What makes you think I came through the front door”.

Michael Levin of blessed memory

The officer took Michael aside and said, “You know how many people I deal with who do everything to try to get out of here, you are the first person who broke in to get in the Army. The officer helped Michael to get in the IDF.

When the second Lebanon war broke out Michael was on a furlough in the US. He didn’t have to rush back but did so without any hesitation. Once he returned he had to fight his own commanders to be able to join his unit in Lebanon. He missed his unit's critical briefing and preparations before crossing the border, and Michael was told that he couldn’t go to Lebanon and instead he should go to Hebron to keep an eye on the unit's equipment there. Michael said to his commander “you go to Hebron. I’m going to Lebanon to my unit”.

He made dozens of phone calls, pulled all the strings he could, and in the end he got permission to join his unit in the war. After the battle in which Michael was killed, his comrades found his vest and found a small Israeli flag folded up in his pocket.