Lone soldier

In the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), a lone soldier (חייל בודד, Hayal Boded) is defined as a serviceman or woman without parents in Israel. Lone soldiers serve in regular units and receive various forms of support from the IDF, Israeli government ministries and other organizations. Their exact number fluctuates over time, but is consistently in the thousands; the Jewish Telegraphic Agency reported in April 2012 that there were an "estimated 5,000". About 40% of them serve in combat units. They are generally either overseas Jews volunteering under the Mahal or Tzofim Garin Tzabar programmes, or recently arrived olim chadashim (Jewish immigrants), although other possibilities exist (e.g. orphaned natives). According to an IDF spokeswoman, 8,217 foreign-born personnel enlisted between 2009 and August 2012. The most represented countries of origin were Russia and the United States, with 1,685 and 1,661 recruits respectively.

Lone soldiers receive a higher basic salary from the IDF, as well as financial assistance from the Ministry of Immigrant Absorption and the Ministry of Housing and Construction. They are also given help with housing, and the right to extra time off, including 30 days per year to visit family overseas.

Organizations that help lone soldiers include the Lone Soldier Center in memory of Michael Levin, the Association for the Wellbeing of Israel's Soldiers (an Israeli-based charity), and The FIDF/NBN Lone Soldiers Program. The Lone Soldier Center, which is open 24 hours a day, assists lone soldiers and their families overseas, provides meals on Shabbat and holidays, gives lone soldiers educational and social opportunities, and, where needed, helps them find adoptive families in Israel. The FIDF/NBN Lone Soldiers Program provides a holistic solution that offers guidance, support, and care for all Olim (immigrants to Israel) Lone Soldiers at all stages of the process: prior to Aliyah, prior to being drafted, throughout military service and after release from the IDF (when adjusting to a civilian life in Israel).

Where a soldier's parents live in Israel, but he or she is not in contact with them, it is possible for him or her to be designated an "Irregular" lone soldier. In early 2011, The Jerusalem Post reported that about 46% of the approximately 5,000 lone soldiers in the military at that time had family in Israel, but were estranged from them. An IDF adviser to lone soldiers told Arutz Sheva in 2012 that most of these were youths from Haredi religious backgrounds, shunned by their families for joining the army. Irregular lone soldier status can also be given if both of an IDF soldier's parents are working abroad for the Israeli government. If a soldier marries while serving in the IDF, he or she loses lone soldier status. A lone soldier's benefits are also at risk if his or her parents themselves move to Israel.

Notable lone soldiers
David "Mickey" Marcus, the State of Israel's first aluf (general), pre-dates the modern concept of a lone soldier, but would perhaps be considered one under today's definition. Born into a Romanian Jewish family in Manhattan, New York in 1901, he served in the United States Army during World War II (achieving the rank of colonel), and joined the nascent Jewish army in Mandatory Palestine in January 1948, doing so under the nom de guerre "Michael Stone". Following the Israeli Declaration of Independence on 14 May 1948 and the establishment of the Israel Defense Forces 12 days later, Marcus commanded the Jerusalem front during the 1948 War until 10 June, when he was killed by friendly fire. Returning to Israeli positions in the middle of the night, Marcus was spotted by an 18-year-old sentry, Eliezer Linski, who did not recognize the general, seeing only a figure in white. Linski requested a password, but the American did not understand the Hebrew challenge; his answer in English meant nothing to Linski, who fired into the air. Marcus attempted to flee, prompting Linski and other sentries to shoot him dead. The general's body was returned to the United States and buried at West Point Cemetery, where it is the only resting place for an American killed fighting under another country's flag. Israel's first prime minister, David Ben-Gurion, regarded Marcus very highly, saying "He was the best man we had."

Michael Levin, born in Holland, Pennsylvania in 1984, made aliyah to Israel in 2002, and joined the Paratroopers Brigade of the Israel Defense Forces. He was on overseas leave in Pennsylvania when the 2006 Lebanon War broke out. Though the IDF told him he was not required to return, he cut his holiday short to rejoin his unit, telling his family "I have to go back." When he reported for duty, the IDF assigned him to guard in Hebron, preferring not to send a lone soldier to the front line, but Levin was adamant on fighting in Lebanon, and successfully requested permission to do so with the Paratroopers. He was killed in action on 1 August 2006, the 21st day of the war, by Hezbollah fighters in the Lebanese town of Ayta ash Shab. Of the 41 Israeli soldiers killed up to that point in the 2006 Lebanon War, two others were lone soldiers: an Australian and a Ukrainian. Levin's death received a great deal of attention; over 2,000 people attended his funeral on Mount Herzl in Jerusalem, and a documentary about his life, A Hero in Heaven, was directed and produced by Sally Mitlas, an American filmmaker, and released in 2007. During his life, Levin told of his idea for a center for lone soldiers, which would provide them with meals, support and advice. With the support of Tziki Aud, a Jewish Agency employee who had known Levin, a group of former lone soldiers established the Lone Soldier Center in memory of Michael Levin in 2009.

Before their service

 * The Lone Soldier Center in Memory of Michael Levin
 * Ach Gadol organization for lone soldiers

During their service

 * The Lone Soldier Center in Memory of Michael Levin
 * Ach Gadol organization for lone soldiers
 * Association for the Wellbeing of Israel's Soldiers
 * The FIDF/NBN Lone Soldiers Program
 * Friends of the Israel Defense Forces

After their service

 * HESEG Foundation
 * Ach Gadol organization for lone soldiers
 * The Lone Soldier Center in Memory of Michael Levin
 * The FIDF/NBN Lone Soldiers Program

Rights during IDF service
According to the Lone Soldier Center in memory of Michael Levin, a lone soldier in the Israel Defense Forces has the following rights while serving: